EDUCATION BOARDS CONFERENCE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10541, 24 August 1910, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARDS CONFERENCE.

(Per Phess Association.) Wellington, August 23

A conference of delegates from Education Boards throughout the Dominion met this morning. The Conference is one convened by the Wanganui Board after consultation with other Boards.

Eleven Boards are represented. Each Board had the right of sending three delegates, including one official. The following delegates answered the roll call: • ■

Auckland' —Messrs C. J. Parr, H. J. Greenslade, M.P., and R. Crowe. Taranaki —Messrs W. M. Kenncdv and' H. Trembe.

Wanganui—Messrs F. Pirani, F. Purnell, and J. D. Braik. Hawke's Bay—Messrs G. F. Roach, W. Morgan, and G. Crawshaw. Wellington—Messrs R. Lee, A. W. Hogg M.P.. and G. L. Stewart. North Canterbury—Messrs C. H. Opie, T. W. Adams, and H. C. Lane. South Canterbury—Messrs W. M. Hamilton and! A. Bell. Grey—Hon. A. R. Guinness, M.P., and Mr T. Y. Seddon, M.P. Westland —Messrs J. Grimmond and A. J. Morton. Otan-o—Rev. P. B. Fraser, Messrs J. Mitchell and P. G. Pryde. ' Southland —Messrs F. Mac Gibbon, D. Gilchrist and' J: Neill. Mr F. Pirani (Wanganui) w r as elected chairman. Mr Pirani said the Wanganui Board had taken a prominent part in obtaining the opinions of Boards throughout the Dominions as to the advisability of holding a conference, and tlie result was the present gathering. The conference might appear useless in the eyes of some folks, only in view of the fact that the sword 1 of Damocles was hanging over their heads in the proposal made by the Government to abolish Education Boards this year. He was sorry the Minister of Education had not been consulted by his Government before the conference was called 1 on tlie question of the abolition of the Boards, because the Minister had intimated his intention of convening a meeting of the Boards in February next. He presumed on the strength of the reference made to the question in the Financial Statemerit that tlie abolition of Education Boards was to take place this year, and that would' prevent the holding of the conference the Minister seemed so desirous of convening. It would be seen that the necessity for the present conference was urgent, if it was only for the purpose of singing a tangi over their own funeral. In view of the fact that the subjects on the order paper were very numerous and varied in their character, he proposed that they should be divided into sections, , and referred ■ to four committees. The remits would be carefully considered, and all duplicai tions removed, and the delegates would ; the following day have an opportunity i of considering the committee's reports ■ and discussing them fully. This suggestion was unanimously • agreed to, and committees were set up. Mr W. H. Swanger, acting secretary of the Wanganui Education Board, was appointed secretary of the Conference. The Chairman said he had not neg- [ lected to extend an invitation to the ! Hon. G. Fowlds. The Minister had re- - plied that he would not be able to : attend personally, but had consented to allow representatives of the Educa--1 tion Department to be present. At the ! same time he (Mr Pirani) thought it ' wise for the Conference itself to extend l ' an invitation to the Minister as the j head of the educational .system oi tile Dominion. A motion to this effect was pass?<«.

A telegram was road iror.i the Prime. Minister extending to the a cordial welcome to Wellington. Sir Joseph AVard said he had perused the order paper, and was quite .sure all the matters relating to education would have the fullest consideration at the conference. It was decided to thank Sir Joseph Ward for his kindly welcome. Sir E. O. Gibbes, secretary for Education wrote, by direction of the Minister of Education, expressing regret that the Hon. Mr Fowlds could not attend. The Minister had noted that most of the business to be brought before the conference referred either directly or indirectly to matters of policy, on which public officers were generally not in a position to express an opinion, but lie would be happy to direct the Inspec-tor-General of Schools, or the Secretary of Education, or some other officer of the Department to give the conference such information as would assist it in its deliberations, as far as the present urgency of public business would permit them to do so. The principle of one man one vote was adopted, the maximum number of votes for one Board being limited to three.

The Conference then went- into committee to consider the order paper.