BLENHEIM SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLII, Issue 99, 28 April 1908, Page 5

BLENHEIM SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

The annual meeting of the houselolders of Blenheim for the purpose of sleeting the School Committee for the >n suing year was held at the Borough school last evening. There was a ;ood attendance, 55 householders >eing present, and considerable in;erest was manifested in the proceedngs. Mr E. H. Penny.was elected to :lio chair. The Secretary read the annual resort (which has been previously pubislied in these columns), and the abstract of accounts. The statement of , accounts showed that the receipts for 1 ;he past year totalled £122 9s, and die expenditure £111 12s 3d. There r/as £10 in the Post Office Savings Bank and lOd cash in hand. Mr White moved that the report md balance-sheet be adopted, and in ioing so he mentioned that the reigious instruction which was referred co in the report did not encroach on bhe syllabus in any way, and no child ivas compelled to take the course if bhe parents objected. Before proceeding on the lines set down, a cir3ular had been sent round to the householders asking them to lodge any objections they had to religiotis instruction, and not half-a-dozen objecbions had been raised; The Nelson and Auckland people had adopted the same plan. Mr Lord said £hat; Mr White was not quite correct when he said that the circular was sent to householders; it was sent to the parents or guardians of all children attending the school. The resolution was seconded by Mr Parker and carried. ELECTION OF COMMITTEE. The Chairman intimated that he had received several nominations, and there were nomination papers to hand if any other gentlemen's names were proposed. In all 14 nominations were received for the nine places on the Committee. Before the ballot papers were handed in, Mr J. L. Lord explained to the meeting the position in which he stood in regard to the question of amalgamation. He was greatly in favour of it, as he considered that under the present system the best was not being made of the teaching power of the staff. Miss Brewer, for example, had three classes to teach, in addition to which she had pupil teachers to look after. It was impossible for her to give the pupil teachers as much help as was desirable. Mr Sturroek, tooj was in the same position. He hoped to see the school run on the amalgamated plan before very long. After a short time had elapsed, Mr Brewer suggested that, as Mr Lord had given his views on the subject, the other, candidates should also speak on the matter. The Chairman explained that he did not want to stop discussion, but several of the people had by this time handed in their ballot papers, and he thought it was rather late for anyone to move in the matter. A discussion on the question of amalgamation was : the sort of thing that should be given notice of before the meeting. • S? r II- A* Br<>wne did not wish to ' inflict a speech on the meeting, but he would support the action of the last Committee in regard to the aues- • tion. ; * _ No one else made any reference to the subject and the matter dropped. Messrs J. W. Kirby and W .Marple ! were appointed scrutineers for the ' purpose of taking the necessary ballot. ] ■wu-4.po?n r? sulte<* as follows:—J. J. 1 Pi lte o l 4o^ L V T A- Browne 37, W. Brad- ] dock 31 k H. Penny ,29, W. Pike 28, ; J. Hyndman 27 John, Brown 25, W. ] Birch 22, V. Ching 21, W. Jordan 21, ] m/ **£? I s ' S- Norgrove 5. < .liie Chairman declared the first ' I nine to be duly elected members of -1 the Committee for the ensuing year. 1 The members of the newly elected ] Committee thanked the meeting for '- the confidence reposed in them < Mr /I/? 1^ 1 ' on the motion of 1 Mr Braddock, that the. ballot papers < feJrtsH before the *«*§! { closed. This was accordingly done i «t,^ J+ l i?h?nS St 1 the scrutineers and to.the chair brought the proceed- i mgs to a close. . \