EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2289, 13 January 1898, Page 22

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

The fifteenth annual meeting of the Council of the NBW Zealand Educatioual Institute was opened in the Town Hall Council Chambers Tuesday, the 4th. There were present — Mr William D ividson (of Waitati), president, and the following d<leg*fces : —Auckland — Messrs W. H. M'lntosh, R D. Stewart, G. W. Murray, Miss M'llhone, Miss E. Shrewsbury ; Welliogton — Mrs Francis, Messrs F. Bethun a , J. H. Wotboys ; Ofcago — M«rs*ra J. Garrow, B.A , J. A. Valentine, BA , O. J. Hodge, A. Warburton ; North Canterbury — Mr* J R. Wilkinson, Mis 3A. Sperce, Mr C. S. Howard, Mr J. G. L. Scott ; Southland — Miss M. M. Sang«ter, Miaa H. L. Birss, Messrs W H. CUrk. 8.A., W. Macandrew ; Nelson, Mis-? G- F. Suuley ; South Canterbury — Messrs D. Ferguson, M A , G Piteaithly, B A ; Hawked Bay— Messrs A. E. Jones, R. B. Holmes; Taraoaki, Mr H. D'-mosey ; Wanganut, Mr J. K. Law ; Westlaud," Mr T. H. Gill, M.A ; Gr»y, Mr B. A. Scotfc. Mr W. T. Grundy (of Wellington) acted as pecretary.

Mr \V. B Taylor (the town clerk) apologised for the absente of his Warship Ike Ma.yor, who was to have beet) present to welcnoie the delegates and to formally open the proceedings. He (Mr Taylor) could not give the explanation of the mayor's absence, bub he had no doubt it was due to a lapse of memory or to some very important engagement having arisen.

THE INAUGURAL ADDRESS

The President (Mr William Davidson) then delivered fche fallowing stddrets : — Ladies and Gentlemen, — t

Before proceeding to the cons' deration of the subject upon which I have chosen to address you, I beg, on behalf of the teacher 4 of OUgo, to offer you a hearty welcome to Dunedin, and Itiust th*t this (the fifteenth) annual meeting < f the council of our institute will prove both pl-sa^ant and profitable, and will mark a distinct step in educational progress. Our system of primary education is, I bs-lieve, founded ou sound principles. In its nmn features there is much that is ad niiable. The study of the statistic* and educational methods of other countries goes to show that the results 'obtained under it compare favourably with those secured under any other Bystem in the -British Empire. At the same time its staunchest rtippoiter will not deny that in matters of detail there is much need for

EDUCATIONAL REFORM,

To attempt anything like an exhaustive criticism of our system of national education would nsces-sitivte the caiefal consideration of the various clem. Nts which enter into the administration of that sys'ern. These elements I take to ha (I) the general public, (2) school committees, Of) education boards, (4) inspectors of schools (5) teachers, (<i) the central department. Iv an adiress of this kind it is manifestly impossible to treat my subject in the manner I have indicated. I shall, therefoio touch ouly vei-y briefly on all the points mentioned, except two, which I shall .single out for more careful treatment. These latter will be (1) inspectors cf schools, especially with regard to their being brought under the control of the Education department, and (2) teachers, dealing moie particularly with the question of a colonial scale of salaries.

THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

That the people of New Ze<d <nd take a very great and, on th whole, veiy intelligent interest in our system of primary education is unquestionable. This may be shown in several wa-ya, but perhaps the > most convincing will be to compare the regularity of our chil teen's attendance with that of the children in the Australian colonies. The percentage of average attendance to the number enrolled is as follows : — New Zs-Amd S2"l ; South Australia, C6'l ; Victoria, 65 5; Queensland, 647 ; New South Wales, 629 As the compulsory clauses of the several Education Acts are quite as strictly enforced in Australia as in New Zefll-tnd, these figures would seem to show that the people of this colony take a gr ater interest in the education of their children than do their neighbours on " the other side." If further proof be wanted, I might point to the fact that the newspaper press of this colony gives greater prominence and devotes more space to all questions concerning primary education than perhaps the press of the mother country or ai.y of her colonies. This would certainly not be the case if the general public, the newspaper readers, were not interested. Again, th> ugh we bave over 1200 school committees, comparatively few districts fail, at the annual meeting of householders, to elect a committee. To the existence of

