SCHOOL COMMITTEES' CONFERENCE.

Evening Star, Issue 8115, 15 January 1890, Page 2

SCHOOL COMMITTEES' CONFERENCE.

A Conference of the school committees of Duuediu City and suburbs was held in the Normal School last night; present—Messrs B. Isaac fin the chair) and H. Mercer, High street; Frapwell and Loan, Morniugton; Hogg and Rossbotham, Maori Hill; Myers and Green, North-east Valley; Rutherford and Craig, Caversham ; Duncan and Moir, Roslyn; Kaynes and Simpson, George street; Baruett and Fredric, Albany street; and M 'Laren, Uuton street. The Chairman said the meeting was called to consider the important question of the nomination of candidates for the Board. The Conference had at last meetinp expressed a strong opinion that the applications of all eligible candidates should be forwarded to the school committees for selection ; but the Board had thoroughly ignored it, and treated it with contempt. It was now practically their turn to elect such men as would vote consistently with the wishes of the committees, so that their powers should not be curtailed. The Standing Committee of the Conference had decided to recommend that the subjoined questions should be put to the several candidates : Will you be prepared, if elected to the Board, to support the abolition of the system and a return to a free choice of all qualified candidates ''.

Do you approve of committees being " consulted " according to the spirit of the Act, and according _to its interpretation by Mr Justice Williams in the Kaikorai case?

It was unanimously agreed to adopt the questions,

Mr Rossbotham and Mr Simpson urged that the secretary should allow himself'to be nominated for one of the vacancies.

Mr Cohen declined, saying that he thought he could for the present be of more service to the cause of education by being outside of the Board.

Mr Rutiierfohd said he felt very strongly on this matter of the appointment of teachers. He held that committees were quite as able to come to an intelligent decision as to the man or woman best fitted to make a capable and efficient teacher as the members of the Board. If the appointments were to go into the hands of the Board, as the present system tended, it would be a very bad form of centralism, which must act prejudicially to the individual members of the teaching body. He repeated that members of committees were quite as able to judge of the merit 3 or demerits of candidates as members of the Board.—(A Voice : " No.") They might, of course, find some disinterested person on the Board ; but they knew human nature too well not to expect members of that body to be swayed, insensibly perhaps, by personal considerations; and the same could be said of committees. And they should remember that after all the Board were the creation of committees, who should see that their wishes were respected. They had returned to the Board memoers who, by reason of their long service on committees, were supposed to have sympathy with the views of committees, and they found these men " backing round " on the first opportunity, and supporting a system that muat tend towards centralism. The committees should stand together and make it plain that they were determined to have the freest choice of eligible candidates. Let the committees be true to themselves on this occasion, and return members who would stand by them. Then, in the course of things, they might find some time-servers crying out: "We agree that the threename system is a bad one and it must be abolished, because the majority of committees arc against it."— (Laughter and applause.) He moved —"That this Conference recommend committees not to vote for the re-election of those members of the Board who support what is known as the 'three-name' system." Mr Loan seconded.

Mr Hatnks took it that the object of committees was to endeavor, if possible, to get the best teachers for their schools, and, assuming that view to be correct, their first consideration was : What are the best means of obtaining such teachers ? Notwithstanding Mr Butherford'c experience, Jig felt bound to say that he differed entirely from his conclusion that committees were quite as qualified as the Board to judge of the qualifications of a teacher. The Board had means of judging at their disposal which committees had not. There was the "black book."—(Mr Ruthehfoud : "That has been abolished long ago.") Well, the oineials—the secretary and inspectors were in a position to place a good deal of information before the Board—things that, for instance, it would not do to publish broadcast throughout the community, as committees were likely to do to the prejudice of the applicants. But apart from these things, members of the Board could consult with the inspectors, who were in the best position to give necessary information. Of course, lie was arguing on the assumption that members of the Board were quite as honest as any committee] in advocating the claims of the most capable candidate, and would not be influenced by purely personal considerations. Was it not possible for members of committees to be influenced by the candidates, or, what was worse, by the friends and acquaintances of the latter"? —(MrRuxuERVOEC : "Not so easily. !! ) It was a very good thing that the " buttouholing "of the past was to be stopped. Of necessity committees could not be in such an independent position a3 the Board. As a matter oE fact appointments to a great extent depended on the inspectors and secretary. (Cries of "Oh.") He saM without hesitation that the Board in making appointments were guided by these officials. And who were in a better position to give information ? He bad himself seen communications in reference to individuals, as. for instance, that they were addicted to keeping bad company, or to taking a litfcle'whisky.—(A Voice : " Why should not these things be known ?") To his (the speaker's) mind those things were not so very objectionable, and there were matters that the Board would not consider it adv'rnble to make public for the purpose of injuring men in their profession. The Board were supreme in this matter. —(" No.") Ho was satisfied that his contention was correct. Committees could only recommend an appointment; the power of confirming orrejecting rested absolutely with the Board. Ho preferred the three-name system, as he had always entertained great objection to the canvassing that had gone on in the past of committees in favor of a particular individual.

