EDUCATION BOARD.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 9910, 16 December 1892, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARD.

NORTH CANTERBURY. An ordinary meeting of the Board o Education was held yesterday morning present—Mr T. H. Anson (Chairman) am Messrs Meredith, Saunders, Peryman Westenra and Adams. Apologies for non-attendance were re ceived from the Hon W. Montgomery and Mr E. G. Wright. The action of the Chairman in trams acting some minor business since last meet ing was confirmed. EXPORTS. The Buildings Committee’s report wsi adopted. The Chairman pointed out that there was only £525 of the grant for the year left for farther extensions and improvements, and there were pressing demand) for expenditure at Waltham, Addington and Lyttelton, and the sum was not sufficient for the purposes. Mr Peryman said that the Board could not keep pace with the demands made npon it unless the sums asked for by Committees were locally subsidised. Mr Saunders strongly opposed any recourse to voluntary support. If such a system was encouraged, it would become troublesome, ;because all Governments would curtail payments as much as possible, and so the amounts necessary to be raised would grow larger by degrees. If it should unfortnnately happen, and ho hoped it never would, that they lost the present system, then let them return to the voluntary system of support, but not before. The report of the Appointments Committee was read A memorandum was received from the Education Department, stating that the Board's share of the balance of the building vote was £525. A statement of the building account was submitted; it showed that, after providing for schools at Ashburton Porks, Greta Valley and Rolleston, only £B6O was available. The Committee had to refuse an application for painting the inside of Kowal Bush school, owing to want of funds. A deputation as to an addition to Addington school had been received. The sum of £8 10a bad been granted to the Hurunui School Committee for fencing. The formation of a school district at Onuku had been attended to. The Clerk of Works had been instructed to report on the master’s house at Tinwald; £5 had been allowed to the Springeton Committee for fenoing slid repairs, and £1 lls 6d to the Greenpark Committee, It was recommended to buy two acre*, at £6 per acre, as a school site at Rolleston. HAMPSTEAD SCHOOL. The Board went into committee to consider some complaints as to the Hampstead school, and on its resuming the Chairman reported that the report of tha Hampstead School Commissioners had been received and adopted. NORMAL SCHOOL. The report of the Normal School Committee was read and adopted. It was resolved to grant Mr Wilson a testimonial, the Secretary and Chairman to draw it up. A letter was read from Mr Wilson asking the Board to take into consideration his claim for compensation, He advanced the following considerations That when dissatisfied with the precarious nature of his position, he applied for appointment to St Albans, and afterwards to Lyttelton, he was on each occasion called before a Committee of the Board, and indused te withdraw the application; that when the Inspectors recommended their scheme to the Board, he, ou Mr Yeel’a invitation, criticised it in writing, and pointed out that however amended, its effect would be to place the school for the future at the mercy of the Inspectors, since results could, under this system, be got only by their forbearance; that before the introduction of the Inspectors* scheme the reports were always good, and the attendance increased 50 per cent $ that in considering the Inspectors’ argument, that the success of the girls was conclusive proof that he, personally, was to blame for the non-success of the boys, it should be remembered that since the results obtained under the Inspectors' scheme had never been tested by an independent man, the only informotiomthe Board had about any department of the school was derived from the Inspectors themselves; that their adverse report on his method of discipline should not be allowed to injure him, since by taking the extraordinary step of sending circulars to his under-teachers they had given conclusive proof that their own ideas of discipline were fundamentally wrong; that their adverse report on the results in his school should not be allowed to injure him because of the animus they had shown in threatening that it would be "a bad job M for him if he did not adopt one of their suggestions, in asking the Board to dismiss him summarily and put a nominee of their own in his place, and in sending the circulars to his teachers; that it was not just to allow Inspectors who had shown such animus to examine the school this year, and condemn him; that his dismissal on the ground that it was impossible to keep both him and the Inspectors was tantamount to dismissal from the service of the Board; that the withdrawal of his reply to the Inspectors* report last year should not be taken as evidence that he failed to make good his deience, since the withdrawal was at the request of the Board for the sake of peace and in response to the withdrawal by the Inspectors of their letter, when the retirement of one of tha Inspectors from the enquiry and the successful refusal of a prominent witness to give any evidence whatever had convinced him that the further prosecution of the enquiry was useless; that Mr VeeTa report of last year should not have been quoted this year, as after cross-examination had revealed its hearsay character, Mr Veel had been asked by the Chairman to withdraw it, Mr Meredith moved—“ That the Board had no funds at its disposal to grant Mr Wilson’s request." This was seconded by Mr Adams, and was carried unanimously. MISCELLANEOUS. The Chairman announced that the retiring members would be Messrs Adams, Peryman and Meredith. It was decided that the Board’s offices should be closed from Dec. 25 to Jan. 2, both days inclusive. A strong protest was received, from a number of residents at Homebnsh, against the erection of a school at Ooalgato, It was decided, after discussion, that the Road Board room, at Ooalgate, should be temporarily utilised as a side school, A letter from Mr 0. E. Bevan-Brewa was referred to the Appointments Committee to report. A report on the congested state of the Lyttelton, Waltham and Addington schools was received and adopted. Mr Saunders moved— ■*' That the Chairman of the Buildings Committee of the Board and Mr Saunders be appointed to wait on the Minister for Education to try and get a grant towards erecting increased accommodation at the places." Mr Meredith seconded the motion, which was carried. The proceedings then terminated.