AN ANGRY BOARD.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 442, 26 February 1909, Page 7

AN ANGRY BOARD.

' , THE HUTT SCHOOLS AGAIN.

A LETTER AND A DISCUSSION.

THE DEPARTMENT CRITICISED.

Tho placid atmosphere of tho Education Bdard room was ruffled f by an unusual breeze jesterday, when the seorotary (Mr) G. L Stewart) read a letter wbioh lio had received from the Inspector-General of Schools (Mr. Geo. JELogßen) anent a certain deputation vjailbd upon tho Minister for Education (Hon. G. Fowlds), with reference to the Eastern Hutt Sohool question, on Tuesday last. ' Inspoctor-Cenoral'e Letter. Under date February 28, the InspocterGeneral wrote as follows: — "In regard to the matter of the pro- / posed school at the Eastern Hutt, brought before the Minister by a deputation from tho board and from tho Sohool Committee to-day, I am diiccted to say that an application for a sido school at Eastern Hutt, to accommodate 120 pupils, would receive consideration. With regard,to a separate infant school, also mentioned at tho interview, it ap■pears from an examination of tho numbers of children in tho proposed new district, that thero> are not eno-igh of standard 2 and below to reach the minimum (201) required under the Education Act Amendment Aofc for the estab- | lishment of a separate infant school." A. dead 1 a few seconds—followed the' recital of tho contents of the letter.. It will be remembered that the depiitatfon,, which objected strongly to side schools, had been assured thiit a separate infant school would bo considered. •~ Main v. Side Sohool. Captain M'Donald said the, sub-eommitteo "appointed by the board to investigate tho ■educational requirements of the Eastern Hutt had unanimously reported in favour of a main school in that portion of tho district. They were now informed that the Government would establish a sido sohool to complete tho Main Hutt School. It would not complete the Mam Hutt School. The whole trouble had arisen from the nature of the jjlane of that school, plans which the Department approved. "They aro the, rottenest plans'over'prepared for a school in their district.'J he,said. Who was to blame? Not the; board, i Tho Inspector-General had _ approved the plans. . There was no provision for adding to tho building, either at tho ,' back, the front, or tho sidet. "Or,.the top,"'facetiously'suggested Mr. Allan.' ' "Or underneath," added, Mr., Vile, waggishly. • "- j There had been a suggestion, eontinuod Captain M'Donald, that theie was something ' underneath all this agitation about the Eastern Hutt School. Tho Minister himself had said so when replying to tho deputation. It had been stated by eomo that that "something , ' was an antagonism ■ ' to the'headmaster of the Main Hutt School —an agitation. He (the speaker) denied this. ' There was no t feeling -whatever against the headmaster. ,- During tho whole of, his hve years' residence in tho Hutt he'had f heard, of nothing suggesting such a feeling. He wished to make perfectly clear the fact that the boarcl, in this particular instance, was actuated solely by tho desire to , adequately provide for the educational needs of the district. The headmaster at the ( >Main '■ Hutt School was held in "great respect.' Tho' whole procedure ' was very strange. 'He would move that tho matter be deferred for consideration at the nest meeting of-the'board. l,iei!> t- >i , *. ~ >,• ,' . ,A Mysterious "Something," r Mr. "Allan, asked the chairman whether ho. , had heard of this mysterious "something" which was stated to.beTiat the bottom of tho agitation. ' ' The chairman (Air. R. Lee)' , replied that ther'jhrase was as strange to him as-'to the i other' members. ■ Air. Allan 'said that not being a resident at the Hutt, he could hardly be called <a special pleader for the Eastern Hutt. He understood that theio was a special claim for,'a; school in that district. If the schobl wag -wanted,. why -then,' lot it be e&tab'lisbed. i ;If, *on tho other hand, , there was noi special neod for'the "school, why build it. X The matter appealed to Dβ simple enough. 1 ' ■' J Mr. Vile: The matter behind it all is scarcity of money. • ' lib , . Kebbell: If they have money to complete the Main' Hutt School, they havo money to build tho •■ Eastern Hutt school. I'he desire apparently was to complete the! Main School. , - | , Captain M'Donald: Why didn't they com- 1 plete it at hrsfi\ - ' Mr. T. R. Fleming (senior inspector), ap-' pealed to, said that the sohool had been .complete for the number >of children on the .roll, but hot complete in the eense that a proper distribution of classes could bo attajned, each teacher .having a separate class-room. , Y>lr, Allan j Would the establishment of' the ' Eastern Hutt School affect the attend- 1 ance at, the Main,' School? / • Mr. Fleming: l'es. I have previously given'the board my views on that point. . ahe chairman explained that' the school had been' complete ■ for the requirements of the day." It was not now. Captain M'Donald: Then I say it is a disgrace. > > ■ l ' The , Hon.' A. W. Hogg said that the matter was a very simple one. The requirements of Eastern Hutt had nothing to do ' , the completion of tho, Mam Hutt bchool. As administrators it was for them to decide whether the school at Eastern iiutt should be a side department or not. If they could not decide tfiat, then he was obliterated * * ™ gbt M weß be ™f SODI S furthe s diM <ißsion, tho motion Was put and earned.