Mr Fredric inquired if Mr Haynes spoke on behalf of his Committee, or had expressed his individual opinions ? Mr Haynes : I express my own opinions, quite irrespective of my Committee's views. I havebeen informed by the chairman of my Committee that they, at a meeting at which I was not present, were unanimously in favor of all qualified names being sent down. Mr Simpson said that at a recent meeting of the George street Committee, at which ajl the members but Mr Haynes were present, he had specially brought the question up, and the Committee were unanimously in favor of tho name 3 of all qualified candidates beiDg sent down, and were all opposed to the "three-name" system. Mr Haynes asserted that the members of the Board had better opportunities of judging the qualifications of candidates than members of committees. He (Mr Simpson) did not think so. Chairmen of committees were entitled to go to the Board's offices on Saturday and ascertain from the inspectors and other officials all available information in regard to candidates.

Mr Fkedriq : Tho same information is at the disposal of all committees.

The Chairman, speaking with four years' experience, said that any information his committee wanted waß always obtainable by applying at fthe Board's offices for it. In fact the Board dared not keep anything quiet. The inspectors' books, etc., could be aa_ readily Been by the chairman of any committee as by tho chairman cf tho Hoard himself.

Mr Green said that the North-eaßt Valley Committee were unanimously opposed to the three name system. He claimed to have as much knowledge of a candidate's

qualifications, and to be quite as competent '• to judge cf them an any member of the j Bor/rd. From Mr Hnyrtcs's romirks it was to be inferred that the appointments largely i rested with the officii!l?.—(Mr Kayxes : " ; i said that the Board were guided in a grey, ' measure by their inspectors and secretary.") j If that were the case the. sooner committee-; and boards wore abolished and the whole thing left to the inspectors and the Minister ! of Education the better. But he thought the time for doing that had not yet arrived in Otago, and that committees by standing unitedly would show that they had some little power left. For bis own part he would be glad to tee public opinion influenced in the direction of abolishing the boards and extending the powers of committees.

Mr Fkedric cordially supported the resolution, and said that the Albany street Committee were unanimously in favor of all eligible names being sent down. The resolution was carried by 13 to 4, and by 13 to 2 it was decided to direct the Standing Committee to communicate with the various school committees in the district.

THE HOLIDAY QUESTION. Mr Loan pointed out that the previous agreement of the Conference in regard to public holidays and the Christmas vacation had not been observed by many of the committees.

Mr Simpson said that the Georgo street Committee had faithfully adhered to the understanding arrived at. At the end of November ao many holidays came together that it was found impossible to keep the school together. For example, on December 1 the Committee deeided to keep open, but only 250 odd out of nearly 800 put in an appearance; consequently the average of the school suffered severely. The Chairman said the High street Committee also decided to give only five weeks at Christmas, but they had been afterwards obliged to give an additional week through fear of the average going down. t The Secretary said that the resolutions of the Conference on this subject were understood to be more in the nature of a recommendation than a hard-and-fast rule. Uniformity was of cpurse aimed at, and would doubtless come in time. But the real difficulty lay with their children away from school on opening day the school suffered pecuniarily and otherwise, and no resolutions could cure the indifference of parent 3. If the latter studied the welfare of the children and the interests of the school they would do all in their power to support committees, who were desirous of bringing the holidays within reasonable limits.

The resolutions of the Sandymount Com mitteere pupil-teachers were further ad jourued, and the proceedings terminated.