HAWEEA SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume I, Issue 13, 26 May 1880, Page 4

HAWEEA SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

A meeting of the above body was held at the school-house on Wednesday evening. Present — Messrs. T. Middlemas (chairman), Syuie, McCutchan, and Rev. Mr. Torry. A CURIOUS SLIDING SCALE. The minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, The Chairman stated that a cheque had been received from the Education Board for £6 16s. 3d., for the quarter ending 31st March. For the quarter ending December, 1879, they had received £7 19s. 3d. ; so that they had been reduced 2s. per head. The sliding scale would need to be amended. They had had a larger attendance for the last quarter than for the previous one ; yet they were allowed .£1 3s. less to maintain the school. The least that the Board could do was to allow at least as much, because increased attendance must necessarily mean increased expenditure, to some extent at all events.

The Eev. Mr. Tory said they ought to protest against - the present capitation scale. It was an absurd thing that, whilst the attendance had increased, the gross amount of the capitation fees should have decreased. He begged to move, " That this School Committee call the attention of the Education Board to the unfairness of a capitation scale which decreases our actual income as the attendance increases." What they objected to was, not so much the lowering of the capitation Bcale, as the lowering it to such an extent that their income became less as their attendance increased.

Mr. McCutchan seconded the resolution, which was carried unanimously.

PUPIL TEACHER.

A letter was read from Mr. A> A. Brown, Secretary to the Education Board, stating that Miss Hills' ap- • pointment had been confirmed by the Board.

ENLARGEMENT OF THE SCHOOL.

The following is a copy of the letter forwarded by the chairman of the School Committee to the Education Board, in reference to the enlargement of the school : — " Hawera, April 23, 1880. " Sir, — I have the honor, by direction of the Hawera School Committee, to inform you that, in order to provide for the largely increased attendance, it is necessary to build an addition to our school. Our average number for last quarter was 109 ; the presennt attendance seldom falls below 120, and is very often above it. Already the school is much overcrowded, and to all appearance the past rate of increase will be maintained for some time to come. The number of square feet of floor space in the two class rooms, not including lavatory and porch, is 1059 feet. These facts will at once show the necessity for immediate action to provide more accommodation.

" The committee is of opinion that one large class room added to the front of the present building would be sufficient for several years. The expense would not be large ; but as additions to existing buildings require care and consideration, we would recommend that the Board's architect should visit our school in order to ascertain the best method of enlarging it.

" I may remark that Hawera has as yet got but comparatively little from the building fund, a fact that makes our claim all the stronger. "T. Middlemas, " Chairman Hawera School Committee. "The Chairman Education Board, Wanganui."

A reply was received from the Secretary of the Education Board, informing the committee that Messrs. Coutts and McGregor had been authorised to inquire into the merits of the application for an enlargement of the school, and to report in due course to the Board.

The Chairman said that Messrs. Coutts and McGregor had promised to be in Hawera on Friday, as it was Mr. Jackson's sale day; but as the sale had been postponed for another week, it was not likely that they could be here before that date.

It was understood that all members of committee who could conveniently do so should meet Messrs. Coutts and McGregor when they visited Hawera. A long conversational discussion took place regarding the best method of adding to the building, and some routine business having been transacted, the committee adjourned.