SCHOOL COMMIT I EES I attribute the very general interest taken in educational affairs by the people of New Zealand, but to the extraordinary power placed in their hands I also attribute most of the_ educational evils that have crept into the administration of our education system. Owing to the peculiar method of electing members to education boards, many men highly qualified to hold positions on these bodies will not stand for election. To the influence of school committees is due the unnecessary multiplication of small schools and the consequent laige increase in the cost of primary education ; or, what is quite as serious an evil, the reduction of teach rs' salaries. In most of the education distiicta the appointment and dismissal of teacheis are virtually in the hands of committees. This has prevented the introduction of any proper method of promotion among teachers. It is no uncommon thing for committees to interfere unduly with the internal management of and teaching in the schools. These evils will be eradicated only by altering the mode of electing members to education boards, and by clearly defining the powers of committees'. Let them have control of the expenditure of the maintenance allovyance ; give them, up to a certain amount, a subsidy on moneys raised in the district for specific purposes ; place them iv charge of school buildings ; grant them a voice, to a limited extent, in the appointment of and, in cases of emergency, the power to suspend teachers ; and, with these powers clearly denned, there need be no fear that the interest now taken by the general public in educational affairs will in any degiee be lessened.

EDUCATION BOARDS have in the past done much good work, and, properly constituted, they are capable of doing still better work.

A NEEDED REFORM.

When there is almost perfect unanimity of opinion that a certain reform is desirable, one would naturally tuppo3e that in a reasonable time this reform would be brought about. To show that such is not the case I propose to quote the opinions, long since expressed, of prominent educationists on ths question whether or not inspector should be officers of the central dep_artm°nt. In the year ISB7 an lfducation Committee was appointed by Parliament, with power to call for persons and papers, and to inquire specially iato the cost of primaiy education, and generally into the woikiug of uur educition .system.

The Rev. J. W. Habens (iuspector-gtineral of schools), than whom no man is better qualified to express au opinion on this question, says (speaking of the syllabus) : . . . "As the inspecors are not in any way responsible to the department, I have not the be3t means of knowing how the case really stands, and the department ia wanting in the executive p >wer necessary to the enforcing of a neglected legulation " Again he says : "Considering that there is no meana of Eecuring accord between the authouty that prescribe!! the syllabus and the officers engaged in inspecting the schools, I wonder that the workiug of the regulations has been attend d with so little dissatisf tction. . . . It would be wise for the State to take the inspectors into its own service, and employ them as agents to assist the tea -hers in understanding the actual iequiremen*s of the syllabus and in choosing the best methods of meeting thoee requirements." On the "score of economy he says : "The cost of inspection might perhap3 be reduced by £3000 if all the inspectors were directed from the cential department."

Mr D. Petrie, M.A (at present chief inspector udder the Auckland Board), wri'es to the beforementioned Education Committee :— " The placing of the inspectorate under the Education department would allow of very considerable savings. By this cba ge some in&pecora, whose time cannot be very fully employed at present, would be able to lend assistance in other districts. It would allow of occasional tr*ns.fererice of inspcctois from one district to another — an arrangement wbich I th'nk highly desirab's in the interests of the teachers and the puyils. At present the insp c'ors under each bo^rd of education have to dr-w up numeious sets of examination test*, and these have tobep inted at considerable expense. The time devoted to this work by the in'-pertois of Otago or North Canterbury or Auckland would almost suffice to dr*w up examination tests for the whole colony if the same tests were used throughout, as might very well b? done. In the other 12 districts rhe inspectora woull be relieved of this duty, and would be ab\e to devote much more time to other depart-ment-iof their work. Again, twice the cost incurred in getting these tests printed for one of the larger districts would produce a sufficient supply for evety part of New Zea'ai d. What has been said of standaid examination tests applies equally to the preparation and printing of examination p*per<j for pupil teachers and for scholvr.-hips." Mr fi B. Wnod, II A , inspector of schools for North Canterbury, giving evidence on the question of reducing the expenditure on primary education, writes: — "This step has been advocated by every educationist in the colony. An additional s-iving would be tff cted by this chs-nee. How much the amount would be I cannot well say, but I may roughly state two it-ms— (a) The expenses of labour saved by using owe series of ex -tminatiou pipers throughout the colony, instead of a diff rent Beries in each district, would fall little short of £500. (6) The inspectors, bt-ing graded in some such order as inspector-general, senior inspector' 1 , a.d assistant in«p»cror!', ami one inspector with two &ss st <-nts bein« put in charge of a district containing ftom 18,000 to 20 000 pupils, a reduction of about £2000 could be effected in salaries Assistants, ac ing under the supervision of senior inspectors, would thus be employed to do a considei able portion of the work at present entrusted to higher-salaried officials — a change that would prove beneficial, especially to the country schools, if the assistants were chosen from the ranks of the most promising young teacheis." I might occupy much more of your time in rejdi»g to you the evidence given before the Elucation Committee on this question, but as I should only be repeating- much of what rus been by Messrs Hitben», Pvtri<-, and Wood, I shs.ll just refer you to the pailiamentary paper itsslf for the names of other prominent educationists who, 10 \ ear^ ago, advootcd the taking ovt.t of school inspectors by the central department. Before the appointment of the 18S7 committee our institute advocated this reform. Annually since w*» have affirmc-d and reaffirmed the advisability of the change. At the present time members on both fides of the House of Ueprts natives are with us. A few months ogci, during the debate r.n Mr Fisher's Public School* Bill, the Piemier. Captain l'us>oll, Mr Gilfedrier, Mr Moore, Mr Pirani, Mr Meredith, and Mr Wright all spoke in favour of taking the inspectors away from the control of education boards.

