“AN OFFENSIVE PARAGRAPH.”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18735, 13 December 1922, Page 3

“AN OFFENSIVE PARAGRAPH.”

EDUCATION DIRECTOR’S LETTER. SCHOOL COMMITTEES’ POWERS. “I rise to take strong exception to tho Director of Education writing a paragraph of that sort. School committees give their time, their talent, and their money to the cause of education, and they are entitled to courteous treatment from the Director. I desire to make the strongest possible protest against wnat 1 regard as an offensive paragraph in an official communication.”— So spoke Mr A. E. Lawrence at the meeting of the Education Board yesterday m reierence to a communication from the Director of Education (Mr J. Caughley), who replied to resolutions of protest against the curtailment ot school committees’ functions forwarded to him by tho board Irom the Uamaru South, Camara North, Kurow, and Tokarahi committees. Mr Laughley’s letter covered the protests from me four first-named committees, but it was when dealing with Tdkarahi’s that he wrote in the manner which drew heated remarks from Mr Lawrence. The offensive paragraph read: Concerning the resolution forwarded by the Tokarahi School Committee intimating the resignation of its members since in their opinion Uiey have outlived their usefulness, i have to state that if this is really the opinion of Bhe committeemen they are evidently acting in the best interests of the school. In the opinion of the department me opportunities lor usefulness by a. good school committee are almost unlimited. Under the existing conditions and regulations scores of instances could be quoted in which school committees are doing magnificent work for tho welfare and benefit of Uio schools concerned. It rests entirely in the initiative of the school committee itself whether or not it can find any useful work to carry out on behalf of the school. The Hon. D. T. ITerning also considered that the paragraph was offensive. Tno chairman (Mr J. Wallace) stated that the department was doing its level best to take away committees’ powers by cheeseparing methods. Mr J. Horn, M.P.: They will bo verysorry some day. Mr Lawrence declared that the department was protesting its innevnee of any such attempt, but all the time was striving after centralisation and the killing of local interest in education. 1 In; matter then dropped, the letter being "received.”