HUMILIATING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 691, 16 December 1909, Page 8

HUMILIATING.

•" ; ■» . '■■ -■■ AN EDUCATION BOARD'S COMPLAINT. "HEWERS 03? WOOD AND DRAWEES OP WATER." (Bj Toleeraph-Prcss Association.! Dunedin, December 15. ' At a meeting of the Education Board to-day, the Education Department carue iu for some sharp criticism. The Department forwarded a reply to the board's resolution respecting tho Department's attitude regarding the Hilleud residence. The Department stated that, connected with the public schools, there are over a hundred of small residential structures built by the.boards themselves, presumably suited to tho circumstances, and 1 - representing, in ■ terms of the scale of house allowances, a-value of over £1000. a year. Their abandonment would' mean a cbargo upon the Government to that extent, and the Minister could not accept such a charge without consultation. . The Minister deprecated the':board's views, that v it was humiliated.by the * necessity for consultation, and pointed out that the statement that the Department expected authority to bo obtained for every ■ trifling work went ■ much beyond what the occasion warranted, there being many, building operations,, including very importantones, with regard to which the board did not refer to tho Department, at all.' The Rev.' P. B. Eraser'said every fresh grant made by the Department during the past tow years had been made.under restrictions' that took, away the independent and responsible judgment of the board. -The same thing occurred whenever ra . pin's, head sort of school was going to be put up. Were it not for the strong love- members, of the board' and local educationists had for education, the members would have been compelled to leave it all to be managed by the underlings of the Department. ' ft seemed a most extraordinary thing that it should.enter Mr. Fowlds's imagination' that,' besides having a monopoly of power for' a brief period, ho had a monopoly of all the wisdom that belonged to the local authorities throughout the province. Some of these things would, come home to, roost with particular parties. The.time perhaps was not far distant when, if they couldn't get a'change in some things, they would at least get a change in the management of this Department. Tho board were nothing but. hewers of wood and drawers of water for people in Wellington. If the board had any good idea it was snapped up in Wellington/ If, there was a dirty job to be done, .the board had got it to do. It was a most humiliating slap in tho face in the eyes of the province. ~..,■. A motion was carried calling the attention of the Department to the fact that tho letter did not contain, a reply to the board's request to the.Minister to consider his decision not to pay house allowance to the Hillend teacher, again asking that, the subject rcceivp fresh and favourable consideration,, and reaffirming the statement that it was humiliating to the boards to have to apply to the Department for authority to carry.out small works of this character. ';