I looV forward hopefully to the time when the colony will be divided into inspectoral distri t% each in charge of a senior insi ector with a staff of a^si&tants, the whole inspectorate under the superintendeace of an inspecfcoi general. No one who reads the annual reports of the iu'pectora now in the employment of ou education boards can fail to be impressed with the enthusiasm and earnestness of many of tho^e gentlemen. They are able educators, whose chief aim is to advance the cau»e of education. This, I believe, can best be dona by inspectors aiding teachers to grow in piofessional strength. Let us but establish branches of our institute wherever 10 or a dozen teachers can conveniently meet together ; let inspectors attend teachers' meetings, discussing and explaining methods and principles, and afterwards aiding in the practical application of these principles ; then the barrier of officialdom shall be broken down ; it will be recognised that we are officers of one department, having the same end in view ; tbe inspector's visit will be looked forward to as that of a guide, philosopher, and friend, and the educational gain will be great indeed. lam afraid I ha-ve left myself little time for dealing with the question of

A COT.ONIAI. SCALE OF SALARIES.

What Mr Wood said on the question of centralising the inspectorate may well be said of this : "Thiastep has been advocated by every educationist in the colony." No subject has been more frequently or more fully discussed by this council, it is, therefore, unneceesary for me to advance arguments or quote opinions in favour of this reform. I *hall or.ly gay that if New Zealand, in the march of progress, is to keep in the van with other nations, she can best do this by bringing hey system of primary education to the highest possible state of efficiency. No sys'em can reach such a state unless the best of the nation's boys and girla — the best morally, mentally, and physically — are induced to join the ranks of teachers. Are we in New Zealand holding out sufficient inducement to the best of our boys to become tea'-liera? Of 1043 pupil teachers employed last year only 219 were males. This is hardly to be wondered at when we find that out of ?85 teachers (excluding pupil teachers and sewing ml*tresse'>) in tbe d'stricts of TaranaUi, Marlborough, Nelson, Giey, and Westland 226 receive less (many of them very much les») than £100 a year. Of about 2500 teachers in the colony (again excluding pupil teachers and sewing mistresses) only 67 get £300 a year. No thou'ghtf .1 parent, then, will allow his son to study hard for five or six years with the prospect at the end of that time, of settling in some out-of-the-way spot at a aalaiy Ips.s than the wages paid to a tailor or a baker. The time is coming when, if any of the best of our boys' take up teaching, it will but be as a ttepping-s'one to other professions. How can this state of affairs be remedied? Parents must learn to look upon and teach their children to regard teaching as a high and honourable calling 1 , and they must treat teachers with such respect as is due to educated men and women holding important and responsible positions. Committees lim&t prevent teachers from beiDg wouied by frivolous and vexatious complaints. Boauls should allow to teachers some discretionary power, and not sap all manly independence by binding them hand and foot with irksome and unnecessary regulations. Salaiie3 must be fair remuneration for the work required to be done. Given these conditions the best of our boys will conic to regard teaching as a profession worthy of being followed. But how, you may ask, can salaries be raised ? The country cannot afford to epend more on primary education than it is at

present doing. Much, I believe, might be done without any increase in the sakry bill : — (1) Adopt a uniform scale of staff. (2) Classify all schools and positions according to average attendance.

