THE COLLEGE STREET AFFAIR.

Manawatu Times, Volume LXV, Issue 664, 13 March 1909, Page 5

THE COLLEGE STREET AFFAIR.

SOME NEW PHASES.

MR LOW AND THE EDITORS.

MR WATT'S SOLICITOR, TREATS THE OOMMITTEE "WITH OONTEMPT."

Events are moving rapidly in the College Street matter. Our announcement yesterday morning that an enquiry was to be held on Friday evening nest was leceived with general satisfaction. Mr Low, however, whose letter to the oommittee RBking for an enquiry we publish below, denounces the very reasonable adjournment from the Tuesday to the Friday granted at the request of Mr Lang as intended "to allow tim« to truo<p up a oaHe"—which under all the oiroumstauoos is hardly a becoming attitude and does not indicate that Mr Low yet perceives the position. So far as the matter has gone it is evident that Mr Low permitted a subordinate to assume one of the functions whioh the Aofc contemplates being reserved for the headroaster. Furthor Mr Low's letter given below indioates that he is still afsea, He demands that the editors of the papers "be invited to produce the evidenco they have at their disposal," while he is well aware thrit matters placed in the hands of newspapers in confidence will not be divulged to Mr Low or any other man, and the attempt to throw the onus on tlio papers that have performed a public dnty in oalling attention to the currenoy of statements that Mr Low and the committee muse have been as well aware of as they, indioates at least a ourious misconception as to who is on their defence in the present matter, The following letters explain themselves :

COMMITTEE, MASTER, AND THE EDITORS.

To Editor Manawatu Daily Times.

Sir,—lt is the intention of my committee to bold an enquiry on Friday, the 19th insi, concerning the oharges that have been made against the College Street School. From the artioles appearing in your paper .you say you have "evidence in your possession." I would therefore request you to. submit this evidence to me in wiiting not later than Tuesday, tho 16th inst.— I am, etc,. T.'R. HODDER, Chairman of Committee. Palmerston North, Maroh 12. (Enolosure.) Palmerston N,, 11th Maroh, 1909. The Chairman, College Street Committee. Dear Sir, — In view of the definite and, damaging statements against the management of College Street Sohool made by the looal newspapers, I must ask your committee to arrange to hold a publio enquiry at the earliest possible date, and that the editors of these journals be invited to prddu'oe the evidenoe they have at, their disposal. -I am, yours truly, ) i D. W. LOW.

Manawatu Times Office,' ■ ' March 12,1909. Dear Sir,— Yours of to-day's date stating that we say we "have evidence in our possession," and requesting that We submit ,it .to your committee, is to hand. I would point out that tho M.D.T. has made no such statement as yon quote..Further that the inviolability of journalistio confidence would prevent any such evidenoe being given to you without the consent of those who reposed confidence in us. Statements have been made to us by parents and others in reterenoe to matters at College Street, whioh indicated the advisability of enquiry, and we said so. Thefe statements must have been equally aooesßibleto the committee, and it is for them not the newspapers to oonduot the enquiry, and asoertain tho truth or othorwise of the ourrent allegations. -Faithfully yours, E, D. HOBEN. T. R. Hodder, Esq., Chairman of Committee.

THE LAW TAKES A HAND. MR TREWIN ON THE COMMIT. TEE'S "AUDACITY."

To Editor Manawatu Daily Times. Sir,—l enclose copy' of a letter forwarded by hie to the Chairman of the College Street Softool Committee whioh I would ask yon to insert in yonr journal. ~I am, eto., Wm. JAMES B, TREWIN. Feilding, 12th Maroh, 1909. (Enolosure). The Chairman, College Street Sohool Committee, Palmerston North. Dear Sir,—ln this morning's issne of "The Manawatu Daily Times" I notice that an inquiry is to'be,held on the 19th instant into the matter whioli recently formed the subject of court proceedings in whioh Mrs Rennie, without any apparent reason according to the decision of the Magistrate, unjustly oharged Mr Watts with assault upon her ohild. It would have been almost impossible to have oonoeived a weaker oase and if an iriquiry were to be held by the oommittee, it should certainly have preceded the magisterial inquiry. This oourse was open to Mrs Rennie, who however thought fit to air her supposed grievance before the Magistrate with the result that she failed out a prima facie oase. As the oase has been judicially determined the suggestion of an enquiry by a body.of looal men, who being only human must necessarily be prejudiced by the inflammatory and entirely unoalled for letters appearing in your looal press, at this stage of chefprooeedings is the height of presumption and a deliberate insult to the Magistrate, who as an entirely independent and unbiassed person, judicially determined the matter. Any deoision of the committee would have no efleot and in the event of its decision being adverse to that of the Magistrate it would be absolutely and entirely founded upon local prejudice, When. a teaoher at the Sanson Sohool,. the late Mr Grant, to-

gether iithv.iajself, wereoiked to appear before Jhe committee to an enquiry into iunishmehtg we had: inflicted—muol? 1 more, severe '.and effective than Rennie reoeived .or ever could receive with snob, an ineffective, instrument as a paltry strap, and Mr Grant on that ocoasipn informed the committee that the matter of punishment was entirely one for the teacher and no matter what attitude the oommittee took he would refuse to be bound by its dictum. As a subordinate to Mr Grant, naturally, I followed my chief. This was the proper attitude and as legal adviser to Mr Watts I shall advise him to treat your committee for its audaoity in having a retrial of a. case already judicially deoided with tho just oontempt it riohly deserves.-Yours faithfully, Wm. JAMES B. TREWIN.

AN OLD BOY.

THANKFUL FOR THE STRAP,

To Editor Manawatn Daily Times. Sir,—l have read with rauoh interest the letters from the parsons whioh have appeared in your columns oonoeining College Street School. But we aB old boys are very thankful that we had masters to strapius for wrong-doing instead of these parsons; for we know that all the strap we got was deserved, and as far as we were oonoe'rned, harmless, but what we would have got if these parsons had been teaching us, Goodness only knows.-I am, etc, • OLD BOY. Palmerston, Maroh 12. (Perhaps had the "parsons" "Old Boy" refers to wielded the strap it would not have been so '.'harmless" as he seems to have found it. They evidently put more vim intD it at College Street nowadays.—Ed. M.D.T.)