Queenstown District Main School.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1363, 1 February 1884, Page 3

Queenstown District Main School.

The statutory annual meeting of householders in the district of above school was held in the schoolhouse, Queenstown, on Monday evening, for the purpose of receiving the report &c., of the retiring Committee, and for the election of a new Committee. About "20 persons were present. Mr L. Hotop was voted to the chair and, after explaining the object of the meeting, called upon the hon. secretary, Mr F. \\ . F. Geisow, who read the subjoined report: — ANNUAL REPORT. Your Committee have much pleasure in submitting to the householders of Queenstown the balance sheet for the .year ended 31st December, la-Si. Your Committee received during the past year £lO 9s. 3d. from Education Board to cover ordinary outlays, al<o, 14s. fid. for registered grate and fixing tank, £4 3s. from the inhabitants of Queenstown for prizes, 4c., making in all £-'W 7s. 2d., to which is to be added the sum of 135.. being the credit balance in the liank on the l>t January, I>-S3, so that during the past year the amount of £3l os. 2d. was at the disposal of the Committee. The expenditure has been during that period—l,l.-) for cleaning the school-room, Lr 17s. for fuel for school use, l-Vs. for repairs to building and fences, L 6 14s. Gd. for registered grate and fixing tank, L2 Bs. for prizes, making a total of L3O Us. 6d., so that your incoming Committee will find ss. s»|. in the bank, but your Committee leaves them to find funds to pay L 4 lis. 4d. for unpaid accounts. Your Committee regret that their irrant from the Southland Education Board for ordinary incidental expenses is so small that they can never meet their liabilities, seeing that the cost of cleaning such a large building as our school nearly takes the whole ordinary income, and never leaves enough to pay for the fuel used, not mentioning other excuses, so that your Committee every year incur liabilities they cannot meet, except a clause is inserted in the Education Art empowering the Committees to raise by taxation such sums as _ will meet these expenditures ; or otherwise, that the Edn ■ation Board increase their subsidy to schools like the yueenstow n District School. , , , i Your Committee anplied la-'t October to the Southland Education Board for a' u-rant of £7O. to put the fences around the school ground in order and to pai>er the ® master's residence, but have received no replj, and e> n * that your incoming Committee will succeed in hai ing lose necessarv expenses allowed. , The Committee regret that, through the open in. of the Convent schools, the number of scholars during the pa-t Near was reduced from 141 to 120. the average attendance being M. The Committee were endeavoring to have the drill ot tnt School Cadets brought into closer connection wuh the s* h 01, and thev applied to the Government to have the drill on the school grounds, so that all children from a certain age niurht be compelled to attend to the drill during the daytime. Th.-> have no doubt that the incoming Committee can, if thev should take the matter up. make the necessary arrangements with the Caotain of the Queenstown School Cadet Corps. 7*he Committee held during the post year 14 meetings, the attendance of members being as followsG. M. Ko*s, . , R. Davidson, 13; F. W. F. Geisow, 13; J. Rcid, 12. I>. Matheson, 11; R. Boyne, 9; J. Bodkin, 8. , The vearlv examination of the school did not take P'^ ce before the vacation. This the Committee regret, as had the examination taken place before the breaking-up, he pro of the scholars could have been bettershown than immediattlj after their recess. , The Committee, therefore, cannot report what progressi tne children have made during the year but they wish to record their thanks to the teachers for the manner in which they conducted the school during the past \ car. G. M. Ross, Chairman.

Queenstown, 28th January, 1884. The annual balance sheet (signed by Mr G. M. Ross, chairman, and Mr J.- Mehaffey, auditor) na.s also read, the main items of which are embodied in

the above report. Mr A. Boyne said that he thought the report and balance sheet were very satisfactory, and lie had great pleasure in proposing that they he adopted. Seconded by Mr Warren and carried. Mr Warren proposed a vote of thanks to the retiring Committee, and in so doing said he con.-i----dered the Committee deserved great praise for the careful manner in which they had att nded to the interests of the School and had mana.-ed the affairs under such penman- difficulties. He also approved of the suggestion mad? that some means should he devised for aiding the funds of the institution either by taxation or fees. The motion was seconded by Mr A. Boyne and carried. A special vote of thanks was passed to the lion. secretary for his valuahle aid ; and a hearty vot of thanks was passed to the School teachers for their services during the past year. The election of new committeemen was then proceeded with and it resulted in the return of the following-.-Messrs H. X. Filth. 0. M. Rosm. R. Davidson, J. Reid, S. Dewar, L. Hotop and J. Bodkin. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the chair. The new Committee met immediately after above meeting, but the onlv business transacted was the appointment of Mr (i. M. Ross as chairman, and of Mr H. X. Firth as hon. secretary; it was also decided to hold the ordinary meetings as usual, namely, on the last Monday in each month.