BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 1161, 28 February 1874, Page 12

BOARD OF EDUCATION.

The fortnightly meeting of the Board of Education was held in the Superintendent's I office on Wednesday. Present— His Honour the Superintendent in the chair j Mr Turnbull, Provincial Secretary ; Mr Shand ; and Mr Hislop, Inspector of Schools. MINUTES. The minutes of the last meeting were read and confirmed. OAMARU COUNTRY. The Board considered an application from the Rev. A. Gifford, to transfer ten acres, part of section 30, block IV., and portion of an education lease. It was stated that this part of the lease had been originally cut off the other by a road, and was now separated by a railway. The Board granted the necessary powei\ CLINTON SCHOOL DISTRICT. A letter was read from Mr C. Connor, suggesting that'now the district had been proclaimed a school district, a meeting of the inhabitants should be called for the election of a School Committee. It was resolved that the necessary action should be taken in the matter. KA.IKORAI SCHOOL. A letter was read from Mr Sydney, Hon. Secretary to the Kaikorai School Committee, in which he noted that the Committee were of opinion that the order of the Board of Education with reference to the reading of the Bible in school, waa in opposition to the spirib of the Ordinance on the subject, on the ground that it left the attendance of the children at the Bible-reading optional, which the Ordinance did not contemplate. No action was taken in the matter. OTAKIA. A reporb was read from Mr Peter Leitch re Mr Klam's application to have a lease of section 2, block XXVIII, Otakia, cancelled. The Board declined to cancel the lease. DUNEDIN. A letter was read from the Dunedin School Committee with reference to the proposed school at Pelichet Bay. The letter recommended that a school should be recommended at the foot of Frederick street, capable of accommodating from 200 children. The Superintendent said that the foot of Albany street was the site offered by the Corporation, and he thought it by far the best site, as all the children of the East Harbour would be caught. He was of opinion that the mention of Frederick street must be a clerical mistake. He thought that it was necessary that there should be another school in that locality, independent of what might be done in connection with a Normal School. Mr Hislop was of the same opinion, and Mr Turnbull also agreed with what had fallen from His Honour. The Superintendent said that they would look upon this matter of the streets as a mistake, and would resolve to erect a school in Albany street, on the site igreed io L>y the Corporation. He had received a letter from the Mayor the day before, agreeing to this site. Another letter was read from the Dunedin School Committee, saying that Mr D. White had been appointed in North Dunedin School in the place of Mr Milne, and that Miss Annie Turnbull had been arjpointed to the position of pupil-teacher in the Middle District School. These appointments were sanctioned by the Board. IIAMPDEN SCHOOL. A letter was read from the Committee of the Hampden School, asking the Board to sanction the appointment of a sewing teacher to this school. It was pointed out that such a mistres3 was very much required, and that the average daily attendance at the school ■was fifty-four for the last quarter. Such an appointment was very much desired by the parents, and would tend a great deal towards promoting the efficiency of the school. The Committee also asked for permission to take twenty per cent, from the school fees, for incidental expenses. The Committee stated that it was desired to secure a section of the township of Hampden for the use of the school. In connection with this subject a letter was read from Mr D. Munro, the schoolmaster, stating that under an arrangement with the Committee, he was entitled to all the fees, and that the endeavour to deduct the 20 per cent, was merely an attempt to get him to resign an office the Committee could not turn him out of. If the incidental expenses were clearly defined, he perhaps might meet them himself. If money was required, it could be raised by a public entertainment easily. The Board decided that the request for the appointment of a sewing mistress should be postponed until the annual returns were sent in. With respect to the deduction of 20 per cent, from the school fees, Mr Turnbull said that he agreed with the school-master. The Superintendent said that he did tho same, and it was decided that the application should be declined. INVERCARGILL A letter was road from the Invereargill School Committee, saying that a drill instructor had been engaged at a salary of £35, and a music master at a salary of £50 per

annum, and asking what subsidy the Board would be prepared to give. The Superintendent said that he did not see what could be done.

Mr Hislop said that the whole question of drill must be considered some time or other.

The Superintendent said that he quite agreed with this, and considered drill most essential. He would bring the matter under the notice of the Government, with a recommendation that the drilling staff at present employed sbould be used in drilling the children at the schools.

