The The Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNB, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1895. A GRAVE CHARGE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 7309, 19 June 1895, Page 2

The The Poverty Bay Herald. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNB, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 19, 1895. A GRAVE CHARGE.

It will be seen from our report of the meeting of the Hawke's Bay Education Board, that Mr Lewis, of Mangapapa, has written a letter to the Board, in which he makes grave charges against the conduct of the children attending the Gisborne public school. They are of such a serious nature that in the interests of ihe schoo' ifc is imperative that the school committee should make a thorough investigation into the matter. The Chairman of the committee, on being interviewed this morning, informed our representative that so far as he and the committee knew, there was not a shadow of foundation for such allegations. The utmost cure is taken to prevent an admixture of the sexes, and if there had been grounds for believing that the pupils had not properly conducted themselves, the teachers, and the members of the committee would have been cognisant of it. It is singular that Mr Lewis, who has never had any of his children attending the school, should know more about the moral conduct of the pupils than those who daily come in contact with them. If his allegations are capable of proof, he should be in a position to adduce evidence in substautiation of them, but we believe that after a searching investigation has been held, it will be found that there was no foundation for these foul charges. It is a very serious matter lo bring abominable charges against a public school, and it is to be hoped that Mr Lewis carefully considered the nature of the step he was taking before he communicated with the Board. At the present time the circumstances decidedly favor the conclusion of the school committee that the conduct of the children is beyond reproach, and it Is more reasonable to pupppse tbab Mr Lewia has been misinformed, than that the members of the committee have altogether failed to detect conduct which, if as alleged by fylr Lewis, is " widespread " and •'general," could not have happened without their knowledge. We have full confidence that, when the investigation is held, it will be found that the charges now made against the school are absolutely false, and that there was no justification for having made them.