AN "INDISCREET" LETTER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13869, 1 October 1908, Page 6

AN "INDISCREET" LETTER .

' a ■'.'■ ■ .-■.' ■ •'..-■:' '■ 'o ; ' : ■■■':■'■ :v'-U/.;■.'■'■''"'.' M.:/. -infillppl WAIHI SCHOOLS. ' ',/ .'.v' v ',-:''-;,;'-:!>i :^ ;a::« : : ~~"~~,.. ■■:-,■,. ;;^:v>:;:;i;.t||flll INDIGNANT HEADMASTER. * ' - ".'-■" ',•'■:'. ... ii,.■..*'.v.ii{:v'^:; ; At the Board of.Education meeting " y«i. L< te'rday the chairman (Mr. 0. J. Parr) stated that he had closed with an offer for a site'' V for the Waihi South school a + £320. The ••', land had been valued by the borough valfe' 1 : i at £350, and the Government valuati«j!*',;Sa was stated to be £475. In view of th& " ' crowded state of the main school at Waihi, the architect had rjeer instructed to pro"-'' ceed with the preparation of the plans, at once for the Waihi Sou'V ehool. '-v*'*' A letter was the .<. K>?t! from Mr. A; ;; Benge, headmaster ;■'. the Waihi - : main! ' ' school. Mr. Benge said ho had received;' , the Board's communication directing hiittj'. .; not to admit any more pupils to his school,''' i ' His committee had -''informed him that & ' > >: '" further reduction was threatened when th«",;-'wfll proposed southern school was erected. Hi desired to draw the Board's attention to; ' " the monstrous injustice of such a pio* ''; • ■posal," not only to himself, but to th*;. members ot his staff. Under the provi. r sions of the new Bill, his school ranked a3 .'• ' ' grade 10, nor was this a recent rise, as th<S[.'' school held this position seven years agojyf : '- '■■■:['■ During this period ho had maintained ths£-yH highest standard of work, and though tha^'■ school was somewhat overcrowded, and fre«' "• quenUy understaffed, the health of his ', , ' pupil-3 and teachers had been uniformly ' i good. . tie appealed to the Board "as.tto|ji ! ,%/ : .! ; the justice of rewarding labours. 'tjcf:■(■;': teaching experience of 37 years, by arli^ ";■})'■■■ ' trarily reducing the" status of his school iof .; ■; the position it occupied over;. seven ago." The School Committee petition {■ ,'; both the Board and the Minister to enlargs ■...{■''.--■[ the infant department, and stated that »s'f, : \ no distant date it might be necessary fv v ■. enlarge even til© Waihi East school. Tliq| /.'■' had just been erected. An immediat* • grant of £300 for additions to the Waihi,-;"'" East school was made, and the urgent, needs of his school were ignored. People- \ in Waihi were ' astonished; and the universal question was, "How was it man-**' ■/ aged?" The original East school was not* yet nearly filled. The numbers would l>', : have -been considerably, lessened if -he had' ; not refused to admit children living ' v that school. He added: " T maintain.'thafcv -': to erect another full-time school is asim? • ful waste of the public funds, and total!jl'' • uncalled for. The furthest house to thjT\ - south can be leisure l readier-in 15 a" '-'v ; 20 minutes, and 10 minutes will carry yoil '. to the western boundary. It is significant" ".'," to note that my school was designated th^'S;'i ■ western school when the present agitator/ ' were striving for an eastern school. It has, : ;i now become a central or northern ecliooV.;.'■;' ' whereas it is situated in the centre of thti' •,.:>• township." A small school for infants un/ v:.-; der hia control was the utmost that should .';■.; be granted. There was plenty of room } there for a much-needed modern infant -■ school. V' Mount Eden and other -schools, r>. with roll numbers in excess of his' :; were-having large sums expended 'upoi|'; v them. The accommodation at his school";', was inadequate, and this should be recti/ .» fled .before another school was erected.). „■-' 7 Another schoo could only be filled .byj", -■> ; draining the eastern and the main school; ■■ The convent ' children, dwelling "in the Vi south, would riot be permitted to attend, 1 , although several of the parents signed the-,': _, ; petition that was sent in. ■- The ages ofV:, _.: children, referred to in that petition ranged ii. ■.■/"][ from a few weeks old upwards. -He urgedy;, .';' that, in the interests of discipline; no othe* ; Wk school should bo erected in Waihi, and saft'x i ".'■■: he felt that the present state of affair! •'-' had been brought about by a misrepresenla'- '"' tion of facts. He appealed to the Board! . for assistance and protection. '. .-' ': Mr. J. D.McKenzie thought the.letter*: should not be received. ' .'>\}ilM ; '. Mr.:' L.l J. ■• Bagnall agreed with Mr.;,,<, Benge that there. ought to be a better in-■;,'. fant department at the Waihi .main schoo!.'-. The Chairman. (Mr. Parr) The Board'M;; recommended it, but the Minister himself* < V decided there must be-another'school. < .-*.',. Mr. E. C. Purdie: ( From the' point of , efficiency of .teaching, I think the' Minister • :>' is wrong in saying:a small schoolwould,bo V;.. better than increasing the main' school j■' i ; ; such a principle is radically bad. ■ : '"■;-': j. C The Chairman thought the Minister was J right. The Waihi main school was-now if as large as any school should be hi a dis< ,y : trict like Waihi. It had now a roll num- > ber of 726, and a floor space of over 500011, , and the school-was quite large enough to exercise the energy of the headmaster to : -i Took after it. It was a ramshackle build* ■ . ing, and did not lend itself to addition,'; * . The best thing that: could" happen Ho it; ■:>■>' would be a, fire. '1:)±q school was : disgrace* ft ,,; i fully overcrowded. ■■''[.■] ; Mr. Bagnall: Why not make a, provision^ M that the school should retain its preset '~''; ■ grade? ■yy^::'y'r^ ::: y<y^yw^^lioo^ The Secretary: There is no immedjat*;;,,....;'.. rick of losing it. , . ', ?| Wm - The Chairman: We can inform 3tr.!...- , Benge that the Board has; no intention, of: ' reducing the grade of his school. Xhejp. *•• Board directed Mr. Benge tliat the averajc V, number of pupils was not to exceed 64?,. J and he has increased the number in oppoi- .' , tion to the resolution of the Board. .Tie - Board cannot receive letters*of this kiitl i.-,■■■;•' from teachers. It is an indiscreet letter , and Mr. Benge must understand that la : must carry out the instructions, of th ; , j Board and of the Minister, otherwise w . >;,'■.[ must consider his position. I move tin*: ..; he be informed accordingly. • ■'-. '/■ The motion was carried. • Vi'sij v : - mmmtmmmmm^mmmmmmmmmmmm ■"" - ■ ' .¥>•ss