EDUCATION BOARD.

Otago Witness, Issue 2671, 24 May 1905, Page 15

EDUCATION BOARD.

The regular meeting of the Otago Education Board, held on Wednesday afternoon, was attended by Messrs Borrie (chairman), Snow, M'JCerrow, Sim, Mitchell, Nicolson, Marshall, and Mackenzie.

Claims for half-cost of improvements were granted as follow: — Albany Street, £2 ss, £7 15s, and £3; Houipa-pa, £3 ss; Kaihiku, new floor in school, £10; Maungatua, £6; Otiake, £3 10s; Sutton, £2 15s; West Taieri, £2 10s ; Manuka Creek, £6.

An application was received from Maungatua for permission to enlarge the teacher's residence by the removal of a partition. — Granted.

Mr Gilliard applied for a lease of the teacher's residence at Glenledi. — Taken in committee.

North Taieri wrote applying for repairs to the gallery floor, for distempering- walls, and repairs to taps of concrete tank. — Referred to the architect.

Mr John Deans's tender of ££0 for school buildings at Lee Stream was considered, and also his offer of £1 per annum for right to occupy the school glebe. — Mr Deans to be asked to apply for a lease of the ground, with the right of using the buildings; chairman then to act.

The Green Island Committee wrote intimating it would make an effort to raise from £5 to £10 towards £he cost of installing Smaill's heating apparatus. — Report to be obtained from Port Chalmers School, where the apparatus had already been installed.

The Ravensbourne Committee wrote forwarding an offer made by Mr Shanks to install Smaill's h-eating plant, with guarantee for 12 months, at £51 7s. — Report to be obtained from Port Chalmers School as to working of apparatus.

Mr M'Gregor again wrote asking, that the school at Pomahaka Downs be carried on in a hut. — Messrs Gray and Clement wrote asking that the teaching be conducted in the school.— Teaching to be contimied in the hut.

The Awamoa settlers renewed a petition for the establishment of a school. — Number of children who would avail themselves of driving provisions to be ascertained. Settlers at Wanaka petitioned for the establishment of a school. — Adjourned to next meeting; full particulars to be ascertained in the Th© residents of Museelburgh petitioned for the district, to be treated as a separate school district. The suggested boundaries of the new district as arrived 1 at by a meeting of householders were forwarded. — The Forbury School Committee wrote asking the board to refrain from defining the school district of^ Musselburgh until the suggested boundaries had "been considered by the committee. — Held over to enable the Anderson's Bay and Forburv committees to consider the suggested boundaries. The Education Department wrote intimating that a grant of £283 had been made for a new school at Lauder Railway Station. — Work to- be carried out under the supervision of the board's inspectors. The Department wrote further that the arrangements for^the conveyance of children to Tananui would be continued for the

present. — Received. The Department afso wrote that the Government had ma3e an additional grant of £1500 for increased accommodation for the Dunedin Technical Classes, making £3500 in all.

The Chairman said Mr Hoprben had been in town for a few days, and Mr Goyen had gone thoroughly into the matter. Mr Hogben was of opinion that it would be a good thing if they could sell, or make arrangements wifli the department to get money advanced on, the sites of the two schools — the Normal and Technical. — in order to finance them to build new buildings on the Stuart street site, at the corner of Stuart street and York place. Mr Hogben had pointed out that the board would have to take the initiative, and a little local bill would be required. Private members would have to introduce this, and at was not anticipated there would be any opposition to it. They would have to have a conference with members of Parliament and managers of the Technical School, to £,c© whether they were agreeable to this.

Mr Mackenzie considered the plan an excellent one.

