THE NORTHLAND SCHOOL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 5, 6 July 1906, Page 5

THE NORTHLAND SCHOOL.

APPOINTMENT OF TEACHERS. THE EDUCATION" BOARD'S POSITION. A Post reporter this morning called on Mr. T. W. M'Donald, a member of the Wellington Education Board, and asked! him to explain the position of the board in reference to the trouble which has occurred over tho appointment of teachers for the Northland School. The first step token in the matter, Tm said, was that the Secretary of the Bowd called for applications for the positions at Northland- When the applications were received they w«ir© considered with, other appointments whioh were being mada at the time. The secretary informed* the board that as there wee no School Committee in exist3nce where the Northland School was situated, and, a.s no school district had been defined, there' could be no committea to consult in tarms laid down in the Act. The board, he pointed out, could 'therefore proceed to make the appointments at once. On this assurance the appointments for the Northland School were made. The next the board heard of tho matter was on intimation in tfhe press, that a School Committed had been elected for the NortWons School. For the sake of cqnvenience this was done> at the same time as the annual elections throughout the education, district were held, but as a.matiter of fact the election of the provisional committee might- have taken place at any time. After the provisional committee had been elected it mote to the board complaining of the manner in which the appointments of teachers had been made, and asked' that the committed should he consulted! as provided by' the Education Act. The board discussed the matter fully, and Teplied to the effect that! the committee was not elected at the timo the appointments were made and that it hftd' no stathis as a committee. | "This," said Mr. M'Donald, "is certainly the caee. Later on, however, it transpired that the school wan in tv school district — the Karori school district — and that what tflio board should redly have done was to have consulted the "Karori. School Committee. Not being aware, that the school was in the district of Karori, however, tjiat School Committee was not consulted." "So far the Karori School Committeehave raised no objections to the cpnoint- | mentjs made by the board — apparently bsing awaro of the reason why they were not consulted — and until they do raise an objection no alteration in the appointments can be mado even if the board so desired." As a proof that tho Northland Provisional Committee had no statuß, ho quoted sectfion 98 of the Education Act of 1904, which reads as follows; — "For every school district constituted under this Act there shall be a School Committee, consisting of not less than five nor more than nino householders resident within the school district, to bo elected as hereinafter provided." "There is a school district In existence," Mr. M'Don.ild proceeded, "and we cannot have two School Committees in one district. Tho Karori School Committee id already in existence, and it is the only School Committee in the district witls any status up to the present. Under tho provision of section 48 of the Act a school district may be divided into two or mora such districts, and on tho formation of any new school district, by division or combination, such formation 'shall itako effect on and after the commencement of the school year next followipg the date on which, the formation of such new school district shall have been agreed to by a resolution of the board,' a school year being defined from the first day of January to the 31st day of December." It is clear from this section that as tho board has not yet agreed by resolution to the formation of a new school district at Northland that Mich school district cannot come into operation until after the Ist of January, 1007. Under section 98 it ds further very clear that the Northland School Committee cannot possibly have apy status until after Ist January, 1907. "I would Hke to know," Mr, M'Donald said in conclusion, "if the members of the Northland School Committee would stick out for the right to vote for tho election of members of the board at the end of this menth in the came way as they are claiming to possess the right to be consulted about the appointment of teachers. If they possess th.c one theii they clearly ar© within their rights hv demanding the other. In my, opinion tha Northland School Committee fo purely & provisional committee, set up for the< purpose of assisting the board in the matter of defining the boundaries of ihc» suggested 'new school district." Ail -impression, he. added, appeared' to

have got abroad that the board sent on to • tlhe Northland School Committee one name only, and that that was the cause of the trouble, but, as previously stated, n6 namo was submitted to the Northland or an? other committee for the reasons set out. -,' ' - -