TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19447, 1 October 1926, Page 16

TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

PROGRESS OF THE INQUIRY.

MR. WITHDRAWS.

DIRECTOR DENIES CHARGES

TROUBLES WITH THE STAFF.

The withdrawal of tho complainant, Mr. G. Laing, -from tho proceedings of the Technical College Commission yesterday left the director of tho college, Mi-. G. J. Park, free to make a complete denial of Mr. Laing's charges against his administration. Mr. Laing withdrew for financial reasons, more particularly in view of the possibility that costs might be awarded against him. In the course of his evidence, Mr. Park explained the reasons for the various staff changes that had been attacked and explained difficulties ho had had as a result, ho said, of the activities of a smail group of discontented masters- Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M., presided as commissioner. Mr. G. P. Finlay appeured for Mr. Laing, Mr. L. P. Leary for Mr. Park and Mr. R# P. Towle for the board of governors Financial Risk® Too Great. When the inquiry resumed. Mr. Finlay stated hp. had conferred with Mr. Laing and after anxious consideration he had come to the conclusion that it was quite impossible for Mr. Laing to undertake alone tho financial burden of the inquiry. It was possible the proceedings would last a considerable timo and amount to highly expensive litigation. Mr. Lfring was opposed by a public institution, the • board, with extensive resources. He had no purpose of his own to serve and it was not reasonable that with his slender moans he should sacrifice the well-being of his family by pursuing the matter. If it had been possible to remain withoutincurring grave financial loss ho would certainly do so, but ho ran the risk of a greater responsibility than for his own costs. Representations might possibly be made to tho Minister of Education that ho be enabled to continue, but as things were counsel could not take the responsibility for allowing him to do so. Ho would therefore ask leave for himself and his client to withdraw and let tho inquiry go on without him. Tho Commissioner: You are entitled to withdraw, but of course your olienfc may incur the penalty of costs. Mr. Finlay and Mr. Laing then withdrew. Mr. Laing returned a iittle later and listened for a while to the proceedings. Mr. Goldstino, solicitor, who was~ present, asked leave to watch the proceedings on behalf of Mr. W. Stevenson, a teacher whose name had been mentioned. After some discussion it was agreed f that, as there was no proposal to call Mr. Stevenson as a. witness, there was no need for him to be represented unless he specially desired. Mr. Goldstine decided to withdraw. Only Shadows to Pight. Mr. Leary, in opening the case for Mr. Park, said it was remarkable that- Mr. Laing should have launched bold and unfounded charges, sustained his attack for 12 months, petitioned Parliament twice 'and, aft or preparing his case and obtaining legal advice, should have withdrawn for financial reasons. He did not hesitate to say that 4-f the inquiry had borne out Mr. Laing's brief to his counsel there would have been no withdrawal.

, Before leaving, Mr, Laing had done much harm by making irresponsible and venomous accusations and had dragged in the names of of persons who were suffering disquietude as a result. It was rrecessary that Mr. Park should be allowed to give evidence in rpplj r , even though in doing so he was compelled to hurt the feelings of various people whom he would have to discuss. It was/unfortunate that Mr. Laing had not brought the witnesses whose allegations he had trumpeted so loudly. An it was, there v.-as only the shadow of their evidence to fight. Counsel then proceeded to deal with the inquiry held by the board of governors into the use of certain timber by Mr. Stevenion and the making of certain bolts by Mr. Laing. After the inquiry, he said, Mr. Laing suggested that his honesty bad been attacked and resented tx new rule that all private work done by instructors in the workshops must be reported to the director. Mr. Park drafted a letter designed to exonerate Mr. Laing from any such imputation, Mr. Laing was apparently satisfied, but fen days later he declared there was a minute on the books reflecting upon him. Tie refused to believe the minute was innocuous, threatened legal action, worked himself un into a, state of hysteria and forwarded to Parliament the petition which had led to the present inquiry. Persecution of M?.,ter. Subsequently Mr. Laing was guilty of some derelictions of duty. Mr. Park admitted speaking to him about thtm, but .absolutely denied ho had spoken within the hearing of any of the hoys. After the formation of a new branch of the Technical College Teachers' Association, Mr. Jones, a departmental head who had been elected president, complained to him that he had been subjected repeatedly to sheering abuse by Mr. Laing and that hn did not feel 'able to carry on. Mr. Park consulted the chairman of the board, Mr. If. S. W. King, and an exhaustive inquiry was held. In the course, of this Mr. Laing showed many signs of nervous irritability and* frequently shouted instead of sneaking normally. I n

The hoard thou decided it was. essential that he should leave the college. Mr. Laing, who was obviously not wcii, sent in a doctor's certificate and gave tip his'duties, ft. was agreed the chair man should see him arid suggest that he resign. Mr. Laing refused to do 60, and lie was accordingly dismissed. Dealing with the charge that wellqualified teachers had been replaced Ivy others less qualified, Mr. Leary said special personal qualities were needed in the head of a department, and these in some ways were more important than a high degree 'of technical skill or knowledge. It was on grounds such as these that Mr. Closs had been appointed to succeed Mr, Allen, arid Mr. Parker to succeed Mr. Stevenson as the heads of the engineering, arid woodworking departments respectively. It should be emphasised that the grading and salaries of Messrs. Allen and Stevenson were not affected by the changes made. Counsel also referred to the other teachers alleged by Mr. Laing to be unsuitable for their work. The swimming instructor, he said, could swim. That was the simple answer to Mr. Laing's statement that he could not. Mr. Leary next traversed the history of Mr. Allen. The director and others, lie explained, after very 'full consideration, had been compelled to find his work unsatisfactory in a number of respects. He was taken from-the engineering department and put to the teaching of mathematics, which he was well qualified'to do. As a result of all these _ occurrences, he, became a discontented man, his state of health entering into the flatter, and he proved a centre of troublo in the college." An inquiry was hold by the board and Mr. Allen premised to support the direcloyally. _His ability was tested in r P™ t,ion > an d ho was reduced • sI6 P ln jading. He appealed with- j V ' ' : t '

