DUNEDIN SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 4025, 12 January 1875, Page 2

DUNEDIN SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

The annual maeting of owners and occupfera o£ land and householders in the Duuedin district,"topfc place in tte Lower Hall of the Athenaeum, last'erating. Mr- C. H. Street was voted to the chair, an 4 about 70 persons were present. ' "" "

Tbe Secretary (Mr S.James) having read the advertisement convening- the meeting, read the rrpostt and balance-sheet. The following is the EBrORT. "In submitting their annual report, the Dune<Js» School Committee have to congratulate the citizens on th© increased accommodation for educational purposes. A new and commodious school, capable off accommodating 400 children, has, during their ten». of" office, been established in Albiny street, andL although so recently opened, upwards of 250 children have been in attendance.. A Normal School eatable of accommodating 800 children,' is in course of eree- : tl.°. n in Moray Place. .This school, when opened, be- • sides fulfilling its duties as instructor of teachers wOI I relieve the crowded state of the' Middle School. * The ; attendance at the three old-established schools has vaned very much during the year; the quarter endme30th June shewed 1695, while the quarter ending 3<ft£ December shewed only 1336. The principal falling off in attendance was at the Middle and North Scooolfc, caused by the prevalence of measles. "' - - ■■-■"■--• " Salaries.—The amount paid to tbe principal teacfeers, including- the Government allowance ■ has been, af follows:—Middle School: Mr HalHweil, £370 lls 64 - Mr Ferguson, £273 Is ad; Mr Lindsay' £202 Is 9itfMfcs Hay £10S; Miss Stevens, £146 lbs BJd. Norfli' School: Sir Stewart, £357 13s BJd ;Mr Mirky, £269 3s B|d; Mr White, £149 19s OJd; Miss Hay, £17536 B£d ; Miss Johnstone, £51 Is ; Mr Balsille, £68 Is SS. South School: Mr Park, £331 Is 2d; Mr StabS £248 lls 2d; Miss Nicholls, £15311s 2d. Albanystreet S^opl: Mr Montgomery, £139 4sßJd ; Miss Johnston^£B6l3s7Jd. In addition to the above the following amounts are paid by the Government:—MiddS School, 2 assistant teachers, at £75 per annum: and 7 pupil teachers. North School: 6 pupil teachers.South School: 2 assistant teachers, at £75 per annum* and 3 pupil teachers. Albany street School: 1 assist ant teacher, at £100 per annum; and 1 pupil teachers The salaries of the pupil teachers range from £20 to - £00 per annum, according tolength of service "Resignations and Appointments.—The followim*resignations have been received and appointment* made during tie year: North School—Mr White sopomted assistant master, vice Mr Milne • Mr BalsiSS" assistant master, vice Miss Johnston, transferred as mistress to Albany street; and Miss Donald. xranll teacher. Middle School-Mr J. H. Chapman his beia appointed assistant master, and the resignation of JfEsa ' Gourlfy received ; the latter vacancy has not yetbeea filled up. South School—Misses Stewart and Adams have been appointed pupU.teachers, vice Miss Cbokev appointed matron at Milton Grammar! School; andJS--Joseph Scoullar assistant master, vice Miss M.'Fee: resigned. Albany street—The following appointments have been made: Mr Alexander Montgomery headmaster ; Miss Johnston, mistress; Mr George ironfcgomery, assistant master; and Miss Mollison, ponOL", " Middle School.—On account. of. the brick buildmg-, having been, by competent authorities, pronounce* unsafe for occupation during the progress of the Do wElng street cutting, j-our Committee at once vrithdrew the children, and opened classes at the Oddfellows HaU under Messrs Ferguson and ' Chapman - the newly erected shelter shed was also converted into tw» classrooms. The brick building having been asaaa «- " ported as safe, the childrenhave re-occupied it during part of the past quarter. Your Committee beg- to n£ commend to their successors the question of builduwr a new and commodious school at the lower part of the school ground—lst, Because they consider the present brick building unsuitable. 2nd.- That the cMldreiii could obtain admittance.without hiving to ascend x. steep flight of steps from the York Place cutting Revenue and Expenditure--The amount receire« has been—balance from-last; Committee £97* te-. school fees, £237» Is2d; Government contribufioi * towards repairs, &c, £233 13fi'2d—total, £3537 1544. The expenditure—salaries to teachers and secretarß--£IBS9 7s XOd; new buUdings, additions, &c, £1301 fe sd; sundries, including school cleaning, firing advert tising, water rates, and. contingencies, £252 IBs 7dbilance in Bank of New Zealand, £146 5s 6d—tataf! £3557 Is 4d. *

Under this heading your Committee may mention that they have had register grates fitted" tx>' all Has rooms, and the expenditure for.fuel for the fomr schools is but little more than last year for threes. They have also had the water laid on from th« Cob^ pany s mains, and have to acknowledge the liberality of the Company hi reducing the annual assessment from £34 to £19. As, however, the Water WorkvSe now City property, they hope this item will notoeemr again. _ , .

