A TEACHER'S LOYALTY

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 78, 28 September 1918, Page 4

A TEACHER'S LOYALTY

DANNEVIRKE CASE

SERIOUS ALLEGATIONS.

(BI TBLiaaATlfc-^BKSa ASSOCIATION.)

DANNEVIBKE, This Day.

An unusual case of alleged malico was before Mr. Dyer, S.M., on Tuesday, when Harry Coventry, headmaster of the State School at Terehunga, proceeded against T. W Stanfield, now chairman of the School Committee, claiming £100 damages. He alleged that Stanfield, at the school picnic in March last, remarked of plaintiff: "Look at the old German."

The evidence showed that plaintiff was born in Essex, • England, - and educated there, and partly at Riga, in.Russia. Plaintiff said : "I have never been in Germany." Soon after taking over the headmastership at_ Terehunga rumours got into circulation "that plaintiff was a German. The children attending school alleged that he drew frequent comparisons between the Germans and the British, to the detriment of the latter, and that he spoke of the .school flag as "your flag," instead of "our flag." From his remarks they considered him a German. On one occasion he allegedly told the scholars that German submarines were better than the British, and the boys met after school, held a meeting, and decided to ask their parents' permission to duck the master in a creek running through the school grounds. This, however, did not eventuate. " '■

. Defendant alleged that what he did say was that plaintiff "looked a bit like a German." ,

The Magistrate, in view of the conflict of testimony concerning ohe actual words used,, gave judgment for - defendant with 12 guineas; costs, stating that plaintiff apparently only had himself to -blame' for rumours which got' into circulation. He was undoubtedly British, and possibly loyal, but the impression he had conveyed to the children was that he was either a German or had German sympathies.