HAWKE'S BAY BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7779, 25 June 1887, Page 3

HAWKE'S BAY BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Friday, June 24. Present -Mr J. D. Ormond, M.H.R., (cliairnian), Rcvi D. Sidey, Captain Russell, M.H.R., Messrs <*> W. CatHle, K. Harding, and H, Wildiug. CORRESPONDENCE. The following correspondence was passed : — From the Danevirke Committee, askiug for money for a pump, the well sunk by the committee being uncovered and dangerous. — Estimate of cost to be forwarded. From the Frasertown Committee, ask. ing for work to be done in connection with yard conveniences. — Declined. From the Gisborne Committee, applying for £5 for improvements to teacher's residence. — Declined ; no funds. From the same, notifying the death of Mrs Bull, head-mistress, and recommending the' appointments of Miss Fraser as mistress and Miss Evans as assistant. — Appointments confirmed. From the Heretaunga Committee, apE lying for funds to replace fence destroyed y fire. — The Inspector said that on his recent visit he did not notice that any part of the fence hatl been burned.-- A grant of £3 Was made. From the Kumeroa Committee, stating that they could obtain. timber on credit for the erection of a shed, and asking for £7 10s towards the work.— One-half amount asked for to be given. From the Makatoku Committee, asking permission to erect a library building on a reserve for a school site not occupied. — The Inspector said the site was not likely ■ to be required. — The Chairman said the site could only be leased by public tender under the Public Reserves Act. — Committee to be informed of conditions under which their request could be entertained. From the Makatoku Committee, again recommending the removal of llie school building to the site near the railway.— Application refused. From the Maraetaha Committee, asking that one of the rooms in the master's hosse be match-lined.— No funds. From the Matawhero Committee, suggesting that the Makauri residents should manage fcheirownscboolaffairs; also asking for a shed and a cyclostyle.— Committee to be recommended to manage the Makanri school by a sub-committee ; cost of shed to be furnished ; apparatus asked for to be provided out of committee's funds, l'rom the Napier Committee, again urging that gas should be laid to the White-road school, as it was necessary for the proper conduct of the school on winter afternoons. — Mr Harding remarked that country schools managed without lights.— Refused. From the same, coveriug report of the auditors appointed at the annual meeting of householders, in which it was pointed out that under the new regulations the financial year and the committee's term of office were 'not co-terminous.— The Chairman said the point was one of importance, as an incoming committee was thereby made responsible far liabilities incurred by a former committee. He suggested that the report should be sent to the Government and attention called to the point raised. — Agreed to. From the Napier Committee, askins for increased staff for the Hastings-street school. — The Inspector said the attendance required a staff of a master, assistantmaster or head mistress, assistant, and and three pupil-teachers. The committee preferred a mistress in place of an assistant - master, and recommended Miss Monteith, fourth mistress in the main school, for the position. — The Board agreed to suggest that Miss Monteith be appointed assistant-mistress only, a headmistress to be advertised for. From the sajne, recommending that if Miss MoaitMfc were transferred to the side-school, Mm Brown, now fifth teacher be pronioM, and Miss Burden, pupilteacher, be appointed fifth mistress. The committee also asked that instead of two additional pupil teachers, to which the school was entitled, a sixth mistress be appointed. — Recommendations agreed to. From theNorsewood Committee, asking for funds for fencing the addition to the , school site, and for removing the present fence which stood on the public road. — The Board agreed to give £10 on condition that the committee raised a similar sum. From Mr Hamilton, resigning the mastership of the Petane school. — Accepted. From the Petane Committee, recommending that a mistress be appointed instead of a master. — Agreed to. From the Porangahau Committee, asking for half the cost of providing a stove and fixing it.— Granted. From Mr F. Hutehinson, Rissington, offering to provide a school if the Board would pay capitation allowance for children outside his own family who attended.—Offer accepted. From Puketapu, notifying that no committee had been elected. — Mr J. Bennett was appointed commissioner. From the Education Department, staling that ii special grant eonld not be made for Maoris attending the Tarawera school. From the Onga Onga Committee, asking fdr balance due on building, also for half of £10 due to the architect. — The grant of £200 having been exhausted in building, the Board declined to pay any part of the architect's fee. From Tologa Bay, relative to the appointment of commissioners, uo committee being in existence. — Messrs Brown and Hale were appointed. From the same, covering an offer of £15 for the old school buildings. — Not to be sold at present. From the Herberlville Committee, asking for £24 towards improvements in school building and residence No funds. From the Education Department, calling atteHtion to uncertilicated teachers in the Board's employ. — The Inspector said that several of those named in the list had resigned, and in the case of others certificated teachers could not be obtained, the salaries received being so small. From the came, stating that the capitation allowance had been decreased Is per head,— The Chairman said that was a proposal of