EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIX, Issue 13903, 3 November 1919, Page 5

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Tilt* annual meeting of the Waitak; branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute was held at the Middle School on Saturday. Mr W. T. Sogers (President) presided. The report was read and adopted as follows: — "Your Executive reports that live meetings were held daring the year, which now ends in December. Again it must, be recorded that the meetings have been only sparsely attended. A special reason for this during the. current year was the train curtailment, which' practically debarred the majority of country teachers from visiting the town on Saturdays. Owing to the same, cause there has been little but. executive business done at the bi-monthly meetings. The roll number remains at about the same as last year: numerous changes have taken place in the staffs of a." number of schools. We notice gladlv the return to duty of several of our members who served their countrv in the great war. We regret that ea'rlv in the year Mr J. P. Malcolm, an old and esteemed member of the Institute, has owing to indifferent health found 'it necessary to. retire from service. Suitable acknowledgment ot Air Malcolm's worth was made by our branch. We welcome to our ranks Mr Abel, Mr Malcolm's successor. This branch also sustained the loss of an active member in Mr Cron. who obtained, a position in Samoa. Miss Wilding, who afso has retired during the current year, leaves behind the esteem and goodwill of her fellow-members. That teachers have felt keenly the ever-increasing cost of' living goes without saying, and it will be the "duty of tins sub-hranch to exercise a. critical scrutiny of the proposed increases to salaries when the appointment is made. The time is more than over one when teachers, for the sake of the welfare of education, and for their own sakes. must not rest content with a patchwork system of doles that in effect only serve to temporarily bolster up a weak and ill-founded basis. Co-operation and unity of effort is still wanting. A central executive body works hard, but every teacher needs to realise that passive membership of the Institute is not sufficient. It is only by united interest and "push" that we can realise something of our personal rights, and secure better conditions for both teacher and taught in the future."

The election of officers resulted:— President, Mr Rogers. Totara (re-elect-ed) ; lion! secretary, Mr J. Ironside; vice-president, Miss McNaught; executive, the officers and Messrs Forrester. .Rogers, and -McLaren: members of Committee of Management. Ota4:o branch, Mr J. Ironside and Mr W. Rodger. ■ The following new- members were proposed •: -Miss Fa-rtiuhar (Wharekuri), Miss Counihan (Weston), • and Miss Butterfield (Pukeuri). In connection with the question of retirement it was pointed out that all Boards did not exercise the rule of compulsory retirement at the stated age. and it was resolved to support a remit from the Otago branch to the annual meeting to the effect that there should he uniformity throughout the Dominion. A general discussion ensued on the matter of retirements, and a motion was proposed by Mr Duggan. "That this branch is of the opinion that the period of retirement, should bo at the end of the year in which the teacher has attained the retiring age." After some discussion, the matter was referred to the executive for further. consideration.