EDUCATION BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2416, 28 June 1900, Page 16

EDUCATION BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Education Board, held on the 20th, was attended by, Messrs H. Harraway (chairman), D. Borrie^ A. Kyle, W. Nioolson, P. B. Fraser, T. Mackenzie, J. Mitchell, asd W. Snow.

DISTRICT HIGH SCHOOL FEES.

Mr Mackenzie said, as a, matter of urgency, he wished to bring up the question of tie letter which had been sent to the Minister o£ Education as a result of the discussion on hig motion with reference to district high school fees. He thought that the letter was in gome respects misleading. The letter was now before the Minister, and he (Mr Mackenzie) understood that he was taking aotion with, regard to it. As the letter was rather an infringement of the privileges of the board 4 Mr Snow: Question. Mr Mackenzie: I wish to move forthwith! — " That the letter be withdrawn, as it ia misleading and an infringement of the privileges > of the hoard." It gives a false impression regarding the cost of teaching in! district high schools. The Chairman: If it is the wish of the board to take up your resolution now I da not offer any particular objection, but it is better to take the v/ish of the board. I don't see anything- urgent about it. Of course, it is a matter of opinion. Mr Mackenzie : It is urgent to this extent : it has a very important bearing on the future of these high schools. The Chairman : It is not going to-be^'dealfc with in a day or in a week. ' Mr Mackenzie said what was said with regard to these schools was not correct. Iji j was not correct that the board decided thab farmers ought to be expected to pay more towards the education of their- children. No such expression of opinion was given by the board at that meeting. The Chairman: You were not present at that meeting of the board, and, therefore, 3>mi are not in a position to' pay. Mr Mackenzie said the letter purported to give the decision of the board at last meeting., Tha Chairman : No ; nothing of the kind. Mr Mackenzie: I say the report w incorrect to the effect that The Chairman then proceeded to put the question as to whether Mr Mackenzie should be heard, when Mr Mackenzie claimed the right to be heard, as it was a matter of privilege. j Mr Fraser : I move * ' That Mr Mackenzie be heard as a matter of privilege," simply on. the ground that the letter has been sent without the authority of this board. The Chairman: No. [ Mr Fraser : It is usual for members of the board "to be allowed to finish a sentence. The letter was not sent by the authority of this I board elected on the Ist of April. That is : fie board of which T am speaking and cf.wliicik j I have the honour to bo a member, j The Chairman : This letter refers to matj ters dealt with before you came to the board. Mr Mitchell : If it is a matter of privilege, he lias a right to be heard without any motioa at all. ~ _ The Chairman: If Mr Mackenzie is going to bring up debatable matter, the matter will j go^on the whole afternoon,, and the whole biisi.j ness will be delayed. I do not see that it is a matter of urgency at all, because the Minister is not going to deal with it for some considerable time yet, and he will be placed in, possession of some other facts bearing on the matter before he is much older. Mr Mackenzie : This letter does not, refer to what was done at last meeting of the board. The Chairman : The letter had no reference whatever to what took place at the last meeting of the board, or since you were a member. It lefers to matters that took place before you were a member. Mr Mackenzie : Then the letter is entirely out of order. It purports to give a description of what took place at last meeting. The Chairman : No. It purports to refer to what took place at the meeting at which the whole matter was discitssed. Mr Mackenzie: Then that letter does not refer to what was done at the last meeting of the board? The Chairman : No ; it is in reply to a letter from the Minister. We had informed the Minister that we were holding over the matter until our decision was reconsidered. "When it was reconsidered we adhered to our former decision, and the Minister was given the information he had asked* for. Mr Mackenzie : Then I submit that the letter had no right to be sent. The Chairman put the question as to whether Mr Mackenzie should now be heard, and it was decided in the negative on the voices. , The board then proceeded with the ordinary business. GENERAL. Half-cost of improvements was granted to the following schools: — Cambrians, £3 5s ;| Cromwell, £3 ss; Evansdale, £3; Tokarahi, £16; Pukeuri, £2; Upper Junction, £3'; i Katea, £4- ss. ' - Applications for repairs to outhouses, etc., were granted to the following schools :-Wakari, St. Leonards, Oamaru North, West iaieri, and Pukeiwitahi. . ' Messrs Tonkin and Co. having offered hZ 10s per annum for the use of a school sue at Wedderburn, it was resolved that tenders be invited for the section. 1 memorial was received from settlers at Pomahaka. Siding for the establishment of *a school. A number of Dalvey settlers also wrote protesting against the petition being granted.— The matter was referred to Mr Sim to report. . . The Secretary of the Otago Educational Institute write forwarding a copy" of the following resolution passed at £he annual meeting of the institute:— "That as in the great majority of our schools, representing the great majority of our pupils, Standards V and VI are combined for the study of English, the Education Board be asked to amend the English syllabus for the junior scholarship examination, so that the "Fifth and Sixth Readers" may be used alternately: the examination for the year ending December, 1901, to be taken from the 'Fifth Reader.' " — The head teacher of the Kaikorai School al?o wrote on the same subject. — The board! decided to adhere to its regulations in regard to the matter. A BOTALTX ON SCHOOL BOOKS. Messrs Whitcombe and Tombs forwarded a set of " Imperial Readers." Nine school committees also wrote protesting against a. change of books in the board schools. It was staled in connection with this matter that Mr Goyeivwas getting a small royalty on all " Imperial Readers " sold out of Otago., • Mr Mackenzie was understood to say he thought that it was an improper position for an officer of the board to take up. ' The Chairman : They are all doing it. The Secretary read a letter from Mr Goyen, who stated that he only received a royalty oh the " Imperial Readers " sold outside of this ■ province. - '

