POOR RESULTS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 49, 26 August 1931, Page 7

POOR RESULTS

UNANSWERED LETTERS

MINISTER CRITICISED

CONFERENCE POSTPONED

On the ground of economy ana the inability to point to tangible results gained by recent conferences, the ..Technical Educational Association of New Zealand has decided to. postpone the Wellington meeting plan^e&^Qig^pth September. In a circular received? by the Wellington Technical College^' Board of Governors last evening the-secretary of the association, complained that nriwh of the correspondence of the association to the Minister of Education, the Hon. H. Atmore, had remained unanswered. '' This experience is not peculiar to the association," said the chairman of the board, Mr. W. H. Bennett. ?'£he .board," he continued, "entered into communication with the Minister in February last on an important matter, and a reply nas not yet been received. I wrote to the Minister personally in connection with the matter, but my letter has not even been acknowledged. It seems to me a failing of this. Minister that he, does not answer correspondence or attend to it."

In the circular received by the board the secretary of the association Btated that since'the middle of the first school term of this year the executive had had undor consideration the advisability of postponing this year's conference on account of the financial position of the boards. Several boards and a number of individual members had expressed quite strongly the opinion that the association would not be justified in spending funds upon a conference at the present time. A good many organisations had cancelled their Dominion conferences this year, and if the association went counter to the general feeling it would run the risk of loss of public support. MATTERS OF IMPORTANCE. A second consideration of some weight was that they had difficulty in pointing to the tangible results gained by the conferences of the last year or two. For example: the 1930 conference passed resolutions and interviewed the Minister on a number of topics which they considered of great importance. The Minister gave a definite promise to make a considered reply to their representations on receipt of a full report. That report was duly posted to him on 4th November, 1930, but so ■ far they had had no ■ acknowledgment of the report and had not secured the Minister's promised statement.

"Unfortunately," continued Mr. Stewart* " much of our correspondence with him has remained ' unacknowledged. A letter sent on Ist July asking for the Minister's approval of our conference on Wednesday, 9th September,, has not yet had a reply, although such was asked for by telegram on 20th July. In such circumstances it seems at least doubtful ivhether a conference' now could bear fruit;"'- The main business for .the . consideration of the conference would have been the question of the amalgamation of secondary and technical schools, but the regulations drawn up by the Education Department had not yet been issued. The boards would, therefore,: not have an. "opportunilty to consider the details of such a scheme, and the delegates would not be in a position to speak with full knowledge of the folevant facts. Although it had been decided not ttf hold the conference this year, it was intended to call a meeting of the executive of the association.some time later in the year, with a -vie^.to making a considered public statement in regard to the amalgamation scheme.