EDUCATION BOARD.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 163, 14 July 1903, Page 4

EDUCATION BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Education Board was held yesterday. Present —Messrs Litchfleld, Macey, Ferguson, Chaytor, Fell, and Parker. MrLicehfield was eleuted to tho chair in the absence of Mr Seymour. Accounts were passed for p.iyment. The financial statement showed a credit balance of £1465 A communication from the Education Department asked the Board to forward for the information df the Premier particulars as to the material, age, etc., of school buildings in the district. THE SPRINGLANDS SCHOOL. Mr Pell reported an interview ha had had at Wellington with Sir Ed. Gibbes (of the Education Department) on betialf of the Board. He /was un able to see Mr Hogben, who was away. He explained to Sir E. Gibbes the necessity of enlarging the Springlanda School, and was told that a special grant for this purpose could not be made, as the increased attendance was not due to a'sudden access of popula I tion. The period taken for this calculation was the last three years; and Sir E. Gibbes produced the census returns to show that the population of Springlands had not increased during that time. This was contrary to local knowledge, and on examination Mr Fell found that the census boundaries did not correspond with those of the school district. .--Then the Department took up the position that the additions were"really not necessary, the school not being overcrowded, and the children not being worse off than in schools j of similar size Jn other parts of the \ colony. What Mr Pell gathered was the Department were besieged with applications for money from all parts of the colony, and their instructions were to resist all demands but what could not possibly be refused i In a lengthy discussion the Board agreed on the urgent necessity of re lieving the overcrowding at Springlands, and ways and means were discussed. The balance in hand was £667, and, said Mr Fell, the main requirements were the. works at Springlan^s and Grovetown, estimated to cost £255 and £250 respectively, and the rebuilding of the teacher's residence at Tua Marina, which would. absorb another £200. The Chairman suggested that the Board should draw up a scheme of works on the assumption that the building grant (making up the funds to £1600) for 1903 4 would come to hand as usual in December. , The question between< the Health Department and the Board's architect were discussed at length, and after consulting. Mr Huddlestone, it was resolved that the additions to the Springlands school be proceeded with at once on the lines of the architect's original plan, modified in regard to the windows as suggested by Dr Prengley, and that the lowest of the tenders received some time ago be accepted. THE TEACHERS' APPEAL CASE. The minutes of a special meeting held on June 18th were confirmed. On that occasion the Board passed resolutions in regard to the teacher's appeal case. One resolution instrnoted the Secretary to write to Mr Sturrock, Headmaster of the Borough Schools, informing him that the Board would not recognise him as Headmaster after July Ist.- Another resolution voted the sum of £10 as the fee for Mr J. B. Rayner, as the Board's appointee to the Appeal Court. . ; The outward correspondence having been read, Mi Ferguson asked if any reply had been received from Mr Sturrock, Headmaster of the Borough School, to the Board's letter giving him notice that the Board would not recognise him after July Ist. The Secretary replied in the negative. He had repeated the notice, but no reply had been received. Mr Ferguson asked what was the position. He did not wish the Board's action to have the appearance of per secution, nor did he think that con struction could be fairly placed upon it; but he pointed out that they would stultify themselves if they allowed Mr Sturrock to continue in the position. They should come to a definite conclusion one way or the other; other wise they would be condoning a position they had all along protested against. ' . > The Board went into committee and consulted its solicitor, Mr Rogers. The Board appointed a committee to wait on Mr Sturrock during the afternoon. On resuming, the Committee reported that they had interviewed Mr Sturrook, who gave them to understand that ho regarded tLe decision of the Teachers' Court of Appeal as having the effect of reinstating him. In reply to the suggestion that heshould agree to a statement being made to the Supreme Court, he said he would con suit his legal advisers. Mr Fell, who made the report, went on to say that he was not in favor of such an extreme course as • locking-out—a suggestion made at the morning meeting. He preferred to proceed with the application to the Supreme Court for a writ of certi©rari to quash the judgment of the Court of Appeal. (The view enunciated by the Board in discussion was that the Appeal Court's decision was not in itself a reinstatement. If the Board did not reinstate it was for the teacher to seek his remedy.) Mr Chaytor concurred with Mr Fell's remarks. The Board did not wish to take any unfair advantage of the teacher; and he preferred to see the matter settled in a decorous manner. The Chairman agreed and thought that the Board would best consult its dignity by adopting the course suggested. Mr Ferguson agreed. He was sure they did not want to "jump on" the teacher. He brought the matter up for the reason that he thought it was due to all parties to have it properly settled; and at the same time he did not wish tho Board to be compromised. The Board had officially notified the teacher that it did not recognise him as the Headmaster, and one question was as to the attitude that should be adopted by the School Committee in receiving reports and directing the affairs of the school. Other members suggested that the Committee should adopt a non-com-mittal attitude. A motion was then carried that the Board's solicitor be instructed to proceed with the application for a writ of certiorari. PICTON. The usual library subsidy was granted on £3 raised by the Picton Committee. The Board adopted tbe recoramenda tion that Miss Macclister be appointed to the position of first assistant in place of Miss Hay, whose resignation was received from South Africa, and the appointment was made. The Committee notified that Messrs H. Fredericks and E. Jeffries had been appointed to the vacancies on the Committee, PAINTING. The Marlborouehtown Committee wrote asking that the school buildings, which had not been touched np for twenty years, be painted. Mr Chaytor said that many schools badly wanted painting, and such work, as tending to preserve the buildings would pay well in the end, even if the Board had to run into debt for the purpose. He suggested that the Board should encourage a subsidy system under which funds raised by the Committees for painting work be supplemented. It was resolved that the Marlborough r town, Okaramio, and Onamalutu Committees b» asked If they will oarry out the necessary work there if the Board