Mr Mitchell explained that the letter was Sent in as the result of a conversation that Mr Goyen had with the Books Committee. - Mr Mackenzie thought it- was to be regretted that an inspector of the board was mixed up in the sale of books abovit which there was a discussion as to the propriety or otherwise of their being used in this educational district. 'Mr Fraser moved — " That in the opinion of this board it is not desirable that any inspectors or officers of the board should have a pecuniary interest, by way of royalty, on,, Bchool books used in this province." He was sure that the - members of the board were pleased to know that an inspector of the board was so capable as to be asked to issue these books in the way he had done. He had nothing to say against that. He only looked at the matter from the point of view of the | board. What it might be proper for an inspector, to do, it might be very improper for the board to be parties to. It was a fiction to^ say that because the inspector received a j royalty on books sold out of the province' therefore he had no interest in the books circulating within the province. The fact that the books -were used in this large province ;would enable them to be sold elsewhere. He was sure that it would be better if an arrangement had been made to pay the inspector for ■ what he had done, without giving him a royalty. Regarding the objection against the books, it was very unfortunate that Mr Goyen did not let it be known earlier that he was interested' in them. When he (Mr Fraser) discussed the books with the inspectors he did not know that they were in any way interested in them. He did not think that the inspector had done anything dishonourable ; but, all the same, he thought the board should not allow any of their officers to be interested in any royalty.

Mr Kyle did not think it was very reprehensible for an inspector to edit school books. It was a' very common thing in England fqr inspectors to do the same thing. It was a great pity that the question had been introduced.

Mr Mitchell said he thought Mr Frann-'s motion xvas in the right direction. At the time the question of a choice of books was before the board, Mr Goyeti studiously avoided saying one word to the Books' Committee in favour of the "Imperial Readers." He thought no one could say that Mr Goyen had used his position as inspector to influence ihe introduction of these books or to profit himself. He also thought it was a matter for regret that a large number ~of the letters that had appeared in the newspapers in regard to the matter had been printed. They were grossly libellous, and were written by men who had a very much greater interest in school books than Mr Goyen ever had. He thought it was a scandal that men who had an interest .in school books should, behind the shield of a norn de plume, attack any man in the way that Mr Goyen had been attacked.

