SCHOOL COMMITTEES' ASSOCIATION

Evening Star, Issue 17311, 26 March 1920, Page 7

SCHOOL COMMITTEES' ASSOCIATION

The quarterly meeting of the Dunedin and_ Suburban * School Committees' Asspciation was held in the Education Board's office last evening. Mr L. D. Ritchie presided over a large attendance. The quarterly report dealt first with the early closing of the schools and their late reopening owing to influenza, which was still affecting attendance. Sir P. D. Bell, who had been Minister of Education since the resignation of the Hon. J. A. Hanan, had now resigned office, and Mr C. J. Parr had been appointed his successor. Mr Birr was an ex-chairman of the Auckland' Education Board, and had been a prominent member of the House for some years past. He should be a decided acquisition to the Cabinet, and there was r.o doubt the portfolio of Education was in. good hands.—The report was adopted. A discussion ensued on the question of widening the scope of the association, and the title of the association was altered to that of "The School Committees' Association of Otago," the object being to induce the school committees throughout the province to join. The necessary by-laws to goven the association were adopted.

Mr Sanderson moved a resolution deprecating the system adopted of issuing cards to school children for the purpose of collecting money for prize? as being wrong in principle.—Tile 'motion was seconded by Mr A. M. Shugar.—After a general discission the '.notion was defeated.

Subsequently on the motion of Mr W. S. Hay, seconded by Mr Somerville, it was decided that public begging in any form by school children, in the opinion of the association, was to be deprecated.