THE NEW EDUCATION BILL.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 392, 31 July 1877, Page 2

THE NEW EDUCATION BILL.

PUBLIC MEETING. A public meeting, convened by his Worship the Mayor, in compliance with the request of the Oamaru Schools Committee, for the purpose of taking steps to obtain an amendment in the Eduoation Bill, giving a separate Education District to North Otago, was held at the Volunteer Hall last evening. There were 100 persons present, and Mr. N. Fleming was voted to the chair. The Chairman commenced the proceedings by reading the advertisement calling the meeting. He then read a letter from his Worship the Mayor expressing his regret at being unable to attend the meeting in consequence of having to proceed to Wellington to attend the Municipal Conference, and expressing his concurrence in the object of the meeting. He (the Chairman) sa\d he did not intend making a speech, as where he to do so he would only be depriving the speakers who had to follow of what they had to say. The meeting had been called for a special purpose, and that purpose was to decide whether or not they should endeavour to obtain a separate Education Board for North,Otago. Mr. Gibbs then came forward, and said he was sorry to see that more interest was not taken in the matter. He looked

upon it as one of the most important social or political questions that had come before this or any other community since the abolition of the Provinces. It was absolutely necessary, if they -wished for any special improvements or advantages from the Education Bill, that they should take prompt action. Now was the time for them to obtain these improvements and advantages, and if they did not avail themselves of the opportunity years might slip by before they had such another chance of benefiting themselves. The General Government had experienced great difficulty in creating a national system of education. Hitherto the Provinces had had entirely different educational systems, worked upon entirely different bases. They in Otago had looked upon their system as the most proper one, and no doubt other parts of the Colony had thought the same of their systems. Hence the difficulty which the General Government had experienced in establishing a national system. When the first School Committee was elected in Oam aru for the purpose of managing the solitary school which they then possessed, the law provided that the necessary funds for the maintenance of the school should be provided by a tax upon the property comprised within the district which extended from the Waitaki to Kakanui. At that time the actual expenses of valuation and collection exceeded three-fourths of the total sum collected. It was impossible that such a system could be made to work, and an amendment became necessary. Things gradually improved until at last they obtained the system which existed at present. In Canterbury a different system 'had been adopted —one which might be designated denominational. Every minister of religion was called upon to furnish the Government with a return of the number of children of the required age in the congregation, and that was taken as the basis upon which the capitation money was paid. Auckland, too, had a different system of managing her educational matters. Consequently the Government had experienced great difficulty in drawing up a measure likely to be approved of by all parts of the Colony. The new Bill proposed to appoint a Minister for Education, and the Education Boards would be formed in the following manner :—Each School District would nominate one member, and of these nine would be elected to form the Central Board. They would have the management of all reserves, and would receive all the rents accruing from each ; the power of appointing and dismissing teachers, and spending all money voted by the Assembly, and general superintendence of all schools. The School Committee would have to impose a rate of 10s. per annum upon every child between the ages of five and fifteen, but there would, of course, be exceptions to this in cases where the parents were too poor to pay the rate. These were the principal matters dealt with in the Bill, but there was a schedule fixing the Education Districts, and from this he noticed that the whole of Otago, with the exception of Southland, was made one district. When this provision became known to the Committee here, they thought that, seeing that there were large educational reserves in the district, matters could be managed much more satisfactorily were North Otago made a separate district. He had spoken to Mr. Hislop, M.H.R., on the subject, and that gentleman had suggested that Oamaru and Waimate should be joined together as one district. He (the speaker) had, however, dissented from this proposition. He thought Waitaki was of sufficient importance to be constituted a district by itself. It had 15 schools spread over a large extent of country. This was quite as much as the Board could manage properly. It would be a farce to expect that a large district like Waitaki could receive proper attention until it had a Board of its own. The schools could not be properly inspected, nor their large reserves properly managed. In the past the inspection of the schools had been a complete failure. The Inspector professed to make a tour through the whole Provincial district, and inspect and report upon the whole of the schools. For himself, he hadneverseen the Inspector in Oamaru, though he certainly was here about last Christmas, and had made an unfavourable report with reference to one of the schools ; but he had failed to point out the why or wherefore of that unfavourable report being made, so as to enable an improvement to be effected. The Committee had tried hard to find out the reason, but had failed to do so. They had come to the conclusion that the educational matters of this part of Otago could not he nroperly attended to unless they had a Board here. This district alone required an Inspector, who might also look after the reserves, which, if properly managed, might be made to yield 25 per cent, more than at present. The Dunedin papers were representing that by the new Bill the whole of the revenue arising from the education reserves were to be thrown into a common purse to be administered by the Minister for Education. Such was not the case. The Act specially stipulated that all revenue arising from eduoation reserves should be handed to the Education Board of the district in which it was raised. It was not proposed that the Minister for Education should handle a single shilling of the money derived from the reserves. It was cruel that the Press should be so prostituted as to mislead the public. (A voice: "Name the paper.) He coiild not say which of the papers it ■was, but it was one of the Dunedin papers.