On 'the motion being put, it was declared carried, but on a division being called for, it was lost by 5 votes to 2, the voting being : -For the motion — Messrs Mackenzie and Fraser ; against — Messrs ' Snow, Mitchell, Nicolson, Borrie, and Kyle. Mr Mitchell then moved— "That the objector's be informed that the newly-authorised books had been finally adopted by the board, and could not be altered."

The motion, on being put, was declared carried. NOTICES OF MOTION. The following notices of motion were given for next meeting : — By Mr P. B. Fraser : "That all correspondence bearing on the sale of -the Inch Valley School be laid on the table at next meeting, together with a statement of- the cost of erecting the building, its age, and the price offered and obtained for it."

By Mr Mackenzie : " That the board consider the propriety of compensating Miss Arnet for the loss she sustained at Rougahere by the action of an incendiary." By Mr Mackenzie: "(1) That the board shall, at its first full meeting, consider the whole question of secondary education in Otago, with a view to reducing fees ; and (2) to consider the propriety of establishing district high schools at Tapanui and Naseby." By Mr Mackenzie : ' ' That, inasmuch as certain inaccuracies occur in the secretary's letter to the Minister of Education of May '2l, 1900, and as such letter never obtained the sanction of the board, it be withdrawn."

The adjourned meeting of the Education Board, held in the Education Office on Thursday, was attended by Mr Harraway (chairman), and Messrs D. Borrie, A. Kyle, W. Nicholson, J. Mitchell, W. Snow, T. Mackenzie, and the Rev. P. B. Fraoer.

A DISCUSSION ON APPOINTMENTS.

The Selection Committee's report having been considered in committee, the Chairman moved that the resolutions made in. committee, embodying the following appointments, be confirmed : —

Owen James Hodge, head teacher, Albany street, vice John "L. Ferguson, deceased. Dorothea J. Wilkinson, head teacher, Kokoamo, vice Elizabeth M. Gunn, left the service.

Grace M. Farnie, head teacher, Otakia, vice Andrew Chesncy, promoted. Jane M. Young, head teacher, Macraes, vice Kate T. Trayes, left the service.

Walter Eudey, senior relieving teacher, vice Owen J. Hodge, promoted.

Mr Mackenzie moved as an amendment—^ "That ihe resolutions be adopted with the exception of the appointment of Mr Eudey as relieving? teacher."^ Speaking to the motion, he said that Mr Eudey's qualifications were the lowest of those included in the list of eligibles, and it almost appeared as if the line of qualification had been drawn so as to suit Mr Eudey. Another reason he had for opposing the appointment was that Mr Eudey was a resident of the city. Where teachers were found enjoying equal or superior qualifications in country districts they ought to obtain a preference when these appointments were considered. In the list of those regarded as eligible by the Selection Committee were several so qualified. There wo.s •Mr Pinder, who had an Al certificate, who ,was a country teacher. Mr Methven also held Ihigher certificates, and had been 12 years in a country district. Unless these men who ,were consigned to the back regions had some opportunity of getting on in the service they were being done an injustice, and this was an appointment that the board might have reasonably given to a man better qualified than the man who got it. One of the reasons for Mr Eudey's appointment was that he and (his head master were at variance. If that was held to be a basis of appointment in frhe future, all that assistants and head masters tad to do was to get up a quarrel and they fjirould be qualified for promotion. He had •nothing personally against Mr Eudey. He iwas an excellent man, but on general principles he denied that it was a right thing to have men appointed in that way. Mr Snow seconded the amendment, and eaid that he could endorse the arguments put forward by Mr Mackenzie. The Rev. Mr Fraser asked if he would be

able to move an amendment which he had tabled on Wednesday morning to the effect that the matter of appointing a relieving teacher at £240 per annum be held over un+il his motion dealing with the reductions had been taken. "" *

The Chairman ruled that Mr Fraser's amendment could be dealt with after Mr Mackenzie's had been disposed of.

