HIGH SCHOOL BOARD.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XXXV, Issue 9155, 1 June 1915, Page 3

HIGH SCHOOL BOARD.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Ashburton High School Board was held this morning. Ire.sent: —Messrs J. Tucker (chairman), R. Galbraith, .W. T. Lill, C. Reid, W. B. Denshire, and A. Drumond. An apology for absence was received from Mr W. H. Collins.

Mr Tucker welcomed Mr Galbraith to the Board, and his Worship briefly responded.

The chairman reported a debit balance at the bank of £5500, and a credit balaneo of £485.

The Education Board wrote with regard to the new scheme of control 1 for high schools, stating that the scheme would haw to be referred to the Crown Law Office to iind out whether it was in correct legal form. It would probably not be ready for some time. —Received.

A letter was received from the Department of Agriculture, Industries, and Coinerco, intimating that the verbal arrangemout Ixyfcweon thp acting Director of Fields arid the chairman of the High School Board and the acting Fields Instructor with reference to granting the Department 40 acres of the Board's property in the coming season for the acclimatisation, testing, and rogueing of imported cereals had been approved. It was understood that, in the ewnt of the Department's deciding to take over the whole of the 136 acres, the above 40 acres would form part of the demonstration area. Arrangements had been made to proceed with the ploughing of No. 7 field, containing approximately 24 acres, ; which would be sown in imported j wheats about the. middle of June. Other : fields, containing about 17 acres, would ' be sown in the, Spring in imported va- | rieties of outs and barley.—Received. • The secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Industries, and Commerce wrote stating that, in regard to the j offer of the Board to place at, the Department's disposal a portion of its reserve for experimental purposes, it had now bceu decided to take advantage of the Board's generosity and to establish experimental work on the area in question. It would be realised that in order to reach dennite conclusions, and to obtain the most reliable results, , experimental work miist bo contm-: ued over a' scries-of seasons. It. would thereforo.be advisable for the Department to retain th<> use of this land for a period of not'loss than five years.—-It ■■■was decided to write stating that the Board would be willing to let the Department have the land for the hvo years on either of the conditions previously intimated to the Board. Tho visiting committee (Messrs \V. T. Lill and R. Onlbraith) stated that they had visited the- school. A couple of loads of gravel would be needed on one part of the grounds, and various minor matters inside the school needed to be attended to. The committee recomputed that Mr Watters's house be connected with the telephone system.—lt was decided to instal the telephono at the headmaster's house, and the other mutt-era vvoro ordered to^ beat tended to. Tho report was then adopted. The. Headmaster reported that the school had re-opened on Tuesday, May 25, with nn attendance of 119. One girl had bceu admitted, while three boys had left. The average attendance

since re-opening had been 116, or 92.8 per cent, of the roll number, which now stood at _ 125—75 boys and 50 girls. Miss Kennedy, who had boon \inable to resume her duties after the holidays owing to illness, had now taken up her work again.—The report was adopted. It was decided that the building committee be authorised to pay the i builder's account on receipt of the architect's certificate. Accounts amounting to £158 Os 4Y Vv-e.i-e passed for payment.