BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Auckland Star, Volume XXV, Issue 250, 19 October 1894, Page 2

BOARD OF EDUCATION.

CHARGE ON TEACHERS" RESIDENCES.

THE RENT QUESTION,

A special meeting of the Auckland Board of Education was vheld today in order to consider the quesbion of charging renb on, teachers' residences, and 'the proposed charge on the salaries of teachers. There were present: Messrs R. Udy (Chairman), Lambe, Bates, Wilding, Muir, Luke, Woodward, and W. P. Moab. The following summary of legal opinion was submitted as having been received from Dr. Laishley (solicitor) upon questions submitted to him by the Board, September 25th, 1894 :—" Auckland, October 12bh, 1894.--Question 1: Has the Board the Board bhe power to make the charge proposed on the salaries of teachers provided with residences? Answer—No. Question 2: Is such charge a variation of the teacher's engagement ? Answer — Yes. Question 3: if so can such variation ot engagement be made against tho teacher a consenbbygiving three months' noticeof tbe Board's intention to make the charge? Answer.—No." The opinion further de^ clared :—" {a) To charge rent is contrary to sections 48 and 49 of the Education Acb, and bo clause 34 of bhe Board's regulations. (b) Nor can bho Board insisb upon repairE to dwellings being made ab the cost of teachers, (c) Neither [a) nor (b) are legally enforceable even with bhe consenb of the teachers affected, {d) Notice of variation (i.e. termination) of a teacher's engagement cannot legally be given unbil afber^ the Board has first consulbed the School Committee in terms of section 45 of bhe Acb. (Tli.i» has already been debermined ab law in a case brought against the Board by Captain Cholmondeley Smith in 1878.) (c) Dr. Laishley thinks the Board has substantially the power to give effecb to whab is proposed, by revoking bhe resolutions already passed, and altering such clauses of the regulations as are in conflict, and by then giving the requisite three months' notice to teachers after consultation of the School Committees concerned. (/) But the notices already issued to teachers are bad in law. (g) Dr. Laishley thinks bhab the proposed charge should nob be enforced until bhe Board is satisfied that it would nob be interpreted as a charge of renb." . Dr. Laishley also forwarded copies ot petitions to Parliament by school-teachers againsb bhe proposed charge, and a copy of bhe Petitions Committee reporb, which was to the effecb that the Commibbee considered bhe acbion of the Board injudicious and recommended the Governmenb to amend the Education Act, if the Board persisted in the imposition of the charge, so as to more clearly define the powers of tfte Board in the matter. The Chairman said ib was clear that the Board had nob bhe power bo make tha proposed charge on teachers' salaries. A discussion arising as to the maintenance fund and the building fund, Mr Luke mentioned thab bire Board bad had £32,500 in bhree years as building grants, from bhe Government.

The Chairman said thab bhis was nob so. The buildiag fund grant during thab period was only a libtle over £20,000. The following motions wero moved by Mr Moat: —U) "Thab tbe resolutions of the Board passed on the *stb Juno, 1894, and 3rd July, 1894, imposing a charge npou teachers' residences, be rescinded." (2) "That the resolutions of tho Board passed' on the sth June, 1894, and'3rd July, 1894, imposing a reduction of the salaries of certain teachers and officers under the Board, be rescinded."

The Rev. Mr Bates said it was nob an unnabural conclusion for the teachers to come to in bheir petitions to Parliament— that the Board was going to charge bhem rent, and thab the deductions were to be added to the building fund. He thought the Board should nob easb any slurs on their teachers in the matter.

Mr Lambe and Mr Muir said bhab no member of the Board was casting a slur on bhe teachers in the matter. Mr Muir said thab the statements of the teachers that renb was to be charged and bhe charge on the salaries was to be used for- building purposes was quite untrue, and should nob have been made.

The Chairman said thab tbe proposal of the Board originated wholly in a desire to place teachers on terms of equality, as there wero very many schools withoub houses for the teachers. He would prefer a house allowance for each teacher, and no rent, bub that was nob practicable now. In common fairness, however, something would have to be done to place teachers on terms of equality as respected houses and house allowance.

Mr Lambs considered thab ib had been shown thab thore was necessity for retrenchment, and there was every evidence bhab teachers were well paid, as the teaching profession was a favoured service. Be did nob see %vhy the teachers should not bear their share in bearing the burdens of the depression, especially as they had become a very powerful body. It was a painful duty to retrench, but ib had been shown to be absolutely necessary.

Mr Moab said bhab when a teacher gob a school with house atbached, it was, as a rule, because he was deserving of it, and when he gob it he looked upon bhe house as forming a portion of his salary:

The first mobion was ihen carried unanimously. Some discussion ensued on Mr Moab's second motion.

The Chairman said he had had a return prepared showing the average expenditure per month for the last nine monbhs, during a porbion of which bime the Board were economising all they could. The average monthly expenditure was £6,601 9s Id, and the receipts for the lasb monbh were £6,589 9s 7d, which was bhe largesb or. bhe records of bhe book, leaving a dobib balance of £11 19s 6d. This was the fairest possible way in which he could lay the position of the Board before them. These figures showed »he working expenses of the Board, being calculated on the working average. This quarter, he added, was one of bhe worst in the schools since the measles epidemic.

Mr Bates said than by a little more economy they ought to be able to make those figures balance.

Mr Moat's second motion was then car ried unanimously.

Mr Lambe gave notice of his intention to move at the nexb meebing "Thab a Commibtee consisting of Messrs Udy, Muir, Cooper, and the mover be appointed to revise the policy of retrenchment brought down by the Finance Committee on September 22nd, 1893, with power to consult a solicitor if necessary, and to bring up the report) at as early a date as possible.