TEACHERS MEET

Evening Post, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 4, 6 January 1914, Page 10

TEACHERS MEET

■»■ — THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE PRIMARY SCHOOLS. (BT TELEGRAPH— PRESS ASSOCIATION.) AUCKLAND, sth January. After the civic welcome to the delegates to the annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute, a welcome was also extended by Mr. G. J. Garland, chairman of the Auckland Education Board. For 31 years (he said) such conferences had been held, and the results had proved their value. Hd referred to the board's power to transfer teachers, and said that the board did not intend to give this up. The Auckland Board had never exprcised this power unduly, and its personnel was a guarantee that it never would do so. After touching upon the recent changes in the matter of salaries, Mr. Garland said that he intended to bring under the notice of the board the advisability, of intrducing a prefect system into the primary schools. ■ A remit from the Wellington Institute, that the annual meeting of the New Zealand Institute should m future be held in Wellington during the session of Parliament, was supported by Mr. A. N. Burns. ' He maintained that by holding, their meetings in the capital they wonlcl be 'able to* extend their influence and knowledge of their aims. After discussion, the remit was adopted. The Auckland and Ilawkes Bay Institutes each forwarded remits approving of the recommendation - of the Education Commission that the consolidation of the school should be carried out' where possible. Mr. G. Lippiatfc (Auckland) said that the scheme had now passed the experimental stage, having been tried with success in the United States and in New South Wales. Calculations had shown "that a school of under 100 pupils could not support -11861? out of the Government grant, but a big saving on the present expense could be made by amalgamating, say, three schools of 50 pupils each. /In salaries alone there would be a saving of £275, and teaching would be not less efficient. 'The motion was carried. ' 1 A lively discussion took place upon an- Auckland remit, ' which was to the effects ,"That the 1 tima> had arrived when all the junior, national, and Education Board scholarships should be abolished, and that the money so saved should be spent in paying the lodging expenses of those -children who were highest, on the list in the junior free place, examination, and who required tp live away /from home in- order to attend secondary schools." It was argued that the adoption of this suggestion would place country pupils at an advantage over town children. The motion was eventually carried.