HAWKE'S BAY EDUCATION BOARD.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXI, Issue 5008, 14 February 1878, Page 2

HAWKE'S BAY EDUCATION BOARD.

Wednesday, February 13. The Board met at 11 a.m. Present — The Chairman (J. .Rhodes, Esq.), Messrs Ormond, Chambers, and Newton. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed. The meeting was a special one, convened for the purpose of considering the course to be taken in respect to the amount allocated to the district for school buildings being only £1050.

A letter was read from Mr John Hislop, Secretary to the Education Department, stating that the Government had fixed upon £1050 as the proportion to be paid to the Hawke's Bay Educational District for new school buildings or enlargement of present buildings for. the current financial year.

Mr Ormond said that the urgency in calling the meeting was that the department in Wellington might be allocating the remainder of the £50,*)00 to the various districts, and unless the board were prompt in remonstrating they might be too late.

The Chairman said it was fortunate that the memoranda agreed to at the last meeting of the board had been forwarded.

Mr Ormond said he had drafted a letter for the secretary to write to the department if the board would accept it.

It was thereupon resolved that the draft of letter be adopted, and the secretary was directed to write to Mr Hislop acknowledging receipt of his letter conveying the information that the sum of £1050 had been apportioned to the Hawke's Bay Educational District out of the £50,000 vote for school buildings, and requesting him to represent to the Minister of Education the utter inadequacy of the sum allotted ; that there is no common school building in Napier, and that only temporary provision has been made for carrying ori schools in the town in, places rented for the purpose, a provision, however, which is unsuitable and is only intended to meet temporarily the pressing requirements of the case ; that it is estimated that school accommodation for at least 550 children is urgently needed in the town of Napier alone, and that as the population is scattered three buildings will be necessary ; that several school buildings are also absolutely necessary in the country districts, particularly at Woodville, Wainui, WalKngford, Te Aute, Mohaka, and Tarawera, at which places no schools as yet exist ; that in the case of Woodville it is estimated that from 80 to 100 children are waiting school teaching, and at the other places from 50 to 60 children at each ; that besides these requirements there are also repairs and additions to school buildings now in use. The board therefore begged that at least £5000 be placed at its disposal for providing the school accommodation so urgently needed.

A telegram was read from Mr Edward Woon, chairman of the school committee at Gisborne, stating that a notice had been forwarded to the local paper by the Auckland Education Board, calling a meeting of householders to select a committee on the 26th instant.

The secretary was directed to reply by telegraph, that the date fixed was late, as the nominations for the Education Board must be made in February, but by wiring to the secretary on the 2Hh instant the names of the persona nominated by the Poverty Bay committees, the case would be met.

A letter was read from the Trusteeletting Committee of the Free Methodist school-room, stating that the room could be let only on condition that the right of using it on week evenings and on Sundays should be reserved to the trustees, and also that the room be left clean for use on those occasions. If, however, the board preferred paying £35 a-year instead of £30, the trustees could accept it in lieu of cleaning.

Mr Ormond thought it would be better for the board to give the extra £5, as otherwise there would be endless troubles about the cleaning. Besides, it was not a proper thing to require a teacher to do.

The board resolved to. pay £35 a year for the rent of the premises instead of £30.

Two letters were read from Mr Colenso respecting school requirements such as books, blackboard, <fee, — the one having reference to the Emerson-street school, and the other to the school in the Protestant Hall.

It was ordered that Mr Colenso be requested to procure what was needed.

A letter was read from Mr Colenso, calling the attention of the board to the 45th clause in the Education Act having reference to the certificate of the Minister of Education being required for any teacher appointed to a Government school ; also that no teacher should be removed from one school to another on his bare application or that of the school committee, but that some very sound reasons should be adduced. Mr Colenso recommended that the various school committees should be eaiiy informed by the board of the foregoing. Mr Ormond observed that in- all matters respecting a teacher the board would refer to the school committee before taking any action. The board had certainly in one instance departed from that course — in appointing a teacher to the Port Ahuriri school — but in that case there was no school committee, or at all events the committee had only just been elected and had not entered upon its functions, and the matter was urgent. Mr Ormond then went on to say that there was one thing with regard to the teachers which the board would have to deal with very shortly. Hitherto the teachers had been receiving part of their payment in school fees, which came in weekly. The teachers Arere not persons of means, and the cessation of those weekly payments pressed hardly upon them. Under these circumstances several of them had written to him wanting to know what they were to do. He thought the teachers would prefer to be paid monthly. At present losing the fees threw them quite out of means. The Chairman thought that paying the

teachers monthly would be the best course.

Mr Ormond said that at the next meeting the board would have to settle what the teachers were to get. The Secretary was instructed to ascertain before the next ordinary meeting of the board what salaries were being paid to teachers in Wellington, Auckland, and Canterbury. The board then adjourned.