SALE OF SCOTS COLLEGE

Dominion, Volume 23, Issue 51, 23 November 1929, Page 13

SALE OF SCOTS COLLEGE

Sir.—lt is a matter of public tall, that the report published by you last Thursday of the closing of Scots College ami the sale of Ihe property came to many like a "bolt from the blue.” Some years ago the then beadmaster of Scots College gave me very full details of the financial condition of the college, and since then I have been convinced that unless the appaling debt on the property could be reduced, that debt would cause the institution to totter to its fall. The Scots College Board is now controlled by squareheaded business men. and they have done their best to save a "house built upon the sand." and the sale was to them an act of dire and unpleasant necessity. lam satisfied that: those square-headed business men were inspired with the best motives, but 1 have reason for spying that, the legality of the sale is open io question, and it may be doubl'd if the Education Department have obtained a valid receipt for the purchase money. There can be no valid sale of Presbyterian Church property by the church property trustees without the consent of the General Assembly, aud the assembly not only never consented to the closing of Scots College and sale of property, but actually declared in favour of continuing Scots College and pledged itself to give financial help for five years. I was so perplexed by your reports of last Thursday that I wrote to the clerk of assembly for information and explanation, as follows; — “316 Karori Road. “November 18. 1929. “Rev. J. H. Mackenzie, “Clerk Presbyterian Assembly. “Rev Sir. —I find from the 1928 assembly proceedings that on November 28 last the assembly unanimously agreed to the policy of continuing Scots College, Wellington, aud voted an annual grant of £5OO a year for five years to assist the Scots College Board to continue the school. “On Thursday last the Wellington newspapers reported that a Commission of Assembly met in Wellington on Tuesday and agreed to close the school and sold the property to the Education Department. I undertsand that it was announced on Wednesday to Scots College pupils that the school would be permanently closed at th« end of term. “May I trouble you to inform me if the report about the commission is true, and 1 -will thank you to say by an early telegram when the commission was appointed and how many attended the commission apart from the officials and church property trustees. This matter is, of course, of public interest. —Yours truly, “(Sgd.) ROBERT WOOD.” I received this morning the following official reply to this letter: — “Presbyterian Church of New Zealand. 24 Kelburn Parade. Wellington, N.Z. November 18, 1929. "Rev. R. Wood. “Rev. Sir, —Your statement of what th’e General Assembly did on November 28 last is correct, so far as a grant to Scots College is concerned. “It is also true that Commission of Assembly met on 12th and gave its consent to the sale of the Scots College property, but not without opposition. “As clerk I was required, unwillingly, to attend at .Scots and inform the pupils of what had been done, but I did not say ‘for ever.’ “Yon will find the appointment of the commission on page 62 of proceedings. 1928. There were IS present out of 27 members.—Yours truly, “(Sgd.) J. H. MACKENZIE.

It is necessary for me to comment on this letter, but before doing so I would point out that Mr. Mackenzie is not Ijbo "legal advisor” of the Church—that ofhee unfortunately- is not filled—-and as clerk his duty is simply to keep the minutes and give extract, minutes, and the ActingModerator of the alleged Commission of Assembly is responsible for not pointing out that the commission could not end Scots College, as the Assembly had declared that it was to be continued and assisted. It seems to me that he should have ruled the motion to close and sell as ultra vires, contradicting as it did the following motion passed on the recommendation of an Assembly Committee, specially set up tn consider the ending or mending of Scots College: “That £5OO be granted annually for the next five years from the fire insurance fund to Scots College Board, and that if. and when, the board is in a position to repay, the amount be refunded.” This resolution was followed by another resolution calling a crusade in favour of Scots and other Colleges. Mr. Mackenzie’s reference to a commission being appointed is quite beside the point. At every Assembly a commission is appointed to formally legalise the actions of the church trustees with regard to mortgages and transfer of properties. The 1914 Presbyterian Act. of Parliament has taken such legalising power from Presbyterians and put it into the hands of the Assembly, and as the Assembly meets only at long intervals, it deputes to a commission the power in its name to make valid and legal the action of the trustees on matters purely formal, and on which there would be no debate or difference of opinion. The Assembly never deputed Io any commission the power to reject the Assembly's declared policy to maintain Scots College, and I suggest that the church trustees never received the consent of the Assembly to the closing and sale of Scots College property. Mr. Mackenzie is somewhat inaccurate in his figures regarding the commission that met last week. I asked him how many ere present apart from the officials and trustees, and he says IS. The commission he refers to had only 12 members apart from officials and trustees, and the 12 consisted of 11' residing in Wellinglrm and one in Masterton. who made up the 18. In the minute appointing the formal commission, five would form a quorum. There can be no meeting of General Assembly unless there be a quorum of fifteen and three Presbyteries must be represented. In this commission only one Presbytery was represented, and even the small number were divided in opinion, and a majority vole in this small meeting sent an unwilling clerk to Scots College to tell the pupils that the school would cease to be. It see”is to me that there can be nc

closing or sale of property without the ful) and intelligent consent of the General Assembly, and the occasion merits the callin'- of a special meeting to ratify what has been done, and to make some adequate compensation to the teaching staff for the sudden termination of their engagements. It is recognised that the work o! the staff is beyond all praise. In the business world to be a Scots College Boy is itself a certificate of character. The elosing of the college should not cast Hie shadow of a shade on the capacity and efficiency of the teaching staff of this unfortunate institution. —I am. etc.. ROBERT WOOD. Karori, November 19.