PUBLIC INQUIRY

Evening Post, Volume CIII, Issue 14, 18 January 1922, Page 7

PUBLIC INQUIRY

THE CASE OF MISS PARK

. ALLEGATIONS -DETAILED.'

The .detailed allegations made: against Miss Park, the Carterton school'ttacher ' ■whose case is, engaging much ■'. attention, are contained in a letter fr.om the.Education Department to Miss Park; as follows:— . ;■;■ t "Madam;— The C^iterton SfchooKCommittee has communicated" -with the. Minister of Education1" protesting against ~jhe methods of the inquiry recently held-by the; Wellington Education.Boards at iCarterton into your conduct air;'a "teacher, and asking him to cause aTfull and public inquiry to be held.' The Minister has ■ordered such- an. inquiry to be held, at which :Mr. A. D. Thomson,, formerly Stipendiary Magistrate, and latterly Ae v sistant Public Service^Commissioner,- will \ preside. You are hereby - requested to attend this inquiry, whioh will :comraence at vthe Agricultural Hall, Carterton, on, 30th Januarjr-At 11.30 *.m. The inquiry will cover the following allegations made ' against you:— . . • , ■■■;. "(1) That you did write and cauee to be.'published^', letter in the journal, National ■ Education, in its issue of 'October .last; which is in the 'following words:—'Sir,—After reading your paragraph under the heading "Sedition'in tha Teaching Profession," I am of" opinion that you have not taken time to consider more than; one aspect of the case. Personally, I am convinced of the evil of any form of violence, but, firm as that conviction is, it does not bind one to the jssuee. raised, by -the action which: .'the ■ Minister is': reported to be taking; and with which you are evidently- in aym--pathy. It ia,said that political"dontrol ■of the teaching; profession, from, the university down, made thepeople ofGermany as putty in the hand's of'her war ■ lords. It is v just this principle.'.that I' see in/the reported action of the:■■ Mint-,. er- ;«If we strip the case, of newspaper headlines and popular fears ahd-lates* ■ ■■■this,.! think, is what we seer Astudent is convicted.\of a political offence committed • quite apart from: the school W college, without inquiry into" her character and influence as a«ieacher; she- is, it is reported, "deprived -of her certificate and dismissed. _ ,Moreover, the-law. "did not defer, to" is, if my memory\ serves nie_right, one of those iniquitous Orders-'' ln-Council,. and therefore not a Jaw made . by the people for the people. "A nation I-,?? leaven and ( regenerate '.. the worjd —that'is the vision that'comes to .some of us. Do you think, Mr. Editor, that your paragraph^r.the.Minister'fi.'fe-i . ported methods will help to keep thtrt' vision clear.?—l; am, etc. (signed); Jean ■ Park. -.' . --v .■■;-;■••■■■•-■•■,-.-I-..J' '"v.. ■ " (2) That such a letter shpiiid' 'be wntten immediately after -and '-be- ' i cau;e of the conviction and: dismissal of Miss, Weitzel from the teaching:ser- ■ vice, constitutes under 'the , circumstances a grave impropriety, insubordination, and serious ,misconduct "on-•• ,your pavt.as a teacher, resulting in"' a. request being forwarded from the >Car-~ terton School Committee' to '■ the ''Wellington Education Board to remove you from the Carterton Schoat- •, :'!-'-^-c ." (3) That you- have made- utterances to your .pupils at the Carterton School at various times which were of a'char--acter offensive to the general,community and repugnant ■to the sentimentg commonly held. bj» British people; i ■tending.to create' disloyal, unpatriotic, and un-British ideas in the minds of your pupils. In this respect; you* are alleged to have been guilty of serious misconduct- as a teacher. Example* of these utterances ' are „to be found in your references to the conduct'of the British Navy during the .war, and also to the execution of Nurse Cavell: "(4) Other matters indicating an obsatisfactory attitude of .mihd":on.-'r your, part which were brought up "at the''recent inquiry by. the Education Board at Carterton are also alleged >to constitute; on your part serious misconduct as a teacher:—e.g., the proposal-tp introduce into the school the M&oriiand 1 Worker as reading matter, your objection to taking the children to/the -War Trophies Exhibition at Mastertbn, :yonr opposition to the Navy League; ":y6nr, ; attitude with regard t» the regulatibns : requiring the weekly .< salute' of- the fl«fe, and the singing of:-the National :.' Anthem , and your attitude " reg&rdirig the action of the British' Government In Ireland." :"■ . "■■'', "^ ;■'.'?. "■'.- The • letter' is signed- by 'Mt^-J, ''■ Caughley (Director of Education). .■