Mr Borrie took exception to Mr Mackenzie's statement • that the qualifications had been made to fit the appointment of Mr Eudey. He might at least give the committee credit for being fairly honest. The minimum qualification was made to coincide with the minimum qualification required for a rector of a district high school. The qualifications of Mr Eudey, or of anyone else, were never thought of when they were discussing what qualification for the position must be required. Mr Nicholson said that the duties of relieving teachers were mostly in the country, and therefore Mr Mackenzie's remarks on that head did not count for much. Mr Kyle said that Mr Pinder could not be regarded as a country teacher. He had been head master at Sawyers' Bay, and his appointment to Waikouaiti was only a recent one. Mr Mackenzie having replied, the amendment was put and lost, only Messrs Snow and Mackenzie voting for it. Mr Fraser did not vote.

Mr Fraser then moved as an amendment — " That the question.. of appointing a relieving teacher be postponed until after his motion dealing with certain reductions, one of which was in ehe relieving department, was disposed of." He was of opinion that the relieving duties 'in the board's service could be managed in a much more economical way than at present, and he considered that there had been .unnecessary hast© in making the appointment which was the subject of the discussion. He wished Mr Eudey every success in any position in which he might be placed; but, with the knowledge which he possessed, and which every member of the board and each school committee should possess, of the manner in which the relieving service was being conducted, he believed they would never have dared, in the face of the retrenchments they T/ere carrying out in the province, to suggest that a gentleman should be appointed to this position at a cost of £240 per annum. He would show what had been done within tho past two years by two relieving teachers on the permanent staff. From a return he had got, it appeared that within two years tho total amount paid for relieving by two men amounted to £840. He wanted to know the value of the positions these men were filling. Mr Borrie had said that they wanted highly paid men.

Mr Borrie: I did not say so. Mr Fraser mentioned that Mr Borrie had said that they wanted men paid at a salary of £240. "But, apart from this question of cost, on the whole question of relieving teachers, he was strongly against their ap pointment altogether. If he had before been in possession of the document which he now had, he would have moved that the .whole system of permanent relieving teachers be abolished. The position of a relieving teacher was only a sinecure for friends of the board ; it was only too plain that it was only a stepping-stone from one position to another, and other teachers in the province had to stand aside. The board had at present in its seFvice a to number of male teachers who were put away to the backwoods and utterly forgotten. There were 20 men in the employ of the board whose salaries were below £100, and the majority of them only received about £70 a year. Some of them had been sent down to Catlins more than two years ago, and were there yet. They were sent down there to a temporary appointment ; but when they had gone down there they were utterly forgotten — sent to Siberia. — while other men were appointed to better relieving positions, these poor beggars were forgotten. He had received letters from them complaining of being relegated to Siberia, and beino: forgotten in this matter of relieving. If the board did anything like justice to young men in its service who were anxious to learn their profession, it would keep these apj)ointments open for them. "Why not allow the first assistant of a school to occupy the position of head master when there was a vacancy? The return he had in his hand, showing the amount paid for relieving teachers for the past two years, should have been in the hands of the chairman when retrenchment was being so vigorously carried out throughout the province. Surely, the secretary should have called the chairman's attention to this waste and extravagance in regard to relieving teachers. One relieving teacher who had been receiving £175 had been for six solid months in charge of a school, with an attendance of 15, where a girl could have done the whole work. Then, with regard to the appointment in which a salary of £240 was paid, he found that during the past two years the relieving teacher had rarely been filling a position equal to £240. Now, he submitted that to pay the salaries the board were paying for relieving teachers) when there were so many men waiting to get an opportunity to earn their bread, was simply a gross waste of the funds of the board. And he believed that the members of the board were not aware of this, or they would not have allowed it.

The Chairman said he knew pretty well all the figures referred to.

Mr Fraser: Well, I am surprised that the chairman does not draw the inference from these figures that I have drawn.

The Chairman : There is not much about the finances of the board that the chairman is not aware of.

Mr Fraser: I cannot but believe that the board will see its way to adopt my motion, which is — " That the question of the appointment of a relieving teacher be held over to such time as the board has an opportunity of considering whether it cannot be filled in a more economical and satisfactory way."

Mr Mackenzie seconded the amendment, and addressed himself chiefly as to whether Mr Fraser was in order or not in moving it.

