MARLBOROUGH EDUCATION BOARD.

Marlborough Express, Volume XLIII, Issue 113, 11 May 1909, Page 7

MARLBOROUGH EDUCATION BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING

The Marlborough Education Board" met yesterday afternoon, when there were present: The Chairman and Messrs Penny, Smith, J. J. White, J. Conolly/Macey, Reader and Storey. Leave of absence was granted to Mr Parker. CORRESPONDENCE. The Havelock School Committee wrote recommending the appointment of Miss Hauron to the position of as-sistant-secretary. # The Inspector said he noticed that Miss Hauron only had a partial E certificate, and he thought Havelock should have a certificated .teacher. It was decided that Miss Hauron be appointed. Mr Reader said the fence at Havelock had been finished, and good work had been done.

The Chairman said in connection with the fence at Havelock, the Board had exceeded the power of expenditure, the work having cost £6 12s 6d, whereas only £6 had been allotted. The question of repairing the back fence was referred to Mr-Reader to deal with, Mr Scott to pay half the cost of the fence.

The Carluke Committee wrote recommending Miss Mary Scott for the position of assistant at their school.— Appointed. Mr Robert Scott wrote asking the Board to have a household aided school recognised at Benhopai, with Miss A. Harris as teacher.—Approved. Miss Sarah Hutchinson wrote asking whether she was still the chosen teacher for the Kaiurna school, or \if there had been another teacher appointed. If she was still the teacher, she asked that the correspondent (Mr Ingram) be advised, and also that she be notified, so that the school could be opened as soon as possible, as she' was becoming tired of the way the Board had dealt with her in connection with her recent applications. She had no desire to write to headquarters if that could be avoided, but would do so if she was to be kept down by the Board. She claimed that her teaching qualifications were equally as good as those teac'iers _ who had been selected by the Be.-.rd in preference to herself.

A further letter was received from Miss Hutchinson, dated April 28th, in which she stated that, with Mr j Strachan's approval, she would accept . the position of teacher at Kekerangu , school, and would commence her duties | the following week. <, Mr P. McLaughlin, postmaster at Kekerangu, write informing the Board that Miss Hutchinson had ar- ... rived from Havelock, and wished to. j start teaching school there on Mon- ] day, May 10th. He presumed the /] young lady had previously written to ( the Board on the subject. j The Chairman suggested that Mr McLaughlin be advised to take Miss j Hutchinson for a month on trial.— r Agreed to. j Mr P. B. McCauley advised the Board that the . Bulwer school, s Pelorus. Sound, was opened on Mon- 3 day, April 19th, with six pupils, and g Miss Bessy Fleming, of Wellington as t teacher. He asked to be informed g what the capitation would be for the teaching of six children. —Approved. Mr Spencer, correspondent at Fabian's Valley, informed the Board that Mrs Bonser's application for the position of teacher had been accepted. —Approved. The Chairman of the Grovetown School Committee wrote recommending Mr E. Mortimore, for the position of pupil teacher at Grovetown School. —Approved. ' . Mr Ingram, correspondent at Kaiuma, advised the Board that Mrs Passau had comenced her duties as teacher at the Kaiuma school on Monday, April 26th.—Approved. Mr F. Wells, correspondent at Ohaua, wrote stating that Miss Downer had a sixth standard proficiency certificate, and had commenced teaching at the Ohaua school on May Ist. —Approved. . Mr H. J. Stace, correspondent, Robin Hood Bay school, asked the ■ Board to ratify the appointment of Mr W. M. Uttley at the school vice Mr Rickards resigned.—Approved. Mr Charles Turner, jun., Hat Creek, wrote acknowledging the receipt of the balance-sheet and letter of advice, £3 5s 9d. The letter had, however, been opened by a member of the Committee, who had retained the cheque enclosed. Mr Turner said he bad applied to the person for the cheque, but his application had been met with a refusal, and the recipient had paid accounts out of the cheque that had previously been paid by Mr Turner. It was impossible for him to make out any balance sheet with such a state of affairs. He asked the Board to advise him as to what he should it' was decided to refer Mr Turner to the Post Office officials. The Assistant Inspector-General or Schools, Wellington, wrote in reply to a letter from the Board asking the Department for power to award a £20 scholarship'to Arthur Morrison. He pointed out that although the Education regulations reserved to the Board a discretionary power to refuse or award a scholarship when a candidate falls short of the ordinary qualification, any award in such cases does not in general commend itself to the Department as desirable.—Received. GENERAL BUSINESS. The Secretary for Education, in replying to the Board regarding Mr Fisher's letter for compensation for inconvenience caused while waiting for the school residence at Tua Ma - ma to be completed, stated that the Minister regretted his inability to make the precedent that would mo involved in making any special allowance in such a case. . The Secretary said he had informed Mr Fisher that the Department would not recognise his application. —Received. Miss Stone applied for a. further six weeks' leave of absence, as she would not be fit for school until that time. It was decided to grant the application, and to appoint Miss Newman to take Miss Stone's position at Havelock until she regains cenceMr T. Prichard, Chairman of the Marlboroughtown Committee, wrote requesting the Board to appoint Messrs R. Cresswell and L. Dodson as members of the Committee. —Request granted. The Board's achitect recommended that a lean-to be added to the Omaka School teacher's residence. The Chairman moved, and Mr Macey seconded, that the additions lie made.—Carried. /The Board's architect (Mr Huddleston) recommended that the Board secure Si acres for the Marlboroughiown School. He stated that he