provide the material, Water-paint having been recommended by a member who had given it a trial, it was decided to obtain particulars of this paint ior next meeting, with the view of carrying out a test at the above-mentioned places. GENERAL. The Nelson Board asked for cooperation in their representations to the Government of the hardships inflicted on School Committees by that clause of the Education Act which imposed on them the expense of keeping a bank account.—lt was remarked that in this district this portion of the Act was more honored in the breach than the observance. It was resolved to support the Nelson representation. ■ A request was received from the Fairhall Committee for assistance to enable them to establish technical classes. Fmly twelve boys at least would attend classes for such instruction —It was resolved to enquire what the Committee proposed to do. The Fairhall Committea asked that the reof of the school be attended to. —Ie was resolved to obtain an estimate of cost and particulars as 'to super- [ vision. ! The nomination of Mr E. Barker as correspondent for Fabian's Valley was approved It was resolved to reply to the Grove School Committee that provision for fuel would have to be made out of its capitation funds. I The Grovetown Committee wrote approviag of the action of the Board in respect to fche teacher's appeal case. The Okaramio Committee asked for a subsidy for £11 raised locally for i ground improvements and the purchase of a musical instrument.—ln view of the straitened finances the Board decided that it could not entertain the proposal at present. The sum of £3 was granted to Onamalutu for a porch. Correspondence of a legal character was received from the late teacher ofthe Wairau Valley School.—The Secretary was authorised to write and explain the position to the correspondent's solicitors. .

>*rbe Rai Valley Committee recommended the Board to purchase an adjoining house for a teacher's resid-ence.—-It was resolved to write to the owner of the property, Mr Forrest, as to terms, The Chairman of the • Richmond Brook Committee forwarded an estimate of the cost of fencing the school reserve. —The question was deferred. The matter of repairing the leaky condition of the Spring Creek residence was left to the Secretary to deal with. The Ugbrook Committee applied for coal. —Resolved to reply that the Committee was now in receipt of capitation.

Te Awaite was supplied with a clock. Koromiko reported the estimate of cost of painting, the school as £34, a proportion of which would be recouped by the Committee out of funds publicly raised.—lt was resolved to ask for & statement of cost of other repairs and the contribution of the Committee.