(3) Abolish the present capitation grant. I have gone into this matter pretty fully, and have calculated, as far as available figures will allow, the amount required to pay salaries under a uniform scale of staff as liberal as that allowed in any of the Australian colonies, and a colonial scale of salary equal to that of Otago, and I believa that with such a staff and each a scale the salarybill for the whole colony would not be one penny mo.-c than it is at present.

To return, then, to my starting point, I hold that in its main features our education system is a good one, but that in matters of detail reforms are necessary. I have indicated what I consider those necessary reforms to be :— (I) The powers of school committees should be cleaily defined.

(2) There should be a change in the method of electing members to the education boards. (3) Inspectors should be made officers of the Education department. (<) Theie should be a colonial scale of staff and of salary. In conclusion, I would say to my fellow teachers : " Let us rally round our institute, and, as it is now recognised by Act of Parliament as the channel through which we may seek redress for acts of injustice, let us make it the medium by which the collective experience and advice of members of our profession may be made avail-" able in helping to bring about such reforms as will further tho cause of educational progress."

A vote of thanks was unanimously accorded, to the president fur his address, on the motion of Mr W. H Clahk.

VOTE O¥ CONDOLENCE,

Mr E A. Scott said it was his duty to refep to the sudden death of Mrs Foster, of Christchurch, the wife of Mr Foster, who had till quits recently been tho treasurer of the institute. Mrs Foster had been a member of the North Canterbury branch, and in all respects an ornament to the profession. For some time Mra Foster had been head mistress of the Canterbury Girls' High School, and she had always been greatly respected and esteemed in Caristchurch. He considered it to be the duty and privilege of tbe council to expreßß their sympathy to Mr Foster in his affl ction, aud proposed that the secretary be requested to write a letter of condolence to Mr Foster in his bereavement.

Mr R D. Stewart seconded the motion, and referred in feeling terms to the deceased.

The resolution was carried, all present standing as a mark of respect.

SALAMES,

Ib was resolved to consider the first three remits together, the recommendations being ss follow : — (1) ! hat it is advisable there should be a colonial ecale of salaries for teachers in New Zealand (W«s,t!aad). (2) That a uniform scale of fct-iff Cor schools and a uniform scale of salaries for teachers is urgently rr quired (Southland). (3) Tbfct the Minister for Education be respectfully requested to submit to the Educational Instiiute and to Parliimeafc a scheme for a colo' ial scale of staffs and salaries fur teachers (Auckland).

Mr VV. RSacandrew said ifc seemed to him nob to be necessary to take up tims in bringing forward year after year a-gunoents as to the need of the reform indicated by r-f-olatioaa previously passed by the couueil. He would therefore content h>m elf by moving — "That this council re^-ffi m the desirability of adopting a. uni'oi-m scale of staff for ich; o!s and a uniform scale of salaries for teachers throughout tbe colony."

Mr T. H. Gill teconded the motion, aad said th»-t in his opinion the reform might be effected without any larger sum as a whole being paid ia salaries.

Mr O J Hodge thought the matter was one tbat shou'd be discussed, so thafe the pub'io migbt know the strongest points that coaid bp urgsd in f tvour of the resolution. It seemed to him that if the change were mide it would moan practically that fche education boards would be disptn'-ed with. There was no use, it seemed to him, in proposing m-jtion^ which would not and c >uld nob be carried into effect.

Mr R. D Ftewakt s*id lh*fc for the last 10 years he h»d advosated a colonial seals of s»l«ries. He was not ashamed of the arguments which had induct d the council to eoaipl- t<-!y reverse the position tbat had b-;eu taken up at the la&t meeting in Dunedin Sevea years ago he had s»a ; d he did not think that sm*H and insufficient salaries could be paid to teachers in small districts without tha tims soon coming when the salaries in Ofcago would be affected. That time had cnn. Did Otago now pay its teachers more highly and induce the beife men to enter the profession ? Was the average salary what it ought to be ? He warned the teachers then, and ho warned them again. . He was very aorry that to some extent hia prediction bai already coma true. No one could Bay that ha was likely to gain personally by tha adoption of a colonial ecsle of s»larie.«, he should probably losa by ifc, but ha waa willing to submit to that if he could see the present evil " no-sjstem " put an end to. The teachers were the servants of the colony, nob of small difetticti, but of all parrs of ths colony, and the conditions of tho colony made anything else impossible. He was also of opinion that tbe greatest attention ought to be paid to the needs of the pioneers of settlement in tha colony, and the proposed change wonld tead in this direction. Ho agreed that the reform could bo effected without a larger vote being made by Parliament.

