EDUCATION BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10359, 14 May 1895, Page 8

EDUCATION BOARD.

THE WAIAREKA CASE. The adjourned meeting of the Education Board, sitting as a committee of the whole to inquire into the charges made by Mr P. B. Fraser, recently head master of the Waiareka school, against Mr P. Goyen, one of the board's inspectors, in connection with the last annual examination of tbe school, was held last evening, when there were present—The Chairman (Mr H. Clark), the Hon. J. MacGregor, M.L.C, Dr Stenhouse, Messrs D. Borrie, M. Cohen, and A. M'Kerrow. '~' -The question being raissd as to the right of representatives of the press to be present, • , Mi- Cohen moved—" That the board go into committee to consider the evidence with a view to making a report." .! ' Mr MacGregor moved as ah amendment— "That considering the gravity of the charges and the canflicting nature of tbe evidence, the committee report that in their opinion the matter ehould be investigated by a magistrate." The Chairman said tbey were met as a committee of the whole board to consider the evidence which had been taken with aview to a report being prepared. It waa for them to say whether their being a committee of the whole board" implied that reporters were to be excluded. He thought there.was nothing to prevent reporters being present if, it was the wish of the committee, even though it was a committee of the board.

Mr Cohen : I should take exception to that at this stage.

Mr MacGeegor said the members would recollect that at the last meeting of the board he moved that the Minister for Education bs requested to appoint a magistrate to hold the inquiry into the complaints and charges made by-Mr Fraser, and he still thought—aad he was more convinced of it how than ever—that was the proper course for the board to adopt. They now knew a great deal mora about the matter than they did then; they knew how excsedingly conflicting the evidence was. He was not going to discuss that evidence, but they knew ther* was direct "conflict in the testimony on sever?! important points. He thought the board should even now'relegate tbis matter for consideration to an outside authority. It was unnecessary for him to go into any detailed reasons for that course, but it was sufficient, he,: thought, at present to emphasise the fact that the charges were so serious and the evidence was so conflicting. Those two: considerations should themselves, he thought, be sufficient, to induce, the board to adopt the course he now suggested. He asked the board* again to consider whetherj from every point of view,.this would not have been the best course toadopt,' and whether it was not the be_t and proper course to adopt even how. '.'."■' "''■■"•

_Dr Stenhouse would like to point out that Mr MacGregor seemed to forget-that was not a meeting of the board, but* a meeting of the committee of the board. .. .

Mr MacGeegoe said if Dr Stenhouse would read the notice calling the meeting he wonld find that they were met there as the board. Dr Stenhouse repeated that they were meeting as a committee of the board—as the committee who had already investigated the matter. .■-'■■•

Mr MacGeegoe said Mr Borrie's motion was that the whole board '■ should consider the charges. S.-. ■

•■Mr. Boeeie: A committee of the whole board. " " .-

Mr M'Keeeow asked whether it was competent to bring up any business at that meeting. That • would settle whether it 'was a meeting: of the. board or of a committee. Mr Cohen "seconded Mr MacGregor's' amendment' pro forma to enable him to say at that stage that if the Education Board of Otago was not competent to inquire into -a matter as affecting-one'of its own teachers and some members of its staff,: the sooner the board petitioned Parliament to dismiss it the better. It' was their duty to inquire into the evidence and makela report and to take their stand, such as it might be, on that report. If the conclu. sions they- came *to 'after considering the evidence proved not to be justified by the evidence, then he presumed that, those who sent him and other members of the board there would* probably take early steps-to't'each them their duty. Until those' steps were taken ha declined to refer this matter to any outside body. :■

Dr Stenhouse maintained they would stultify themselves if they abrogated the duties which devolved .upon them after the inquiry had gone on for such a length. He waa also of opinion j with Mr Cohen that they were surely compoI tent to deal with such a matter themselves. He ! might further contend that if either party was dissatisfied with the result oi the inquiry.it' was competent for" him to mi.ye for a. further inquiry. He thought they, had better go on with the inquiry now they were- ih it and complete it. Mr Boeeib also felt that he could not supnort Mr MacGregbr's proposal.'" He did! not think MacGregor had given sufficient reasons for its adoption. - Mr MacGeegoe: I knew no reasons would convince you. Mr Boeeie said if Mr MacGregor had given reasons the board would probibly consider them. He agreed with Mr. MacGregor that if any member of the, board felt he was not competent to decide on the evidence it was his duty not to take an active part in it. Mr MacGeegoe : Don't be sarcastic. It does not become you., Mr Boeeie was not sarcastic—he was stating facts. He declined to allow any member of the board to say whether he was competent to deal with this matter or not. He was himself the sole judge of that, and he declined to allow any outsider to say whether-he was ■ competent. Mr MacGeegoe: The public are the judges, not yourself. Mr Boebie: I beg your pardon, I don't think tbe public are the judges. The public have not all the evidenoe before them.—(Hear, hear.) Mr MacGeegoe: Oh, yes, they have. Mr Boeeie said as far as he knew the members were quite competent to deal with the matter themselves. He certainly objected to delegate his duties to any outside party. It seemed to him they would make pretty exhibi- . tions of themselves Mr MacGeegoe: You have done that already."- *'.-'-' "a, The Chaiejiak:, Order!; \ '.Ak !.!!. Mr Boeeie (continued):——if the^ were going now to adopt'the course, suggested by Mr MacGregor. He supposed, if they adopted that suggestion, they would report after this fashion: " The committee, after taking all the evidence, finds it is not competent to sift it, and therefore declines to go any further."' He was not prepared to say. such was the case. He did not think the evidence, so far as he had gone through it, was of such a nature as members of the committee were not quite capable of sifting. It seemed to him it would be very absurd to report to the board that the committee was not able to conduct the inquiry. It would simply be reporting to the public that they were unfit to occupy seats at that table— (Mr MacGeegoe : "Hear, hear.")—and he was not going, at that stage, to be a party to such a course.

_ The Chaibjian said at the last meeting of ■-he committee it was resolved that the same committee should meet that evening to consider the evidence, with a view to preparing a report upon the evidence. He did not care to say that it was not competent for Mr MacGregor to move the amendment he had sobnutted,- but he thought it was quits irrelevant. He. would, however, put it to the meeting. The amendment was then put and lost, and the motion for going into committee was earned.