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Evening Star, Issue 11892, 21 May 1903, Page 4

For downright impudence commend us to the Tapanui School Com-' A Conrnmaeloui mittee, who this week sought Committee, to place themselves above the law an 3 to flout the Education Board, who, for good and sufficient reasons, appointed a- Miss Howat to the staff of the local District High School. It appears that there were four applicants for the vacancy; but at the time the. appointment was made Miss Howat was Lhe only one qualified. She has'had three years' teaching experience in a country school, and enjoys an excellent record, consequently she is' jnst the class of teacher who is EjrrrrxßD to prefsbmemt in terms of the Board's regulations governing the appointment and promotion of teachers. . On the score of meritorious and lengthened service there was no one in it with this young lady, though it is perfectly true there was among the applicants another young lady who a short time after the position was filled acquired her University . "degree, and so gained the requisite qualification. Evidently the local Committee, having in •view the status of their school,- thought they understood its requirements better .than the Board's Committee of Selection, and with the object of compelling the Boaid to select the University-stamped teacher determined to take- the extreme and alto-

getheT unjustifiable step of closing the' school against the Board's nominee. But they quickly discovered that in Mr Snow the Board possess a chairman who will not allow sucij prankf-nor permit his Board to be deliberately flouted. / He told the Tapanui Committee pretty bluntly that bje knew the law and 'was. prepared to # enforce it. In the case of Marlborough Education Board v. the Blenheim' School Committee Mr Justice Edwards affirmed the paraniocntcy o! ( Education Boards in relation to the control of schools, the closing of which rests in the Board alone; Mr Snow acted promptly and correctly in instructing the head-master of the Tapanui school to keep it open in defiance of the resolutions of the Committee, who seem to have capitulated on this msplay of the chairman's firmness. They could, hardly have done otherwise, as from the i outset they were hopelessly out of court. We are glad to observe that the Board at their meeting to-day endorsed with unanimity the action of their chairman. There | is, however, a feature of this case that obviously could .not be touched on during this morning's discussion, but which might well receive the attention of the Executive of the Otago branch of the Educational Institute. It we have not been incorrectly informed (and we have, no reason for doubt-, ing the bona fides of our informant), Miss Howat was subjected to some degTee of intimidation with the set purpose of inducing her to withdraw her application. Now, if improper pressure was brought to bear on the young lady the public ought to toow by whom it. was exercised, and the Committee owe it to themselves- to assist in clearing away a disagreeable impression on that point which now exist*.