thought it could be procured i'or about £50 per acre. The Chairman said he favoured securing one acre. Be mov d that the d legates from that waul, Meaus iuacey, White- and Parker, sea committee to. join with someone in securing a piece of land to be disposed of by Messrs Redwood, the Board to retain what it requires. Mr Storey seconded the motion, which was carried.

Mr Conolly moved that Mr Huddleston be thanked for his letter.

Mr Reader seconded the motion which was carried.

It was decided to supply the otitdoor requisites applied for at Nydia Bay, a grant of £5 being passed for that purpose. Mr F. Tetley wrote offering to erect the proposed school at Ta hua hua for £222 10s.—Mr White moved, and Mr Storey seconded, that tenders be called for the work.—Carried. Canvastown. — The Committee directed the attention of the Board to the necessity for painting the interior of the school.—lt was decided that the work be done during the winter holidays. The Springlands School Committee applied for an assistant teacher and four dual desks.—The Board decided that the request could not be granted until the average attendance was 126 for the month of June. The desks would be supplied. Mr Thomas Watson applied to have a school erected at Onakau, pointing out that there were already thirteen children of school age.—lt was decided to ask'for further particulars in connection , with the school. - An application for a grant of £3 towards connecting the outhouses at the Havelock North School was granted. Mr J. L. Rabb, of Nopera Bay, applied to have a new school erected at that place, and also forwarded a request signed by the settlers there to that effect.—lt was decided that if there was an average attendance of twelve children tlie matter would be brought before the Education Department, with the object of getting a grant for the erection of a school. The Havelock School Committee applied for an assistant for the school.—it was decided that applications for the position be invited. Omaka.—The Board could not supply a set of modes; they cost £2 10s, and if the Committee desired, the Board could procure them for them. Mr James Douglas wrote asking the Board whether it would have any objection to a small building for the purpose of a post office being erected in the Canvastown School ground, as the site there was in- every way desirable.—The Secretary said he had asked .Mr Hughes' to forward the School Commissioner's recommendation.—The action of the Secretary was approved. The Secretary of the Picton Road Board wrote advising the Education Board that the old school house at Tua Marina was rented from the Cemetery Trustees, and not from the Board.

The Chairman said he thought the Board should have some acknowledgment that the property belonged to it.

