SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XX, Issue 1031, 27 April 1894, Page 5

SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

BALCLUTHA DISTBICT HIGH SCHOOL. The annual meeting of householders in the above school district was held on Monday evening. Contrary to general expectations there was a large attendance of parents and householders, Mr John Dunne being voted to the chair. The secretary, Mr D. T. Fleming, read the following ANNUAL REPORT. Your committee in presenting their annual report congratulate parents and those interested on the harmonious manner in which matters in connection with the school have progressed during the past year. In all your committee have held 12 meetings, at which members have attended as follows :— J. Pateison 12, W. Shiels 12, D. T. Fleming 12, J. Dunne 10, D. Wood 10, P. Mason 8, Sinclair Wright 8, J. W. Wilson 6, andDr Smith 2, his unfortunate accident interfering. The average attendance for the year ended March 31 was 201, out of a roll number of 254. There are at present 26 pupils receiving instruction in the higher branches and the average attendance during the nine quarters, the high school has been in operation is 21. This your committee consider highly satisfactory, considering that

the conditions under which the high school was granted required ah attendance of onlj 20, and that this proviso was subsequently left in abeyance, 1 so that as a matter of fact there has been no stipulation as to attendance in existence. During the past year the measles brought down the average attendance considerably, < but your committee consider that the average attendance might/ be much better than it is at the present time, there being only an average of 210 out of a roll .number of 259 last quarter. Your committee has had no official inf ormaton from the board re the high school, but the published reports may be taken as a correct record of the decision arrived at. The committee's allowance, L4O a year, is bai'ely sufficient to meet the ordinary expenditure, and it having been supplemented to the extent of only L 3 7s 7d, balance of children's concert, accounts for the very small balance in hand at the end of the. year — viz.,. 2s. The children's concert was, as usual, a great success, and as a result close on LlO was distributed in pvizes at the annual-bieak-up. ". • Arbor Day was observed as a public holi-. day, and the school children assisted in the planting in Clutha park. Your committee place on record their appreciation of the services of the teaching staff, not only in the ordinary work of the school but in all matters in which their assistance was asked. "[ The balance-sheet for the year ended March 31, duly audited, is laid on the table. The balance-sheet showed that, the committee commenced the year \ with a credit balance of 18s 9d, The grants from the board for ordinary purposes amounted to L4O. High school fees Lls 15s, and balance of, school concert L 3 7s 7d. making a total of L6O Is 4d. On the expenditure side L 24 4s had been paid for cleaning the school, L 8 14s for fuel, L 9 2s 7d for repairs, gravelling LI 12s 6d, Mr Pope high school fees Ll4 14, Mr Valentine do LI Is, sundries 11s 3d, leaving a credit balance of 2s. Mr Agnew thought the report should have been handed to the local papers for publication last week, inorder that those present might have been able to consider it and more intelligently discuss it, than was the case when they only knew its contents that evening for the first time, This was the course adopted by the committees in Dunedin. The Chairman said it would have been impossible to publish the report last week, for the committee had only just finished its work, and the report was not in existance till a few minutes ago. The suggestion, however,. was a good one. The report and balance-sheet were then adopted, The Chairman intimated that Messrs Dunne, Henderson, Mason, Paterson, Stewart, Turnbull, Wilson, Wood, and Wright had been nominated the week previous, but the meeting could now make further nominations if it so desired. The following nominations were then made : — Messrs J. Hogg, T. M'Donald, T, Milroy, J. Eamage, H. J. Day, G. Lousley, J. Mitchell, J. M'Neill, J. M'Corley, and J. W. Agnew. Messrs T. Mackenzie, M, IT. E., and J. S. Fleming were appointed scrutineers for the purposes of the ballot which was then proceeded with, the following being the result : J, Hogg 65, T. M'Donald 59, J. Turnbull 56 J, M'Corley 56, H. J. Day 56, G. Lousley 51, J. Dunne 50, J. Paterson 45, J. M'Neil 45/ S. Wright 44. D. Wood 44, D. Stewart 41, J. W. Wilson 41, J. Ramage 36, J. W. Agnew 28, J. Mitchell 24, P. Mason 24, A, B. Henderson, 23, and T. Milroy 18. The first nine were declared duly elected. The Chairman read a circular from the Education Board calling the first meeting of committee for Friday evening 27th, at 7 30 p.m. in the school. A vote of thanks to the chairman closed the proceedings.