Mr Borrie scored by pointing out that Mr Mackenzie was out of order in seconding Mr Fraser' s amendment, as he had already seconded a previous amendment.

Mr Mitchell said that he felt that he could not let the matter pass without a word on the subject. He thought that Mr Fraser rather exaggerated the position in regard to the matter of the relieving teachers, and even admitting that everything he said was absolutelycorrect, then in justice the board could not leave its relieving work to a haphazard selection at the time when the necessity for a relieving teacher arose. At any time the board was liable to have one of its highest positions vacant, and they ought to have at their command a man who was capable of continuing the work of such a sohool without interruption, and a man in whom those connected with the school would have confidence. He thought it would be a very unwise s'.ep to abolish the office of relieving teacher for thab reason alone. Neither, was it just Ip $hg dis-

trict high schools to put them in the position of being placed under inferior men. Mr Fraser had contended that first assistants should be promoted to the position of head master, and had instanced Albany street. But, as a matter of fact, the first assistant in Albany street had scarcely got his seat warm when the vacancy occurred. It would have been an extraordinary thing to place a new incoming first assistant in charge of an important school like Albany street. He thought they would be taking a serious step if the board left the whole matter of relieving work to promiscuous eeleclion such as JVIr Fraser suggested. After a further discussion on the question of order, the amendment was put and lost, the mover and seconder only voting for it. EEBIGNATIONS. The following resignations were accepted : — Grace M. Farnie, head teacher, Akatore ; Helen Malcolm, mistress, Flag Swamp : Christina D. Robertson, mistress, Palmerston District High School ; Elizabeth M. Harlow, junior female assistant, George street; Lucy A. Fitzgerald, matron, Traininsr College ; Owen James Hodge, senior relieving teacher. ACCOUNTS. Accounts amounting to £7132 0s 6d were passed for payment. s THE POET OHALMEES SCHOOL.

Mr Mackenzie moved — "That the status of the Port Chalmers School be restored to that of a district high school." He pointed out that the school drew children from Waitati, Evansdale, and Waikouaiti, and commanded a large district. As a district high school --t only cost £30 a year more than it did at pre sent. The pupils receiving secondary education ranged from 24 to 37. The expenses in re&pect to its being a district high school came to £129 per annum, and this was supplemented by such items as senior fvholarship; and capitation grants. The great principle underlying the necessity for the i-choo l was that if this country was to beco ne a great maritime Power navigation ought to be made a prominent subject in the curriculum of that school. Mr Mackenzie went on to say thai he thought the disrating of the district high schools was a distinct departure from the spirit of the times, and he maintained that educational advantages ought rather to be extended. If New Zealand was lo hold its own in competition with other countries, it could only be by extending educational advantages; and he submitted his motion for favourable consideration by the board. The motion was seconded by Mr Nicolson, and was declared carried on the voices. Mr Mackenzie called for a division, with the following result : —Ayes— Messrs T. Mackenzie, P. B. Fraser, and W. Nicolson ; noes —Messrs D. Borrie, A. Kyle, J. Mitchell, and W. Snow.

TEMPOBAKT APPOINTMENTS. . The Rev. P. B. Fraser moved—" That the secretary lay on the table a return showing the names of alt teachers holding temporary appointments under the board, with date of their first and present appointment ; *the cla°p of position held; showing who appointed them, together with the salaries paid to such teachers from time to time." Mr Nicolson seconded the motion, which was carried after some discussion.

GENEBAL. The Secretary reported that the following Bcnool districts had failed to elect school com" mittees:— Selso, Stoney Creek, Maruimato, rahora and Warepa,— The board appointed the following gentlemen commissioners for each school:— Kelso, Messrs Rentoul and Jidgar ; Stony 'Creek, Messrs Smith and Kinder; Marumato, Messrs llackay and Reid; Tahora, Messrs Alaodonald and Docherty ™ ep v.' ' S Wood an . d Chri stie. Ihe board, after discussing several matters m committee, resumed in open board, connrmed the business transacted in committee, and then adjourned.