The Oxford Observer. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. SATURDAY APRIL 21st, 1894. SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

Oxford Observer, Volume V, Issue V, 21 April 1894, Page 2

The Oxford Observer. PUBLISHED WEEKLY. SATURDAY APRIL 21st, 1894. SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

The annual meeting of householders will take place in the several schoolrooms in the district on- Monday next and now that the women have the f rancise it is to be hoped that a greater interest will be taken in the matter, we hope to see the mothers attend and hear the Inspectors report read and assist to elect a Committee that will have the interest of the children and parents at heart and not think their duty consists in closing the school under any and every pretex, however much the East Oxford School Committee have transgressed in this direction the "West Oxford school committee have been much worse, fancy any committee of sane men passing a resolution that when the attendance on any day fall below 30 the school to be closed. Children may walk miles :to school and have, to return home again because tlje required number did not roll up, the question, may well be asked • f why do the members of this branch of the public serviceschoolmasters — get so v many holiday holidays and full pay? they have less working hours tltfiri 1 iany other 'public servant and however monotonous^ their occupation may be it is nothing compared to the clerks employ"[ed in the Railway department

What a noise would be set up if these clerks were given ten and twelve weeks holiday every year at full pay, as Village schoolmaster and his staff manage to get, through the careless indifference of the com-mittee-ten and twelve weeks holiday year after year- from what we know of the personele of these school committees we feel sure they are the last to give any one they employ ten weeks pay for ten weeks play, and because the money does not come out" of their pockets direct they can squander it with the greatest indifference. In Victoria £10,000 a year is wasted in this direction, what the loss is in Canterbury would be hard to say. We doubt if a wife living with her husband could vote as *' the owner, lessee or tenent" but she would be qualified as " the parent or guardian " to vote .

If mothers take an active "interest in school matters, we shall not see children attending our schools regularly fivejbr six years before. they are presented for examination in Standard 1 and when they are presented fail.

We should soon see a great reduction in the number of holidays if the Board of Education made a rule that the staff only receive half pay foi time over and above four weeks in any one year that school may be closed. Alterations and important repairs to be carried out during the holidays. No country school to be closed for Measles or any other epidemic unless the average attendance in any one week fall below twenty.