OPEN COLUMN.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 11590, 17 July 1900, Page 2

OPEN COLUMN.

The editor does not hold himself respon\«lM» tot opinions expressed by oorrespondentaV THE TBUANCY QUESTION. Sib, — I regret that your article on the truancy question is so unfortunate aa to itß facts. Ido not propose to argue all the details of the question with you, but, knowing that you are always anxious that jnstioe should be done, I desire to direot your attention to the following. You say that you understand the Napier committee are unanimous against the continuance of the truanoy officer, I have made, inquiry from several members', find this is their opinion— they Bay the unanimous opinion of the committee is that the retention of the truant officer is desirable in the best interests of the school ; but that the committee have expressed no opinion whatever in reply to the Board's question. When the suggestion was made at a Board meeting that the result of the truant officer's work caused a general falling o£E in the number of regular ohildren, Mr Gilberd at once remarked that the Napier committee's experience was; exaotly the opposite. I now quote Mr Hill's last report as printed in the H.B. [ Herald:—"! direot speoial attention to the fact that 56 pupite in the upper school, and four infants, have made the full possible number of attendances during the year, while 290 pupih iv the main school and 61 infants have made over 400 attendances each, the school having been open 426 times. This," Mr Hill says, " ia a most commendable result never before attained in the history of the school. Of 680 pupils in the standards, 630 have passed. I have to report in the highest terms as to the school's efficiency." You are evidently privileged to aee> communications to the Board, aa over three weeks since you were able to say that the majority of the committees have reported against the retention of the truant officer ; yet three days ago, you wrote, "We Bhall be glad to know the opinions held by a majority of the school committees." You also published Mr Hill's report upon the question some months ago, and yet you want to know why it has never been made public. I commend to your notice a letter from the secretary of the Taradale School Committee, in which he sums up their position a? follows.-—" For years our attendance remained at about 70 per cent; ifc is now 83 per cent. Truanoy, formerly rife, has ceased, the teacher's authority is more respected, there is less friction between staff and parents, and the gain to the school is very great." The foregoing is the opiniop -of all committees who have given the matter serious thought. The question of the fall in average attendance throughout New Zealand during the laßt two years past has been disoussed thoroughly, and the rea-on satisfactorily acoounted for by exceptional sicknesß experience, among the infant classes principally (for omitting these we actually show a considerable advance in Hawke's Bay), But leaving figures on one side, there ia the moral question to consider, and this should quite o'ershadow all others. — I am, &c, John A'Dease. July 16th, 1900. [It was stated at the last meeting of the Education Board that the majority of the committeeß bad replied unfavorably to tha Board's letter 're the benefits resulting from the truant officers' services. There was no question of privilege in obtaining: information, which was given in open meeting. Besides, the question would have been definitely settled at the last meeting, when a month's notice was given to the truant officers, but for the faotthat the members desire to hear a lengthy statement prepared by the chairman on the subject, which will be considered at to-day's meeting of the Board. As to the statement that the Board must haye published Mr Hill's reports because an extract appeared in the Heuald, that is, equally foundationless. We obtained from the Beard the nmnnscript, which ia publio property, and copied several paragraphs. But until Parliament met the report as a whole was never published. — Ed. H.B.H.]