"Examinations, '&c—The result of the annual asanimations has already appeared before the puhlns, ■ Your Committee caused the number of prizes usuiuV ' issued at these examinations to be considerably cue- ' tailed, giving only one prize for girls and one for not« m each class with certificates of merit to desertpupils that have obtained seventy-five per cent rf nurks. This system they believe to be preferabte to the prize system, which had been overdone. IW Vi hive also taken steps to stop the. objectionable systeni - - of presenting testimonials to the teachers at each ex: animation. The use of a room at the North School Baa been granted to the Caledonian? Society for eveninsr classes, and your Committee are happ^ to find that the efforts of the Society in educational matters Haw? met wi& success. Your Committee acknowledge wit* gratitude, the assistance they have received fh>m. the Provincial Government and City Council in the maS Schools Slt6S f°rthe Albany street and Normal .... "Meetings, &c—Your Committee have held I» ordinary meetings during the year; they have attended - fire tunes as deputations to the Provincial Govern^ nient, City Council, &c Ihe special. Sub-CommitteS. * ~: re the Middle School, met five times, and the WorS committee six times, besides numerous visits to the schools, and believe that they may fairly congratulate themselves on the success which has attended their efforts. *•*"■ " The Committee cannot conclude their report wiffeout again bearing testimony to the careful and efficient ' manner in which the Secretary, Mr Sydney Jame*Thfflf: < performed his.onerous duties. : ~ ~ . " Passed at a. meeting of the Dunedin School Comv mittee on the 6th day of January, IS<5. «*■««- ---" E. B. C^EaiLt.ChairmatL, "January llth, 1875." The report was received with loud applause The Chairman having enquired whether any centre-- ' man wished for further information ; , . 5. .™ : The Rev. Dr Stuart asked if any arrangement Ba* ''-- been made with the Government about the Nbnnat School Could the Chairman tell him when it^t likely to be finished. With the increase of populaW it was a matter of considerable importance. Mr Stout replied that the Normal School was nofi placed under the Committee. He believed that the Aormal School would be finished this year Mr J G. S. Grant : What is the correct amount oP during the year from the three schools The Chairman : From.the four schools, £2185 8s ML Mr Grant: Is it legal, and if legal, is ita^t^ expedient, that a member of the Goveniment a^ tte Education Board should continue^member of vS nuttee which is under that Board? Was this quesSSr th»eX erac&°P^^ the:*W^^S«_ SrJrmf^f 1 you have sdluded fey. ?? werS'oT^lenic^^ 1^0^^111'^^ """

2? c TRP. V-«P^ STUARIr: He is a citizen, too. TiiSa-jSidtSr* referred MtR- stout <*«* th^wL. 1*? .vTt;ART had lnuch Pj«««re id moving credit, he thought himself that the CoiWu^hfcfc had the management of schools and ttetoectfwS teachers was especially entitled to credit XtfeJ afforded many in Dunedhi extreme pleaw to fin* that the business of these schools wlT^urted^e. qmetly and yet so effectively. He malt tS oton^ s&Asiof 4^ he than that manifested by the RhwiHro Stodinttoit