The following memo, from Inspector Goyen on the sxibject was read :

In view of the circumstance thai addition-B-are about to be nia-de to the Technical School building, I wish to srugg-est to the board that the needs of the city and suburban school woodwork and cookery classes should, if possible, be provided for. When I sketched the arrangements for these ola<sses I , pointed out that the rooms in which it was pronos-ed to conduct them wei'o only maikesliifts and inferior at that. What they were then they are niow. On page 6of my memorandum, on the provision made for technical -woirk in Auckland, I have described the provision made by the board of that district for the teaching of ■woodwork and cookery to city and suburban scholars. Reference to this will show bow far we lag behind the northern district in our appointments for these departments of work. I would like to see an effort made to provide a Technical School and a Training College on the same ground. It is probable that the sale of the Normal SohooO. and the present Technical School would bring the board sufficient money to buiild them on the Stuart street site.

It was agreed that a conference with members of Parliament and the manaejers of the Technical School be held on Thursday evening, 25th inst., for the consideration of obtaining means for the definite accommodation of the Training College, Normal School, School of Arts, and Technical School.

Lieutenant-colonel Loveday wrote asking that permission t be granted to officers comm«inc!ing bcttaliony of oadets to Tisit the corps under their command at least once a month. Remitted to the inspectors, with power to act. — Lieutenant-colonel Loveday wrote further, forwarding medal won by Sergeant A. "Whyte, of Oamaru North School, and asking the board to arrange for its presentation. — Left in the hands of the School Committee.

Mr Groyen, inspector, wrote with regard to the examinations of pupil-teachers that the inspectors considered it would be unfair to pupil-teachers of the second and fourth years to compel them to undergo the examinations prescribed for them by the new regulations. They suggested that pupil teachers of these years should for 1905 have the option of taking either the board's examination a? that prescribed hy the

department. The department was willing to consent to this course. — Suggestion agreed to. Architects' reports were received concerning repairs to the following schools, and the repairs agreed to: — George Street, £i 10=; Arthur Street, £3; Brighton. £6; Saddle Hill, spouting ; Oamaru North, ceiling; Walton, £30; Kaihiku, new roof for school; Leith Valley, residence and washhouse ; Matakanui, washhouse ; and Highcliff, school ceilings. Protests were received with regard to the validity of the election of the Oamdru South School Committee, and after the reading up of a great deal of correspondence in connection with the matter it was decided to declare the election void.

A protest was also received with regard to the legality of the election of the Momona School Committee", and the election was declared void.

The board then went into comm.ittee.

The meeting of the Otago Education Board was continued on Thuisday morning, when there were present — Messrs D. Borrie (chairman), Snow, M'Kerrow, Nicolson, Mitchell, Sim, Marshall, T. Mackenzie, M.H.R., and the Hon. T. Fergus.

RESIGNATIONS.

The following resignations were received and accepted: — Margaret Mackenzie, mistress, Anderson's Bay ; Jessie Maxwell, mistress, East Taieri ; James Barnett, pupil teacher, High Street ; and F. White, head teacher, Akatore

APPOINTMENTS.

Appointments were made as follow : — Jessie Maxwell, mistress, Albany Street, vice Catherine Haig, promoted ; Margaret Mackenzie, mistress, Ravensbourne. vice Little, promoted ; and Liliaji N. C. Platts, mistress, Windsor, vice Shearer, resigned.

SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

The following districts were reported as having failed to elect a school committee : Blue Spur, Chaslands, Crookston, Earnscleugh, Evansdale. Gimmerburn, Henley, Houipapa, Incholme, Kartigi, Kyeburn, Lauder, Lowburn, Matakanui, Patearoa, Pukepito, Pukeuri, Purakauiti, Rongahere, Rough Ridge, Stirling, Taiaroa Head, Taieri Ferry, Te Houka, Tuapeka Flat, Tuapeka West, Waih-emo, Waikoikoi, Waipori, Waitahuna Gully, Waitahuna West, and Waitapeka.

TKe board fixed Saturday, June 10, at 8 o'clock, as the date for the new elections. The following gentlemen were appointed to the school committees of disti'iets which had failed to elect the required number: — Awamoko : Messrs J. Willots, D. Hutchison, and H. Elstone ; Blackstone : Mr H. Armitage ; Owaka : Messrs J. Callahan and J. Henderson ; East Taieri : Messrs W. Allan and A. F. Cheyne ; Hooper's Inlet : Messrs Martin Geary and H. Forsyth ; Merton : Messrs P. White and A. Rhode? ; Sandymount: Mr T. Hill; Strath Taieri: Mr G. M 'Donald ; Teaneraki : Messrs J. Driver, J. Paul, and J. Allan.

