TOKOMAIRIRO.

Otago Witness, Issue 258, 8 November 1856, Page 4

TOKOMAIRIRO.

(Communicated.) EDUCATION MEETING. A meeting of the persons liable to be assessed under the Education Ordinance in the Tokomairiro district, was held at Mr. James Smith's residence, Tokomairiro, on the 29th Octr. 1856, and adjourned to School-house. Mr. John Cargill was called to the Chair. The meeting then proceeded to the election of the District School Committee for the ensuing year, when the following persons were duly elected :—: — Mr. John Cargill Mr. Robert Murray „ John Burnside „ Henry Clark „ James Smith „ Edward Martin Mr. John Salmond. The Chairman called on the meeting for an expression of opinion on some of the salient points of the Education Ordinance, particularly with regard to the Assessment and School fees ; he thought that a discussion would be useful for the guidance of the new Committee, and also satisfactory to the members of the late Committee, to know how far they Had acted in accordance with the wishes of their constituents. Mr. Henry Clark said that it was all very well for some of the Dunedin people to try to capsize the Ordinance, because the inhabitants of the Town were sufficiently numerous to support a School without aid from any other quarter, and no doubt calculated, in the event of the Ordinance being knocked on the head, to secure the services of some of the teachers who had been brought out at the expense of the whole Province ; but in the countrry districts generally it would not be possible to have schools, and especially to have such teachers as we had at present, except under such a system as that contained in the Education Ordinance. He was sure that the thanks of the inhabitants of the country districts were due to Mr. Burnside for his services at the last meeting of the Education Board. These remarks were generally approved of, and the meeting seemed to consider that the attempt made to upset or impede the working of the Education Ordinance to be unwise and altogether uncalled for. Mr. Dewe said, that in answer to what had fallen from the Chairman, he begged to remark that he was not satisfied with the 22nd Clause of the Ordinance, as it would hardly be possible to prevent a teacher from disseminating what a great majority of the inhabitants might consider j to be erroneous religious doctrines, unless some standard was adopted, as all denominations of Christians claim to found their particular religious views from the Bible ; he would therefore propose the following resolution: — " That in the opinion of this meeting, the words •39 articles of the Church of England,' or * Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Assembly, 1 should be inserted in the 22nd clause of the Education Ordinance." Seconded by Mr. Burnside and carried unanimously. Mr. J. E. Brown said, that seeing that the Government had performed their part in regard to the Education Ordinance, in providing funds for the necessary buildings and paying the passages of the teachers, it now remained for the people to do theirs. As the Provincial revenue seemed to be a precarious one, it would not do to imperil the valuable Educational establishment which had been imported at a considerable expense, by not acting as prudent men, and looking to at least one reliable source from whence the stipends of thie teachers could be drawn. -He would propose the following resolution : — " That in the , opinion- of this meeting, -the;Educa,tion Board has done its duty in j laying .on an, assessment for o£ (

the schoolmasters' salaries, and that the Government should make up the minimum salaries, should the assessment and school fees~ prove insufficient." Seconded by Mr. Clark and carried unanimously. V It was proposed by Mr. Clark and seconded by Mr. Dewe that this meeting would recommend to the General Board that the fees be 4s. and 6s. respectively for the Ist and 2nd Classes. An amendment that the fees be 3s. and ss. having been put and negatived, the original motion was carried. The meeting then separated. ROAD MEETING. At a meeting of the inhabitants of Tokomairiro, held at the School-house on 29th Octr. 1856, Mr. John Cargill in the Chair, the following resolutions were passed unanimously :—: — " Ist, That it is the opinion of this meeting that a trunk line of Road should be made through the proclaimed districts, and that the persons now assembled are willing to be assessed for a general Road Rate to the extent of Sixpence per acre, provided the other districts will agree to do so also ; and that the money so raised be expended solely in payment of interest for a loan for the purpose of making the trunk line through the district so assessed." " 2nd, That the District Boards should suggest the line of main road to the General Board, who shall send their surveyor to decide the same."