The Chairman suggested that a special committee consisting of Messrs Macey, Parker, Conolly and Smith be set up to go into the matter, and decide as to the right ownership Qf the site. —The suggestion was agreed to. ' The Wellington branch of the Navy League wrote offering to supply the Board with a number of cheap Navy League maps of the world.—Received. The Secretary reported that Seddon, Grassmere, Okaramio and Linkwater had failed to elect school committees, and asked for authority to call for fresh elections.—lt was decided that the third Monday in June be the date fixed for the elections.

The Chairman of the Flat Creek School Committee asked that the money and papers sent in by Mr C. Turner be returned. He also pointed out that there were only two acres of the ten acres used by the school.—lt was decided to inform Mr Hebberd\ that the teacher was entitled to the income from the balance.

A similar communication was received from the Linkwater School Committee concerning the school land there.

The Chairman said the following resolution had been framed in connection with that matter: "That Miss Allen be granted the use of the school site at Linkwater; the cost of fencing to be borne by the Board in the first instance, the teacher for the time being to refund the amount in five yearly instalments, to be paid from the rent derived."

Mr Smith moved that the Education Board fence in the whole of the block of nine acres of land at Linkwater, and permit the teacher to make the best use of it.

Mr Reader said the Committee at Linkwater required five acres of the land for a play-ground for the children, particularly for the purpose of constructing or laying down a cricket pitch. The Chairman said the Secretary had wisely pointed out that the teacher had an emolument of the ground. Mr White moved that the matter be deferred and that the Committee be, asked to forward a plan of the grounds showing the portions fenced and unfenced.

The Chairman seconded the motion, which was carried. EMPIRE DAY. .Mr Reader asked if any preparations had been made for the celebrating of Empire Day. The Secretary said nothing had heen done, but that a holiday would be observed on that day.

Mr Reader moved that the Board offer a gold meditl to be shot for by school, cadets on Empire Day. The Chairman pointed out that the Board had no power to use its funds for such a purpose, and he suggested that the price of any medals would have to come from the pockets of the members of the Board.

The members favoured the scheme put forward by Mr Reader, and Messrs White, Reader, and the Chairman each donated a guinea towards the cost of purchasing medak to be shot for under the same conditions as the Chaytor medals on Empire Day. It was decided that the cadets in ! each of the wards be asked to com- ! pete for medals to be donated from a fund to be collected on Empire Day, and that Messrs Reader, Hylton, and the Chairman, with power to add to their number, be elected to supervise the project. The Secretary was also instructed to invite assistance from the teachers in the different wards. The correspondent at Mahau was instructed to insure the school against fire. THE OKARAMIO SCHOOL.

The Secretary reported that he had received a telephone communication from Mr Hodgson, at Okaramio, that afternoon to the effect that it would

be useless to put a wooden floor in the shelter shed, and he suggested that a concrete floor be constructed. The matter was left in Mr Reader's hands wi.h power to act. Mi- Hodgson also wnue pointing out the urgent necessity for h-.iving additional lighting at the school by means of an extra window. He pointed out that it was owing to gross ignorance on the part of certain membere of the Board that the matter had not been attended to before. The letter also referred to the temperature obtained in the room during the winter months through there not- being sufficient inlet for the suu on fine days. A number of charts showing the temperature in different parts of the school to be from as low as between 34 and 41 up to 60 degrees. Mr White said the Committee, or the Education Board nor anyone else had any right to keep children at their desks at work when the temperature was only 40 degrees. He moved that the Committee be written to, deprecating very much such a state of affairs, and that the Board insist upon the school being heated when the temperature was under 60 degrees in the school room. The Chairman seconded the motion. The question of an extra window was held in abeyance until the next meeting in order that a full attendance of the Board might discuss it, when further information on the question should be available. wTNTA'NrrTrc. .

The Secretary, reported that' the credit balance of the Education Board's accounts to date was £687 8s lOd. Accounts amounting to £361 6s lOd were passed for payment and the meeting terminated.