Mr. Thomson here rose and said that he thought Mr. Gibbs was misleading the meeting, and asked him to read the 39th section of the Bill. It would then be seen that the Dunedin papers were not far out after all.

Mr. Gibes read the section referred to, which specified that Education Boards should forward to the Minister for Education a return of all moneys derived from education reserves, and that in computing the amount of capitation money to be paid from the consolidated revenue, a sum equivalent to that received from reserves should be deducted therefrom. Mr. Thomson then said that this was equivalent to taking the money from them.

Mr. Gibbs said the clause he had read clearly showed that the Minister for Education could not touch a farthing of their money. He then read clauses 38 and 24, and said that if this was made an Education District all the reserves comprised in it would, after the 31st March, become the property of the district. The principal reason the Committee had moved in the matter at the present time was, that they thought now was the most favourable opportunity for them being heard by the Legislature. It was possible that other parts of the Colony would also ask to be made separate districts. If they made their claim now, they would no doubt obtain what they wanted. He was sure that their education matters would be economically worked by a local board, and the reserves would be made to yield a, far greater revenue than they did at present. Their schools would be better managed, and receive greater attention than If the district extended from Waitaki to Mataura. (Applause.) He concluded by moving the following resolution :—" That in the opinion of this meeting, the proposal of the new Education Bill to include the whole of Otago (exclusive of Southland) within one Education District is unsatisfactory to this part of the province, inasmuch as the Board would probably meet at Dunedin, a distance of 80 miles from the centre of the Waitaki District. That the district comprised within the County of Waitaki is sufficiently large to be constituted a separate Education District, and already contains no less than 15 public schools, and has within its bounds education reserves of considerable extent ; and that the Chairman, in the name of this meeting, be authorised to sign a petition to both Houses of the Legislature, praying that such separate Educational District may be constituted."

Mr. G. M'Ghie seconded the motion, and said there were many districts which had been more favoured than Oamaru. Mr. M'ls t ab asked Mr. Gibbs if he could give the meeting any idea of the amount of revenue derived from the education reserves in the Waitaki district. Mr. Gibbs said he could not give any idea of the amount. It would be almost impossible to do so, as no account was kept. He felt sure, however, that the reserves as at present managed did not yield nearly so much as they might be made to do were they managed by a local board. The Chairman said he thought he could give a fair reply to Mr. M'Nab's question. In Incholme, in one block of 3000 acres, there were four education reserves of 40 acres each. Taking that as the basis, there were education reserves in the proportion of 40 acres in every 750 acres in this district. Mr. M'-Nab then said he would move aa an amendment, "That the members for Waitaki be requested to uphold the present system as it is." It would be absurd for them to go to Parliament and ask it to grant what they wanted while they could give no definite information on the subject.— (Laughter.) The amendment was not seconded. Mr. Liddle said the mover of the amendment scarcely understood the question. It was not the meeting that was asking for a change in the educational system ; it was the Government which was bringing in a new Bill. The Committee thought this was an excellent opportunity of securing the management of their own educational affairs. At present, if they wanted anything—from a head master to a pupil teacher, from a water tank to a water tap—they had to go to Dunedin with their fingers in their mouths, and ask for it. They wanted to be independent of Dunedin. There was much truth in the words—