management. He rejoiced to bear testimony to the success of their State Schools, and he attributed this to the devotion of the teachers and the quietness and, at the same time, efficiency of the management. He -was particularly pleased to notice the energy, with which the School Committee had been to the Government, and gave them no rest till the Fourth School was established. That was a great necessity, and the School was speedily filling up. He had asked a question about the Normal School, because if that school ■were not pushed they would be in the same position as they were twelve months ago. He hoped, from the 3-emarks made by Mr Stout, that the Government Trould push that Institution forward, and they should have a Normal School in a few months. He referred "to tte question of poor scholars, which he had brought : under the notice of the Committee, though, as a rule, he never asked such favours. He was struck, that so much of the general fees were derived from free scholars, and he should like to have the matter explained. There were many childien in the city -who required education. The citizens were grate:f ul to the. Committee for their exertions with regard to these schools. He trusted that the same quiet management would continue, and that the schools would become, as (hey already were, a real blessing. He was not speaking in defence of the religious ■element in these schools. He ventured to say that Holy Scripture was to be read in them, but he understood that in some of them only the teacher read. They all knew, how difficult it was for children to follow a teacher jwithout a book in their hands. The Committee had given instruction to have the matter rectified. Hei rejoiced that there was every prospect as the City increased they would also extend. They ■ were not jealous of other schools, though they pre- . :3err«d the citizens' children to assemble in these schools tffl>they entered upon the business of life. ' xHe concluded by moving the adoption of the report. "-n^Mr B. S^aac seconded the motion. Tbe^SiiX}. S. Grant again referred to the alleged inconsistency of members of the Government and the Education Board being members of the School Committee. Mr Stout, he said, was a paid teacher receiving £100 a year from the Government. The Rev. Dr Stuart explained that the Otago University employed Mr Stout, and not the Government. Mr Grant made some remarks, which caused roars or laughter. ..„ Mr M'Larkx did not see the force of havin" a Spiritualist on the School Committee. ° Mr R. Gillies rose to a point of order. The personnel of the Committee was not under consideration. The Cuairmas then put the motion for the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, which was carried Hr Grant being the only dissentient. Tire.SEW COMMITTEE. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Stout, seconded by Mr G. Bell—"That the number of the Committee be nine—the same as last year." About twenty gentlemen were nominated as members, and the election (by ballot) resulted in the appointment of the following:—Messrs Robin (57) R Stout (57), E. B. Cargill (54), A. C. Strode (52), A*. K. Livingston (4S), Geo. Bell (47), Wright (43), J. L. Giliies (40), and H. S. Fish, junr. (3S). Mr A. R. Hay and the last-named gentleman having been accorded an •equal number of votes, another ballot was taken, ■which resulted in the election of Mr Fish. THE SORSIAL SCHOOL. Mr R. Gillies thought it should be an instruction to the new School Committee to push forward the Normal School. They discussed this question at the Jast general meeting, and had got no further than laying the foundation-stone. The Pelichet Bay School was discussed at the same time, and it hail now been in operation for five months. The Committee struck out, and did their work admirably! while the Goverument were dawdling along with the Normal School. With regard to the School Committee, since the Education Ordinance came into force, had the Committee had the same amount for the erection of school buildings, they would now have double the amount for their money. He did not wish to cast any aspersion on the Government, but there -was a great waste of money when the Government ■descended to minuthe of that sort. He thought the School Committee system worked admirably well. He believed there could be great improvements made with regard to ventilation, though it was a difficult matter. If the Normal Sahool were not pushed ahead, they would find themselves in the same position as they were last year. Mr J. Grant (Pelichet Bay) agreed with the previous speaker. Mr J. G. S. Grant: Will the School Committee have any jurisdiction over the Normal School? The Chairman : No. Mr E. B. Carqill referred in praiseworthy terms to the: action taken by the Government with regard to extra school accommodation. A great relief, however, was expected upon the establishment of the Normal School, and the School Committee might nrge the Government to carry it out speedily. During the year the Committee had seen the Government on these subjects, and they had received every consideration. With regard to the buildiug of the Middle.District School, it was now standing upon a precipice 35ft. ■■ Wgh.l. It would be incumbent upon the Government B^ to re-build that school upon a more eligible site. He ■■V did noc believe that they would always have to rely ■Bb upon the Government to provide for the building maintenance of schools. He would look with HH satisfaction upon an education rate for this purpose. HB^HE Mr R. Gillies explained that h« wished to strengthen ■■■■^ the hands of the Committee. lit was the Committee ■Wr" that actually led up the steps to the establishment of Wp the Normal School. The cause of common education in Dunedin would be strengthened considerably if the Committee could go to the Provincial Government and state that the ratepayers desired the Normal School to be pushed on. VENTILATION OF JVKBUC SCHOOLS. ■■ Dr Bakewell said that at .considerable inconvenience he managed to attend the meeting. The ventilation of the school-rooms was a matter oi great importance, and it had been complained of by many persons to him. He trusted thajt the new School Committee would pay special attention to this question. ■.' .- VOTE .OF TILANKS TO Mil STREET. Mr Stout moved a vote of thanks to Mr Street, not as Chairman of the meefmg, but as Chairman of the Dunedin School Committee. That gentleman had been ■elected for many years past as Chairman of the Committee, and had a good deal to do with the management of the schools for a considerable period. Seeing "that Mr Street was now-retiring from the School Committee, it was but fit .that, a-public meeting, and not the Committee, sWuld pass a vote of thanks to him. ..... The .vote was carried by.aaelamation. . , The Chairman briefly returned thanks. It was one of the proudest honours ihe,enjoyed to bo connected withthe cause of ..education; Should he be spared to return from Europe to ;tKs Province, he would be filad to give his services a'gaia.—(Applause.) A,protest. . . Mr J. G. S. .Grant, -who,- with others, had been ; .causing much laughter arid confusion throughout the handed the -following protest to the .Chairman :—" I beg leave i,o protest against the elec'tiou of two members of the Government and Educa■tion Board, as.ineligible;membera. of the School Comiinittee, on.behalf of-self and ail who way agree with ime."

The meeting theii dispersed