EDUCATION BOARD.

Southland Times, Issue 3319, 8 February 1879, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARD.

: ;■;■•.•:•■■;■ - .^. ...;."■. ■» .... :--- - --;;•:■-;-:.? C:. ■. ■■:■• Vv Ths usu^l monthly meetiag ; of ithe Educa- . tipn Board 'was iheld'^^yesterday : at~lls o'clock.: Present :~Mr Macdonald, chairrrian, th^ : Honi; ■ Dr. Menzies, Messrs 'Lumsdenj, ■.Sproull, : McArdell,. Shanks, Baldey. Before the ordinary business of the meeting wa^ prbceededAvithj'the return's of the? late election were laid on the table. There were six candidates,' and i tie result of the poll, .:.--whicb> ; closed; bn the" 31sfcr ult., was as fbllows':-— Mr Beririistoii, 19 ;Mr Perkins, 7 ; '; pi. HbagkmspnT6 :Mr Kinross, 6 ; -Mr . Mor'nsbn, 4.; Mr Tosliac^iy '&'/■■' '":.? r ::y ■•■'■'"■ - : '■■'■"■ ; ;■;- The Chairmariitheref ore declared Mr D piston duly^ elecit'ed'.tQ fill the^acancy-'on the -Education Boardit<Jaused;by- the death' of Sir .jlphn Eichardson. '[■ ■"■. '■■':''■■ :';- ; . •,;•;,-• ■:'' Subsequently Mr Denriiston was informed of his election to o.ffice, arid took. his. seat at ; e.^oard. ; ; ;.',.;' ;;':;._;.';.^ ; ;V-:' ; " 1 ; .: ' V: , ,■■:''.' : The minutes of the! previous meeting were : read 'tod confirmed,' after .which some ■• ap-'- --. pointmerits tp schools,^^^^.de sin.cc last meet- ' ing, were cbrifirniecL ; C: '■?: ■'-'■}■ ,'■'%<■ ; ;: :: : V. A petitioii wa^ presented' by^^'Ja' .deputation of IJawsonj^McPhib^and • Strarig— praying for the; /clivisibn ■ of thef^new Long Bush- School ' distnefi into' twbV as the • /present arrangement -^as giving a good deal ■'6i disssLiitf action; The Chairman stated the j i'tlie : matter- -in feferreiice to -w-liich. this petition was presented from the date of ;;tie amalgainatibn of the districts, Which- took 'place after the' vkcariciy- caused in the Long Bush School by the.; apppiritmerit' ?: Of Mr,Smith' to the. secietaryShip : of ; the Education Board.; The' final' settlement of the;inat- : however^ -fiad .been left •open; till ;;the f election, of ■:%h.e*-riew -committee, >bufcno dbirimittee had been appomted, :v an:d this petition to the Board was the result of a meeting of the settlers held to consider the question. MrfLuirisdpn believed the plan ■suggested '"iby 'the : ][)etition?rs was^the-prily-sblution: bf'the difficulty. ; la answer, tb questions, the members of the deputation were unanimous ; in the opiaioii that ...the settlers could only be aatisfied by a division of the district into two, with; separate school com- : mittees.. It : was. ultiiriatiely -agreed that the new Loug Buah School District be divided • into two parts, and that' the i. settlers pf the district should: h6ld,. a .meeting to consider the question ;of boundaries, and^ recommend to the, Board. As r to the apppintmerit.of 'a r v teacher to the Woodlands School/ which the :settleVs had undertaken, arid requested the BbarcL to confirm'j it was decided ;tb;do nothing in the matter till the election of a- new school. committee. for the district. 1 ' 1 ■ The next business before the' Board was the adjustment of boundaries of the Lumsden Schppi District. Mr'Lufaisden'thoughtthe district should be confined" to' the limits of the totvn, pointing out that in some cases • of extensive school districts the committee were composed in part of persons whose children could not possibly attend the school concerned! In the present case, the proposed district would embrace a radius of six miles from the centre!"'? On the motion of Mr McArdell, seconded' by Dr Menzie3, it was ; resolved that the boundary be i fixed : sp. as to; be within a radius of- three miles frqp the township. ... . : . Heddpn Bush.— On ;; the q'uestipn of the' boundaries for. this district coming under ■consideration, Mr Lumsden moved, . before the committee's recommeridatipn received confirmation, the following resolution — "That it be an instruction to school' committees that when it is proposed to define the bpundaries of a new school district, such boundaries shall not extend beyond a radius of four miles from the proposed centre.''This was carried, and the question of the /boundaries of Heddpti Bush district was -in the meantime held over.' . Waihbpai. — Messrs Spence, Boyd, and McEwan, Avaited on the Board \yith reference W /the /erection of a school at Mount Gladstone.': Mr Spence iutrbduced the deputation, arid urged upon ; the Board the .necessity of ' providing the acfeommodatibn asked 1 for/inasmuch as a large number of childretf in; the district could not attend, the riearest school to the locality in question. " A site, the only one': available, was pointed out : by f the deputation, Mr McEwan observing thatit was. either to get that or the chilnrcn of the district' cbuld riot attend school