Mr Valentine said the Otago teachers were not opposed to a colonial scale of salaries, but they would like a few more particulars instead of broad generalisations.

Mr A. Waebtjkton thought the supporters of the motion should have brought forward % draft scheme.

Mr W. H Clahk moved the following ameadment: — "And that -the Minister for Education be requested to submit some such scheme for the consideration of the institute and of Parliament."

Miss M'llhone seconded the amendment,

Mr R. B. Holmes said the education hoards of the colony adminiatered their fuuds in a most erratic manner. If the bosrds went; on multiplying schools in the way they had been doing they would not be able to pay anything but starvation wages. He thought that there should b« equal pay for equ»l work. The Peesident called the speaker to order, and pointed oat the institute were not discussing the question of equal pay for equal work. Mr Holmes went on to say that the quality of the educational work done in the colony did not depend upon the pay received. The bests work was done by those teachers who were not; paid high salaries ; but if they began tinkering with the scale of salaries they would find them* selves getting a reduction instead of an increase. He would, therefore, vote for leaving the matter alone. Mr J. G- Scott agreed with Mr Stewart In regard to the scandalous salaries paid in some districts ; but what was wanted was a special grant for small districts and some curtailment of the power of the boards in splitting up Bchool districts into such small parts that two or three schools were established within a mile or two. Mr J. K. Law said if the Education depart" meat were to say to the boards : "We have

drawn up this scale of staff, and v/e are going to force it upon you," the boards would at once turn round and say: "We cannot carry cut the scheme ur-less you give us the money." But it was not at all likely that the department would draw up such a scheme unless they had the means of putting it into force. The institute might, therefore accept the feasibility of the scheme altogether. The question would be asked outside of the ranks of teachers, *• WiU a colonial scheme of salaries raise the tone of educators, and consequently of education, throughout the colony?" Then, "Will it tend to remove some of the evils which are at present found ia the administration of our present syetem of education ? " If the answer to these questions was in the affirmative he thought the fact that h&rdehips would fall upon soma teachers would weigh very little iv the discussion of the matter. Tae object of education boards was not to improve the position of teachers mainly, but so to administer the Education Act that the greatest possible amount of good will be received from the funds placed at their disposal by farliaxnent.

The Fkssident said it could not be assumed that Otego was opposed to a colonial scale of staff or salaries. If the Education department brought down a scheme showing a colonial scale of ctafl! and salaries, and that were considered by the iastifcute, who saw it wes in the interests of teachers generally, Ofcago •woald not be found opposing any such -echemc. The motion was eventually carriod in tfce following form: — "Th*fc this council reaffirm the desirability of adopting a uniform scale of jstaffs for schools and a uniform -scalo of *&l«ieB for teachers throughout the cjloay ; and that the Mioieter for Education bs requested to submit -some cuch scheme for the consideration of the institute and of Parliament."

The meeting was thsn adjourned till 2.30 p.m.

ADDRESS BY THE MA YOB

His Worship the Matok (Mr E. B. Cargill) was introduced to the institute in ths ofterxtoon by the president, and gave an address. He was very sorry that through €ome misuederstanding he wjls not present in the morning. He, however, was under the impression tbat the meeting did not take place until the evening. He was very glad as mayor of the city to welcome the members of the institute to this city, and to testify to the very high regard in wfeich their professions was held by thecit : zens. He went on to refer to the aims tbat the fouaclert of tfce province hivd vpith regard to education, and to the provision that had been made for education ia the province. Tfccn, speaking of the educational sjsrem of the colouy, he urged that the one f*ult of the ■yetem was the want of religious teaching in schools. He assumed that mo^t teachers w-ere Christian men and-wonwn, and that th'.y would be glad to see an alteration in the system which < n«ul<l i-upply the present w^-nt.

Mr Stewart -moved to the tflecu that a hearty vote of thanks be accorded to the mayer for the cordial w-eleome he had extended, in the name ef the City of Durtedin, to the com cl *£ the New iW.aod Educational Institute.

Mr How aud seconded the motion, which was -. carried by acclamatiou.

COMPULSORY ATTENDANCE. , THr T. H. Gill moved the adoption of the r*mit fr-om Westland — "That tie enforcement of fcbe compulsory clauses of the Education Acfe be placed euiittly-in the hands of the police." The ofily point was as to what wss ta« best machinery for ce-cucing a good attendance — the committees, the boards, or the police. He favoured the suggestion conteioed in tha rumit.