out success. This in it-self justified Mr. Park's action. About the same time Mr. Closs was raised one step. The charge that Mr. Park had dominated the hoard, said Mr. Loary, was pimply absurd. As for that of vic'timisation, the word was simply an ugly and unsympathetic name for necessary actions on the part of. an administrative head. Under Mr. Park the examination results of the college had steadily improved. Students were encouraged to sit for public examinations, but were not specially t pre[lared for them. The results wore not considered important. In some southern colleges they were not even put on record. In spite of the trouble between Mr. Park and a disgruntled group of teacher tho tone and work of the school had steadily improved. Charles Alexander Stewart, director of tho Invercargill Technical College, who for three years prior to last June had been a departmental head at the Auckland College, was the first witness called. He produced a return of entries and passes at the matriculation and other public examinations. This showed that the percentage of passes in successive years had been as followsl9l9, 33 per cent.; 1920,'42 per cent.; 1921, 39 per cent. ; 1922, 30 per cent,; 1923, 33 per cent.; 1924, 51 per cent; 1925, 43 per cent. There had been a progressive improvement in the proportion of passes since Mr. Park's arrival in 1922, except for a drop in 1925, due to the infantile paralysis epidemic Previous Head's Jiegime. Witness, who said ho came to the callego some months before Mr. Park was made director, expressed tho opinion that Mr. Park had mado great improvements organisation and general management of. the institution. When he arrived the staff was unhappy, the school was conducted under ari irritating excess of rules, and the pupils were subjected to a military form of discipline which prevented the usual friendly relationship between them and thoir teachers. Mr. Parkhad shown a great deal of tact and courtesy to the staff, and had even erred in allowing teachers rather too easy access to him. _ Except for a -group of teachers, tho staff loyally upheld him, and when the witness left the general condition of the college, except for this, was as happy as could be desired. Soon after Mr. Park's arrival a group of four masters, of whom Mr. Allen was the loader, adopted a generally sneering attitude to Mr. Park, and said much in the common-room about the influence of Wangantii on tho school. He had opposed 'he attack on Mr. ('loss' appointment by the teachers' meeting. He did' not believe that a majority of the teachers of the college supported it. It was not corj'ect. that Mr. Park had promoted the formation of a rival teachers' association confined to the colloge staff. He had called a meeting, but at the express request of witness and others. \\ itnpss bore out Mr. Learv's remarks about Mr. Allen's performance of his duties -and the persecution of Mr. Jones by Mr. Lning. Victim of Hostility. In reply to Mr. Towle, he said he had no reason to believe that Mr. Park dominated the board of governors, as had been alleged. On the contrary, he habitually deferred to the board's wishes. Hugh A. Jones, head of the commercial department of the, college, stated he endorsed Mr. Stewart's evidence. Mr. Stewart, however, had omitted to mention that the meeting to form" a new teachers' association was called by Mr. Park upon a requisition, swhich he produced, signed by about a dozen teachers. It was correct that in 1924, after the formation of the new teachers' association. ho had been subjected to sneering remarks over a period by Messrs. Allen and Laing, and that he eventually complained to Mr. Park. Mr. Park, in evidence, amplified his counsel's opening statement, producing and reading a long series of letters and reports relating to Mr. Laing and the otheri members of the staff who had been mentioned in the course of the hearing. He denied there had been any policy of victimisation, and said the various staff changes had been made in the interests of the college by the authority of the. board of governors and with the approval of the Education , Department's officials. He was convinced the work of the college had improved as a result.

Gould Not be Retained'. Mr. Laing's dismissal, said Mr. Park, had become, inevitable by his conduct and the trouble he had caused, f both before and after presenting his petition to Parliament. The petition was unique in the history of education in New Zealand, and the retention of its author upon the staff of the college would have been impossible without incurring all manner of difficulties. Mr. Laing had been one of a small coterie of discontented masters who systematically opposed him in his work and' had detrimentally affected the management, of the college. .Mr. Towle asked witness whether there was any truth in the suggestion that he had dominated the board of governors. Mr. Park replied that he found the charge distinctly amusing. As a matter of fact, he had had rather a stormy passage so far as the board was concerned ever since he had been director. A group of the members, whom individually he esteemed, had gone in for an organised opposition to many of his proposals, and had made things rather difficult for him at times. Rome members, in his opinion, had been too willing to let teachers approach them. Not all his recommendations by any means had been adopted by the board, and some decisions had been made in direct opposition to them. Nevertheless, even the section of members referred to had recognised that some of the changes attacked by Mr. Laing were necessary for the good of the college. Mr. Allen, who had been 'invited to atfend after the luncheon adjournment to hear Mr. Park's evidence concerning himself, and bad then intimated that be. tad no wish to be joined as a party to the inquiry, was given an opportunity to cross-examine the witness, but intimated that he did riot wish to ask any questions. The sittings were adjourned until this mm-ning. Tt is expected the proceedings will end to-day.