at all. Mr McArdell moved that the recommendatio'ri^pf the School Committee as totbe site forca school at Gladstone be adopted, andthat: the section proposed be purchased at a- cost not exceeding i £20Q. tThe- motion waSjCarriedv^Subsequeritly Messrs Spence aud McEwan, having learned the decision of the Board iri- ref erencejto the purchase of a site, waited on the Board with plans of school buildings prepared by Mr Burwell, from which they requested : the ; Roard to make a selection; :;>Mrl McEwan stating that the ' committee considered the matter of such importance that they were prepared to advance the irioney, in; the,, event of the Board not being in funds; Mr.Spence excused iheir unusually prompt and somewhat irregular action in the matter on the ground of urgency. .The Chairman, whilst recognising-that the proceedings were slightly out of order, complimented the deputation on the extraordinary celerity they had manifested in. reference to the matte w>f tHeir. application, admitting it, as the Board di^, }to be one of considerable importance.. Ultimately it was resolved that the' Chairman, and Messrs McArdell and Lumsden be a com-, mittee to confer with the Waihopai Schppi Committee, with power to act. : , ' Mr Curten, who was introduced by Mr ; Shanks, waited on the Board :in reference to the want of sufficient educational facilities, in the Chatton district. He pointed out that the population warranted the; establishment: of a school there, and that the nearest school at present existing was a distance of six miles from the settlement. The., Board irecognised the justness of the claim set forth on behalf of Chatton, and explained that- delay had arisen in the matter owing /to" a number of applications having been sent in from theneighborhood of Chatton ; and they .were now waiting for a report from -the Inspector, upon receipt of which the case would receive - immediate attention. An application was received from the North Invercargill School Committee for additional'school accommodation. The «chair~man stated that the Waste Lands Board had been applied to for a piece of land, and the application' was under consideration. On the motion of Mr Lumsden, it was resolved — '"That 1 the architect be instructed to.prepare plans of a school to accommodate 300 childrdri, and submit them to the Board." Invercargill North Public School. — The appointment of Miss Muggleton was confirmed; and an application for additional teaching power was refused, on the ground that it was not warranted by thfe returns. An application from the Invercargill South Public School, for certain school furniture, was granted. An application by Mr Neill,-of the Lower Shofover District, in reference to the decrease in his income on account of the poor attendance ' at the school during the late, heavy floods, was granted. An application for additional „ teaching power to the Forth Forest Hill School was received, but as the average attendance was scarcely up to' the standard, the Board de- ' cided that the application could not at present be entertained. In connection with the training school sy item, the Chairman and the Inspector were deputed to arrange for the selection of teachers, to attend ' the Normal School in Dunedin. The following tenders were accepted: — ' Mataura, additions to school buildings, and Giunmie's Bush, erection, the tenders recom? mended by the committee in eaclj case were accepted : Otaria school building, Ot. Harris, £227 10s ; Invercargill District High School, £399 ; Chatton, £480 10s ; Eivertou, Beid and Son, £1080. There were three tenders sent for school apparatus ; that of Mr Erskiue was accepted, * . . _ t '

tp;thei::'total amount of £1171 17s payment. Certain, accounts having been sent by school committees, for advertising in connection with;; the apppmtment of teachers, some discussipti took place as to whether the Board should Sanction tie s expenditure. It was nltiin^tiely resolved 4-" That the several school ' cofionifttee^bejiiif ormed that as the selection arid recbmmeiidationof school teachers and advertising in connection therewith are undertaken .by the committees, the Board is of bp--inion thattheyishouldpaythe-c^ It was "resolved, on the motion of the Hon; Dr Menzies— "That .a ,depufcatipn from the Education Board: wait oh. tlie .Colonial Treasurer with the request Jbat he- sfiould impress .upon the Ministry tlie .impossibilityof ..cairy-"■ing-^enrffie^pfovlsfofi^pf^^^metEdttcatioa? Act efficiently unless lample accommodation was afforded for the purpose, and the consequent > necessity of making" suitable prpvisioa for the same, by placing aerate bri the estimates : duiing the next session of jfarliame'iit." 1 This being, all the busiries'svthe Board adjourned. ; ■;■; ii , ;. -'■: |;