CORRESPONDENCE.

The Mornington School Committee wrote asking the board to have some painting done at the head master's residence, and also some repairs to the. school urinals. — Referred to the architect to effect the necessary repairs.

John Gilliand wrote asking the board to grant him a lease of the school residence at Glenledi. — The application was declined.

The Palmerston »High School "Committee forwarded a resolution to the effect that, in view of the inconvenience caused by appointing a special meeting for the election of chairmen of school committees, the board be asked to so arrange that in future the presiding officer of the committee be elected on the night of the meeting of householders. — Received.

Replies stating that the writers would support a scheme for superannuation for school teachers were received from Sir J. G. Ward, the Hon. A. Baldey, M.L.C., Sir W. J. Steward, MJH.R., and Messrs J. A. Millar, M.H.R., J. F. Arnold, M.H.R., H. D Bedford, M.H.R., James Allen, M.H.R., and E. G. Allen, M.H.R. It was decided to take the usual course with regard to the unsatisfactory progress of a. scholarship holder in the High School.

SCHOLARSHIP EXAMINATIONS.

According to notice, the Chairman moved that the following resolution of the board be rescinded: — "After carefully considering the Education Department's circular of July 7, 1904, the board sees no reason to give up its scholarship examinations, which have proved so effective in the past, as they have been fiarned especially to meet the varying circumstances of all schools in the education districtj and, further, that the board is of opinion that the Education Department might well hand over to the board the examinations for the four national scholarships granted to this district, as the board believes these would be conducted in a manner more likely to give satisfaction to all concerned." — Mr Borrie said his impression, after talking the matter over with Mr Hogben, was that the board made a mistake in passing that resolution. The chief inspector had pointed out that the pupils and teachers had at present to make four separate examinations, but if the department's wish were acceded to there would be only two. - Mr Goyen was then called in and asked what the effect of the department's proposals would be. Mr Goyen replied that the chief effect would be that two examinations instead of four would be prepared for. In the primary schools they had the national scholarships and the board's junior examinations, which practically covered the same ground. For the seniors there was the civil service examination and the board's senior examination, and these also covered practically the same ground. Mr Mitchell asked if there was any difference between the board's senior examination and the civil service junior examination. Mr Goyen replied that the difference lay mainly in the English, and he was sure that the board's examination in English was a bettor one than that provided for the civil service.

Mr Mitchell then raised the question of ■whether the board's regulations, particularly with regard to age, would be done away with if the board agreed to the department's proposals.

Mr Goyen said he thought not, except in so far as they dealt with the syllabus.

Mr Mitchell maintained that there was no guarantee that the regulations would be maintained.

Mr Goyen said if the department were to do away with tho board's regulations he would be against the proposals, but if not he would be in favour of them.

Considerable informal discussion followed, and the Chairman put the motion. The Hon. T. Fergus eaid he would .oppose

' it in view of the present chaotic state c affairs. ( Mr Snow moved as an amendment — That the matter stand over until information is obtained from the department regarding the point raised." Tho boa iv 1 v to this course CENEBAD. Accounts amounting to £7065 0s 2ct were passed for payment. The next meeting of the board was fixed for June 14 and 15, the first day's meeting to commence at 10 a.m. The election of the Momona School Committee having been declared void, the new election was fixed for June 10. The election of the Oamaru South Com-mitte-e was declared void on account of irregularity, and the new election was fixed for June 12. The Bo.ard reported, after having gon© into committee, that lli 1 John White, head master at Outram, had been appointed head teacher at the new Musselburgh School ; and Miss Clara Chalmer, now relieving teacher at the Normal School, had been appointed mistress.

It is probable that the Minister of Land's,-, in response to an invitation from Sir W. -J.Steward, will visit Waimate about May 24in connection with a proposal to acquire land for workmen's homes.