HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 280, 24 November 1915, Page 6

HEARTY CONGRATULATIONS.

TO THE NEW EDUCATIONAL COUNCIL. UPON DIVISION OF DISTRICTS. The Council of Education was congratulated this morning by the Auckland Board of Education on its initial work in defining the new education dis- j tricts of the Dominion. The chairman (Mr. G. J. Garland) expressed the opinion that never in the history of the overseas Dominions had Parliament thrown such great responsibilities upon a council of education, j Although the Auckland education das- I trict had lost three counties, it was felt that the council had made divisions I which were equitable. Mr. A. R. Harris: The work has been carried out as well as if it had been done by the House. The chairman: "Probably a very great deal better, which only goes to show that all the brains of the country arc not in the House." He moved: "That this Board views with appreciation the very excellent work accomplished by the Council of Education." Mr. Harris, in seconding, congratulated the Council on having put into effect the views expressed some time ago by the Auckland Board. The senior inspector (Mr. C. W. Garrard), speaking at the request of the Board, said that they had lost the counties of Ohura, Awakino, Ka'tieke; 24 schools out' of U3O, 1000 pupils out of 43,000. and 42 teachers. The number of schools of grade IV. B and over in Auckland was 05, ami of theae only one had been lost. Out of Tti schools in grade IV. A and over three had beer. lost. One feature of the division woe that nearly all the large schools remained to Auckland. In fact, very few plums had been lost to us. At the same time, Mr. Garrard expressed his sympathy with some of the teachers in the lost counties, because of the fact that they would not ] now have the same chances of promotion. I"1 believe," added the inspector, "that | any man who enters the teaching service should have the opportunity of rising to the highest steps of all." Mr. E. C. Banks, a member of the Council, thanked the Board for the expression of approval. Their first difficulty had been with regard to Opotiki. He (Mr. Banks) had gone into the question of distances, and pointed out that when the East Coast railway was constructed Opotiki would be half way between Auckland and Napier. It \va6 therefore'transferred from Hawke's Bay to Auckland. Kaitieke county was shown to be nearer to Wanganui, so they let them have it. The principal difficulty was Ohura. Really half should have been in Auckland and half in Taranaki, but the Act said that a county should not be divided. Ohura, therefore, went to Taranaki. The resolution of congratulation was carried unanimously.