the Ministry, though the House had not agreed to it. However, Ministers had the power to reduce the grant under an Order-in -Council, provided the capitation did not fall below £3 15s per head. It would now stand at £3 19s instead of £i per head. THE INSPECTOR AND THE PRESS. The Rev. Mr Sidey moved, "That the following, regulations adapted from the regulations of the Civil Service to the circumstances of this Board be adopted by this Board as defining the obligation? of the officers of this Board : " That nc olliccr of this Board shall make any communication directly or indirectly to the Press npon any matter affecting the de partment in which he serves, or th< Imsiness or the officers thereof, or relating to the public service, or his own specia position, or into or upon any politiea subject or rptchtion connected with New Zealand, without the express permihsioi .or authority of the chairinH.ll of tin Board." Mr Sidey referred to recen correspondence on the High School question which had appeared in tin local Press, and said the Inspector ha< made a number of statements witl respect to the High Schools which woul not bear examination, but which \\er calculated to injure the cause of highe education, and which were unsccml coming from a man in the Inspector' position, The facts were not as stated and through the letters ran a vein 0 nnlitinnT^LtJaa' dangerous to the -COlli cour.se Mr Hill was entitle

to hold his own opinions, but he should not seek to use his office to disseminate those views. He did not think that anyone holding a similar position either in Great Britain or the Australasian colonies was allowed to write letters to the Press, and he could not find that any other Inspector in New Zealand had acted as Mr Hill had done. Mr Carlile intimated that he did not agree with the motion in the exact shape [ in which it stood, but he wonld second it so that it might be discussed^ The Chairman asked the Inspector if he wished to make any statement ? i Mr Hill saiol he would prefer to make a written reply after he had read Mr Sidey's remarks, as he had not listened carefully to them. But he denied that his aim was to damage the high schools — on the Contrary, he had tried to aid in making them worthy of the name. He did not refer to the local high schools, hut to the secondary schools of the whole of New Zealand. He wrote simply in reply to an avicle with reference to primary schools, and he worked out the results from figures given in the annual report of the Minister for Education, the correctness of which he did not doubt. Ho was willing to bring Matthew Arnold and others of the best writers in primary and secondaiy schools to show that they were in accord with him. The Chairman said the Board was not sitting to discuss that question. He desired to know if Mr Hill had anything to say in justification of the course lie had adopted. Mr Hill replied that he thought an inspector of schools was the proper man to deal with such questions. He had made a special study of education, both primary and secondary, and in what he had written he had endeavored to serve the cause of education. He would be sorry if Mr Sidey's motion were passed. It would he ridiculous to ask him to submit to Mr Ormond or anyone else anything he might write for publication. He had been in Napier nine years, and had written many things for the daily and periodical Press, and it was an extraordinary thing that he should be brought up now. Mr Sutton supported the motion. He said Mr Hill did not agree with many of the most learned authorities on high schools, but his position as an inspector gave his opinions weight with many who did not ivndefrstand the subject themselves, and there was no doubt that his letters had largely influenced the last three elections of members of the Board, when candidates pledged to bring up the high schools question before the Board were returned. Yet his facts were stated so loosely that any fourth standard pupil could point out inaccuracies and inconsistencies. There Was also a sttong political bias — a leaning to socialism. Even if Mr Hill's statements had been correct, his letters would have been indecorous, coming from one in his position. If for no other reason than to keep the Board in the future, as in the past, clear of all political questions, and to confine it to its proper functions as an administrative body, such writings by officers of the Board should not be permitted. The end could only be to lower the dignity of the Board, impair its usefulness, and make it a scene of contention and strife. Captain Russell said he did not intend to be dragged into any debate on the broad question of primary and secondary education, but the Board should be very careful in giving assent to any such proposal as that of Mr Sidey. He could not assent to it, for though he agreed that on general grounds the Board should insist that nothing to the prejudice of the Board should be published by its olilcorS) this lnotion wont further, and declared that the men most qualified Jo inform the public on educational questions should have their mouths shut. If Mr Hill's mistakes were transparent to any fourth standard pupil that did not say much for the intelligence of the committees who were said to have been misled by Mr Hill's ipse dixit, or even for that of some members of the Board who agreed with Mr Hill. He thought it ■would be a great pity if a specially intelligent class of men were prevented giving their opinions on the management of our political institutions. He would remind Mr Sidey that if Mr Hill erred as a salaried officer of the Board in writing the letters referred to, Mr Sidey himself, a salaried officer of the High Schools Board was in practically the same position. He thought it