EDUCATION BOARD.

Evening Star, Issue 8116, 16 January 1890, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Education Board was held to-day, when there were present—Mr H. Clark (chairman), the Hon. T. Dick, and Messrs J. Macgregor, Jago, J. M'Renz.e, M.H.R., J, Green, and M. Fraer. Accounts amounting to L 782 18s Id were passed for payment. RESIGNATIONS. The following resignations were accepted : — C. W. G. Selby, head-master, Wetherstones ; F. J. Forbes, first assistant, Oamaru North ; Mary Isabel Fraser, third assistant, George street. APPOINTMENTS. The following appoitments were made Charles S. Smeaton, head-master, Leith Valley, vice Miller (left the service); Jessie Low, mistress, Tapanui, vice Stuart (transferred) ; J. R. Rutherford, third assistant, Kensington, vice Henderson (resigned) • Flora Faulks, head-teacher, Incholme, vice Nicol (resigned). HIGH SCHOOL BQARpS, Dr Brown and the Him, Mr Diok Wire appointed members of the Otago ' High School Board, it being understood that Mr Fulton declined to stand for reappointment. Mr Neil. Fleming was appointed member ot the \v aitaki High School Board* PALMERSTON. A letter was received from the Palmerston .School Committee asking that fresh apphcations should be called for the position of first assistant. —Mr M‘Gregor stated that at a conterence with the Committee it had been considered desirable that a firstman should be secured for the position, and it was resolved, on the recommendation the Committee appointed to deal with the Palmerston School matters, to call for fresh applications for the position. In response to a further application from the Committee, it was decided to appoint a third assistant to the Palmerston School. MACANDEEW ROAD. A communication'was received from the members of the Macandjiew road School Comniittee, in whicfi they stated that, jq Consequence of having exhausted all the means in their power, without success, to get the nuisance of the ditch abated, they tendered their resignations. J Mr M'Kenzie moved that the resignations be accepted. The Committee were endeavoring to force the Board to do work which belonged to the local bodies in the district. The fact of the Board carrying out education in the district did not give it the power to go and do work on the public streets. There must be misapprehension n the minds of the people of the district • and to show this, he would ask the clerk to read part of the correspondence. It appeared that the Committee were telling the ptople in the district that they had exhausted all the means in their power of getting tie question settled, whereas it was really the Biard that had done so, The Board had made a distinct offer to subscribe certain of their funds towards the work, and in doing so had stretched a point; they could not, therefore, be accused of having in any wav treated them badly. J -

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le Clerk read the letter referred to by Mr M'Kenzie, who thought it should be published, so that the matter might be placed in a proper light before the people in the district. The letter was from Mr Pryde secretary to the Board, to the clerk to the Macandrew road School Committee, informing them that the Board had resolved to contribute Ll2 towards the cost of the work. It was pointed out that subsequently the clerk had received instructions to increase the grmt to one-third of the coat. Mr M'Gregor said there was no doubt a great deal of misunderstanding about the matter. He had gone into it thoroughly, and it might be as well if he were to explain matters. The map of the subdivision of which the school properly formed a part showed in the front of the property a slip of land some 10ft in width marked as dedicated for the purpose of widening Macandrew road. At present this land was covered with water, and was in reality a ditch which drained a considerable area of the Borough of Caversham, The Macandrew road was in the Borough of South Dunedin, but the ditch was kept open and was occasionally clean'd by the Borough of Caversham. The part of the ditch in front of the school property was to all intents and purposes a part of the j Macandrew Board ; therefore the Borough of South Dunedin would have the right to • take that part and form it into a part of tho Macandrew Board. Caversham, however, churned to have tho drain kept open, and no one would be allowed by them to close it. The Board had no more right to spend money in forming the road than in forming his own private footpath. If the Board spent the third they had promised they would be personally liable for the amount. In answer to Mr Jago, the Chairman said that’the offer of the Board to subscribe a third of the cost as soon as the responsible parties were prepared to do the work properly still held good. The Board accepted the resignations of the Committee, and appointed a day for the election of a new committee. SCHOLARSHIP EXAMINATIONS. The reports on scholarship examinations (published in a previous issue) were adopted. THE NASEDY COMPLICATION". A letter was received from Mr Clements, master of the Naseby School, in reply to a commuoication from the Board requiring him to withdraw the expressions used in certain former letters arising from a dispute between him and the Rev. J, N. Smith. Mr M‘Gkegok said that the letter was a very extraordinary production, and was not in accordance with a resolution of the Board. Mr Clements had been required to do a certain thing, and instead of doing it he had written a long statement justifying his conduct. The position taken by the Board with regard to the former letters they required Mr Clements to withdraw was independent of the merits of the dispute ; tho Board had simply required the letters to be withdrawn, as they considered that they contained expressions such as no teacher in the Board’s service should use, no matter what tho merits of the case might be. He moved tliat the secretary inform Mr Clements that his communication was deemed irrelevant and was returned; that the Board’s rose}ijtjon, tp which his attention is again directed, requesting him to withdraw his letters to Mr Smith, was entirely independent of the merits of the question between him and Mr Smith, as the letters were deemed such as no teacher in the Board’s service should have written. This was carried. It was further resolved that a copy of Mr Clement’s letter of a previous date, explanatory of his action with regard to Annie Smith, be forwarded to Mr Smith. GENERAL. The following letter was read : Sir,—ln connection with my application for Awamoko, I bag the consideration of tho Board to certain iniormation which has only reached me tills morning About four months ago I was an applicant for Papakaio, and my name was one of the three forwaided to the Committee. From certain correspondence which to; k place shortly thereafter in the Press it appears that information was sent to the Committee that I was a quarrelsome man and quarrelled with my committees. The inference has been drawn that this black record was sent from tho office; and I can .a;aure tho Board that I left Jlaungatuaimd K-Iso on the best of terms with my CommiMee, and on resigning Kelso I sent Mr Ti-yde a note giving rny reasons for so doing. If this fdse find unjust report has emanated from the offic-', I l;.ipe the j. ;ard will do me full justice and came the stain to he removed at once, I shall be glad if the Board can enlighten me on this matter.—l am, eto., U. Henpeesox, Keith street.

It was resolved that the writer be informed that hia inference was entirely unwarrantable.

The most probible reading of a recent is that Mr Vanderbilt, the New \ ork millionaire, has added Turner’s famous picture of the Grand Canal of Venice to his collection. But what rubbish to cable to this part of the world. Value of Dramatic Training.—There is nothing like dramatic training to teach selfcontrol. We must first become aware and conscious that we have a body, arms, and legs, and then learn how to use them. When Napoleon wished to receive instruction in public speaking he sent for an actor, Talma, A young man who intended to become a clergyman, lawyer, or public speaker of any kind would be helped by full dramatic equipment; this would eliminate “parlor voices’’ and awkward manners from some of our pulpits, Courts of Justice, and college platforms. The best English is spoken on the stage and not in colleges, and the introduction of stage training in a university might establish an authoritative standard for the pronouncialion of English, French, as it is spoken at the Theatre Franc ais, is the standard for all Why not have an English standard ? We need one.—' American Magazine.’