Board “Not Misreported”

Press, Volume C, Issue 29657, 30 October 1961, Page 14

Board “Not Misreported”

(New Zealand Press Association)

ROTORUA, October 29. In spite of an Education Department denial, it has been confirmed that the term “Little Rock” was used at a meeting of the Te Puke High School board of governors which discussed the decision of the board not to accept a negro a* an American Field Service scholar. Five members of the nineman board said at the weekend that a member of the board had used the term during the discussion. Reporting on a conversation with a Te Puke resident, the members said: “One man came to me and asked if the

school was going to be another Little Rock.” The chairman of the board (Mr if. N. Bowyer) refused to confirm or deny the point The members who confirmed that the term was used at the board meeting are Messrs R. M. Mathieson, C. M. Delugar, F. A. Aldridge. G, Spratt and Dr. B Andrews.

A Press Association message from Wellington on Friday reported that an Edu cation Department spokesman said, in part: “Apparently a junior reporter from a Rotorua paper worded his report in such a way as to 'make it appear that the school board had a prejudice against a negro. This

is not correct. The reporter was responsible for the use of the phrase ‘a Little Rock in Te Puke.’” The Auckland district superintendent for the Education Department (Mr L. Le F. Ensor) expressed surprise that such an allegation had been made against the reporter. He said he understood the term had been used at the board meeting. It was Mr Ensor who made inquiries by telephone at Te Puke on behalf of the department. Board members also agreed that the Rotorua report of the board's discussion was factual, although they were critical of some headlines given to It