was wrong to stop the Board from discussing the question oi secondary education, for it was an acknowledged fact that it was now in a ridiculous position. In Wellington he [ spoke to many members of the House on the subject and all, from the Premier downwards, agreed that it must be altered and improved. Mr Harding agreed. He thought the public had gained information from the correspondence. If Mr Hill were wrong his errori «k<MM have been pointed out. He (Mr HardJsg) also had come to tke conclusion that the present system of secondary education was a failure, though - he thought the committees made a great mistake in taking that one point on which to elect or reject candidates. That, however, would work its own cure. The Chairman did not think it desirable to pass the motion as it stood — it went to an extreme length. He did not agree that the Board should be turned into a debating club for the discussion of subjects entirely beyond its scope and duties. The High School Governors might as well waste their time in discussing primary education, and he thought the Board was very wise in decliniug to discuss secondary education. He agreed entirely with those who said it required amendment, but an executive and administrative body like the Board, was not the proper place in which to discuss it, That should be done at the hustings arid in Parliament. With regard to the letters under notice, he i thought the position taken up by the Inspector was not calculated to improve his usefulness. No one had a greater respect for the Inspector than he (Mr Ormond) had, nor a greater appreciation of the services renderwl to the Board by Mr Hill, but engaging in such correspondence tended to injure his usefulness, and he (Mr Ormond) would be glad to think that there would be no more of such letters. Mr Carlile agreed with the chairman. The publication of such letters by the chief officer of the Board was almost equivalent to pledging the Board to the course advocated. But he thought the motion of Mr Sidey was too wide and severe, and he suggested that if the Board adopted a resolution expressing disapproval of the public discussion of controversal questions relating to education the end sought by Mr Sidey would be attained . Mr Sidey said he was ready to adopt Mr Carliles suggestion. He could not help saying that Mr Hill had assailed the Napier high schools and very distinctly talked about them having babies there, and so on. He had also assailed them in more aspects than that. No doubt the system of secondary education was open to improvement, but so were the primary schools, but such discussions did not tend to bring about any good or benevolent purpose. In general he supported Mr Hill, but he could not help calling the attention of the Board to this matter. With reference to Captain Russell's remark that he (Mr Sidey) was a paid oiliccr of another Board, he would say that ho was quite willing to submit to such a restriction as he sought to place on Mr Hill. He did not originate the discussion, and only wrote to correct wrong statements. Mr Sutlon thought Mr Sidey's end would be achieved by the discussion, and that he might withdraw his motion. It, might be regarded as a slur on the Inspector, and he (Air Sutton) would he sorry for that. A great deal of the efficiency of primary education in Hawke's Bay was due to the intelligent administration of Mr Hill. Mr Sidey said that after the expressions of opinion given no doubt the Inspector would respect what he perceived to be the wish of the Board, and he (Mr Sidey) would withdraw the motion. MISCELLANEOUS. Ihe architect presented a favorable report on works completed or in progress at Waerengahika, Gisborne, Tologa Bay, and Port Almriri. Mr Hornsby wrote resigning his seat on the Board.— Accepted. The Inspector reported that lie had visited the Takapan school. He regretted that he could not recommend the Board to reconsider its decision to dispense with the services of the master. The sub-committee appointed to select a school site at BlackSurn recommended that (selected by the Inspector last year, five acres of which could be obtained from Mr Johnston for SA an acre. — The Inspector said £10 per acre was asked at lirst. The section was felled and partly fenced. The Inspector reported that ho had : inquired into the petition relative to the i Petane school committee election, which ' alleged that residents of Napier and ] i Havelock were allowed to vote, while ! 1 householders in the district were refused > voting-papers. The first allegation was • admitted by the chairman, but he con- '■ tended that the men to whom papers were ■ refused were shepherds or other station ; hands and were not "householders" I under the Act.— The Board declared the | election void on the ground that residents 1 outside tho—Petanc. district, should not ■' have been allowed to vole, and that i voting-papers should have been given to B bonajiilc residents. t The balance to ilebit of the building s account was reported to bo £1300 ; and to 0 credit of general account £3322. :l The Inspector reported that he had li visited the Matamau district in connecil tion with the request for the erection of a c school there.,' Ho found that there was ir not a sufficient number of children in the y district to warrant tho erection of a s school. Most of the children were very I, young, and the elder ones could go by if rail to Nor.sewood school, and attend as i- . " half-timei'H." However, Ihj understood 1 that the rcsidcnlu of Malniuau wore, pre-

pared to subscribe part of the cost of a school, and he recommended that the <iuestion should stand over until further information was received. — This was agreed to. | Accounts were passed for payment and the Board adjourned. I - ■ — — wag