Mr J. K. Law thought they should give the present method a trial — that fcbey efaould not take a leap in the -dark. The attendance was ineiewng, and }h«y •ehoald be content to see fe«w t flx-ctive present laelhads would prove.

Mr J. R. BcoTr expressed the opinion that all attempts to -enforce the «empu!eory clauses wo-ald be useless under the present act. The present act, he thought, ougbt t'j be styled "An Act to Euconrage Irregular Attendance 3& BcfrfrOl."

Mr R. D. Stswart was of opinion thfefc the act was far more-effective than apparently come supposed it to be, end-that -wfaat-w&B needed was its due administration. The school-attendance in the oolony was over 82 per cent., bo that they might congratulate th rm< lyes th*t they ■were not l&ggh^ behind in ibis matter.

Mr W. 11. Cr^AEK opposed and Mr Hodge supported the motion, and after a brief geaeral discussion,

The motion was carried on the voices,

Sir J. Gahrow moved the adoption of the remit from- Ofcago — "That the council take into consideration the advisability of baviag the comjj-uls&ry clauses of the Kducation Act amended co as to throw the onus of proef of jUn'ss on the parent or guardian."

It was pointed out that this was already the law, and the motion was accordingly withdrawn

VACANCIFS OPEN TO ALL TEACHERS

Mr T. H. Gill asfced leave to -withdraw the following letnit from Westl&nd :: — '* T&afc the council .&;ffirm .that vacancies occurring in any education district should be open to all teachers -of the colony." — Agreed to. THE CENTRALISATION OF T.HE INSPECTORATE

Mr J. K. LAW moved — "That the executive be instructed- to 'endeavour to secure the centralisation of the inspectorate."

Mr H. Djsmpsey seconded the motion.

Mr O. J. Hodge contended tbat the proposal was a leap in the dark, and nothing had been advanced to show that it would be of any advantage to teachers to carry it, or to the causa of education m New Zealand.

On the motion being put ifc was carried by 16 votes to 15.

THE PUBLICATION OF EXAMINERS' NAMES

Mr J. Gr. L. Scott moved the adoption of the following remit from North Canterbury : — "That the Education department be asked to publish, with the examination paper at the time •of the examination, the names of ihe cxam'nors in the various subjects for the certificate examination."

Mr W. Macandrew seconded the motion, which was carried without discussion.

CLASSIFICATION OF TEACHERS.

' It was agreed to take the following remits together t-^That the council again consider the advisability of requesting the Minister for Education to modify the existing scheme for the classification of teachers (Auckland). That the council discuss the question of classification Of teachers with a view of recommending the itsue of one teacher's certificate in place of the present system of classification (Wellington). Mr R D. Stewart, in speaking in support of the proposal contained in the remit, said that the practice of the English Department of Education was better than that which obtained In the colony, which was (1) unduly complicated, (2) a reduplication of qualifications, and (3) unjust to a number of graduates. He moved — " That the council request the Minister for Education to modify the existing scheme for the classification of teachers, with the view of recommending the issue of one teacher's certificate in place of the present system of clasgifie:?.fcion."

Mr E. A. Scott opposed the resolution. The Object the present classification had in view was toe raising of the'dualifications of teaohwa am)

the giving of a high ideal ef professional status. If they simply had a teacher's certificate they would remove a great -etimßlus to study on the part of teachers, and the change would have a bad effocb on young teachers. Mr W. Macandrew also opposed the resolu-_ tion. Ho would not; be inclined to eupporfc the abolition of the present system until he knew what was to take its place. After a general discussion of a souaeTrhafc technical chwaofcer the further consideration o? the matter was adjourned to ths following flay. A SEWING COMMITTEE. Me Valentine moved — •* That the lady delegates present afc the council meet together (with Mr Garrow as convener), to form a committee to consider and report on the qae*fcion of sewing ; the report to be presented at Wednesday's meeting of the eouueil." Mr Clakk seconded the motion, which was agreed to. THE EEV. MR HABENS. The President moved — " That this council expresses its By in pa thy with the Rev. Sir Habens, Inspector-general of schools, in bis illness, its gratification afc the improvement in his health, and its hopes that he may speedily be restored to perfect health." Mr Gsxjndy seconded the motion, which was carried. The council adjourned afc 6 p.m. Owing to the pressure on our space we are compelled fco held over the remainder of Ihe Conference until next week.