Mr Turnbull thought that the drill instructors might be well employed in this way. He had seen one of them at Portobelio, where there were not a couple of Volunteers. MYROSS BUSH. A letter containing a request for the removal of a teacher in this locality, was postponed until the next meeting. ROSLYN. An application for the establishment of a new school at Roslyn was postponed until the next meeting. WAITAHUNA. A letter was read from the School Committee, containing copies of resolutions passed at a late meeting of the Committee. The first resolution was to apply to the Board of Education for £150, to make additions to the school-house, which were now rendered necessary. The second was, to ask whether the private school at Havelock received aid. The third was to apply to the Board for an iron tank for the use of the school. The application for the £l. r )0 was deferred until the annual returns came in. On the second point, with reference to the private school at Havelock, information had already been given. It was decided that a water tank should be furnished. PALMERSTON An application was read from the Palmerston School Committee for further financial aid to increase the school accommodation. The master had left, and as a frequent change of teachers was not desirable, the Committee resolved not to let the want of proper school accommodation be the excuse for another teacher leaving. More accommodation was especially wanted for the girls. Mr Hislop said that the population had | increased, and another class-room was required. The Superintendent said that he thought tho proposal a reasonable one, and with the concurrence of the other members of the Board, ho decided to refer it to the Government for their favourable consideration. He said, however, that the teacher alluded to had resigned to go into another business— that of a surveyor. ARROWTOWN. A letter was read from Mr M'Hutcheson, the master of the school there, with reference to certain charges made against him by the Committee. The letter was referred to the Inspector of Schools. A letter was read from the Arrowtown School Committee, bringing under the notice of the Board the necessity of having the school-ground properly fenced in. At the present time the children were exposed to great danger from passing drays and cattle, and one little girl had been gored by a bull. Without a fence it was also impossible to keep the children under proper surveillance. It was decided that this matter had better come before the Executive, after tho report of the Inspector had been completed. BALCLUTHA. In a letter to the Board, the Committee of the Balclutha School stated that a duly qualified schoolmaster was rendered necessary by the great progress the district and the school had made, Mr Hislop said that the attendance was far larger than was requested by the regulations, and there was only one teacher there now. It was decided to comply with the request for a schoolmistress. AVAKARI. An application by the Committee for a pupil teacher for the Wakari School was granted. CAVERSHAM. The Committee applied for two more pupil teachers, as tho increase of the school rendered them necessary. Agreed to. It was resolved that the existing district of Caversham should be divided into three districts: Caversham, Forbury, and Kensington ; and that the boundaries submitted by ° the Inspector of Schools should be adopted. These boundaries had been agreed to by the Caversham School Committee. MORNINGTGN. The Board approved of the appointment of Mr Russell as pupil teacher by the Committee of the Mornington School. KAIKORAI. An application was read from the Committee for a residence for the master, who was now obliged to live in Dunedin. The consideration of this matter was allowed to stand over. } BLUE SPUR. The Committee of the above school applied for £240 for the completion of the building, and said it should be their laßt request. It was agreed to grant them £8 for a water tank, and the other question was allowed to stand over.

OTAGO SCHOOLMASTERS 5 ASSOCIATION". The following letter was read : — Dunedin, 21st February, 1874.

Sir— l am instructed by the Otago Schoolmnstors' Association to bring under tho notice of the Education Board the following extract from a leading article in the Otago Daily Times of the 20th inst. :— " . . . clerics who were full of profound interest in the morals of Aneiteum natives and the religious convictions of the swages

in the Malay Archipelago, but did not care* jot for the Walker street brothels or the immoralities of some of our Distriot Schools." It is the opinion of the Association that this ohargo made in the leading newspaper of the Province, though indirectly, and in a way so inimltinjr to every one connected with the management of the District Schools, is so gross as to demand a searching investigation as to its truth — I liave, &c, W. Milne, Secretary Otago Teachers' Association. The Secretary Otago Education Board, Dunedin; The Superintendent said that the Board had certainly nothing to do with the clerics, but they had. to do with the morality of tha district schools. The allusion in the article in question was rather a sweeping one. Mr Hislop said he had never heard a word against the morality of the schools. The Superintendent did not see what the Board could do in the matter as an Education Board. The writer of the letter said that the matter demanded a searching investigation, but if there was an investigation into everything that appeared in tbe columns of a newspaper, he expected there would be plenty to do. The insinuation in the article in question was a very serious one, and the Masters' Association bad better ask the writer to be more specific. Mr Turnbull said it might mean any school in the Province. The Superintendent said that they had a libel on their district schools, and the best course might be to refer the letter to the Provincial Solicitor.

It was ultimately decided to refer the letter back to the Otago Schoolmasters' As* sociation, with a recommendation " that the Times should be asked to furnish more specific information.

RIVERTON.

Mr Hislop said that in the district of Uiverton there had been two half-time schools — one in Gummie's Bush, and tha other at Birch's Bush. The last mentioned building had been sold, and there was no other in which the school could be held. The Committee asked the Board for a small sum to erect a school with. £100 would be sufficient. The Board granted this request, and then adjourned.