If anything on earth will make a great and glorious nation, It is to give the little folks a thorough education. Education, to be successful, and reach everyone, must be free, secular, and compulsory. (Hear, hear.) If the Government would take the reserves and pay the teachei's, as was the case in Victoria, well and good; but the Government were taking a different oourse, and proposed giving a oapitation grant of L 3 10s. per annum for every child, and leaving the management of education matters in the hands of Boards. The question for them to decide was—Should the 15 schools in Waitaki be managed in Dunedin, or should they be under the guidance of a local Board ? Very few could be in doubt as to which would be the best course to adopt. This was what they were met there to consider. They were not called upon to discuss the new Bill ; there would no doubt be many alterations in it before it was passed, so that no one could say what it would be like. For his own part, he never read a Bill uniil it had been passed. (A Voice : "It is too late then.") Perhaps so, and that was the reason why the Committee were taking time by the forelock now. Mr. M'Nab : Mr. Gibbs laid great stress on the advisability of retaining the reserves, would it not be as well to have the money, and not be bothered about them ?

The Chairman : Yes, but there they are, and we cannot get rid of them. Mr. Lii/DLE pointed oub that while the Government might only give them L 3500, the reserves would realise LSOOO.

The Chairman expressed the opinion that the reserves would eventually be worth LIO,OOO. If vested in the Board they would be held in perpetuity, and would be sufficient to provide for education for all time to come. They should insist on having all the reserves in the district handed over to them. The new Bill might not be passed ; but if it did, they should be prepared. Mr. M'Nab expressed his dissatisfaction at the manner in which the Schools Committee had treated the meeting, and said that although several of its members had spoken, not one of them had given anything but ramUling statements. He moved, as an amendment, "That the members for Waitaki be instructed to oppose the Bill." The amendment did not find a seconder, and lapsed in consequence. The original motion was then put and carried.

Mr. Evans, in proposing the next resolution, said it needed no lengthy speecli from him, as it was merely subservient to the resolution just passed. He thought they should use their utmost endeavours to have their wishes, as expressed in that resolution, carried into eifect. It would be difficult to say whether or not Oamaru would actually have a single representative on the Board if the Bill was passed as it now stood. Ho found by the new Act that not a single expenditure could be made without tlio sanction of the Education Board, and asked if it would be well for them to havo to go to Dunedin for every trifling thing that they wanted. They had all seen how badly things had been managed in the past ; how the interests of this district had been neglected. Would it not bo better to have the direction of their educational matters and the management of vast reserves in their own hands. He thought it would, and he therefore hoped that they would succeed in obtaining a separate Education Board for North Otago. He concluded by moving, " That copies of the resolutions passed at this meeting be forwarded to the Hon. 0. C. Bowen, Minister for Justice, to the- members for the district in the House of Representatives, and to lions. 11. J. Miller, Robert Campbell, and Matliew Holmes, asking their support and assistance." The motion was seconded by Mr. Joun Barclay, and carried unanimously. Mr. M'Nab again expressed his disapproval of the proceedings, and made some remarks of a somewhat personal nature, but which our reporter failei- 1 to catch. An effort wa.3 then made l>/ one or two present to gut up a discussion upon the general principles of the Bill, but tho Chairman stated that the business for which the meeting wascalled had been concluded. At tho same time he intimated that if those present wished to discuss the Bill it would be competent for them to form themselves into a fresh meeting for the purpose. On the motion of Mr. Giuas, a vote of thanks was accorded to the Chairman, and the proceedings terminated.