Southland Education Board.

Southland Times, Issue 10201, 6 July 1889, Page 3

Southland Education Board.

Friday, sth July. The monthly meeting was attended by the chairman (Mr A. Baldey), and Messrs Lumsden, McLeod, Matheson, Mackintosh, Bain, and Froggatt. The election of the ISorth Invereargill School Committee was sustained, the resignation of the person to whose election exception was taken being accepted as a satisfactory solution of the difficulty. i The Chairman of the Dipton Committee wrote admitting theinvalidity of the election of the committee on the grounds that no chairman had been appointed by the meeting and that a minor and a non-householder had been allowed to vote. — Fresh election ordered to beheld on the 29th July.— The same date was fixed for the election of committees for Bluff, Longridge, Otama, Waikaia, and Garston districts, no election having taken place at L either of these places on the static tory date. The Inspector's report on the result of the scholarship examinations was adopted and it was resolved to gr^nt non-resident scliolarsliips of L 35 each, tenable for three years to Eva Jane Mac Gibbon (Mataura) and Alex? ander Cowie (Limehills) and resident, scholarships of L2O each, also tenable for three years, to Henry Hewlett and Janet Hamilton. The allocation of the surplus scholarship money was referred to the Executive Committee, with power to act. A deputation, consisting of Captain Raymond, Captain Clare, and Mr A. McKenzie, waited on the Board in support of a petition for a new school at Greenbills. — It was decided to renew the offer of a grant of L 3 10s per pupil towards a teacher's salary on con.j^tija $&t the jes|<»te M ft

suitable building, which would be properly furnished by the Board. Mr James Beattie, chairman of the Gore School Committee, waited on the Board to ask for the appointment of an assistant teacher, the present staff being inadequate for the proper management ■of the school. The attendance had, for some quarters past, been hovering on the limit which would entitle the school to an assistant, but if the parents wei'e satisfied that the staff was (sufficient a greater number of children would attend. Asa special reason in support of the application he mentioned that there were only two teachers (exclusive of the pupil teachers) while there were three rooms to attend to. — The secretary stated that the j school had at present the staff to which it was entitled under the regulations, namely, a teacher, a mistress and two pupil teachers. To entitle it to an assistant the regulations provided that an average attendance of 180 should be maintained for two successive quarters. The school had had an average attendance of 182 for one quarter.— Mr McLeod asked if it would not be better for the committee to wait till the expiration of the second quarter, endeavour to maintain the average during the intervening two months, and make a demand for an assistant in the usual way. — Mr Beattie said the average attendance was now over 200, but the examination was approaching and the school was shorthanded. — Committee to be informed that the Board could not depart from its regulations. The Chairman was authorised to publish the returns of the pupil teachers' examina-

tions as soon as the report of the Inspector was received. The Executive Committee in a special report stated that they had considered the application of the Treasurer (Mr J. G. Smith) for an increase of salary and had decided to restore it to the amount paid to him before the general reductions, namely, Ll5O per annum. — Mr McLeod objected, on the ground that the motion passed in March last fixing the salary at L 125 had not been rescinded. He had no objection to the Treasurer receiving Ll5O per annum, in fact he would be glad if the amount were still greater, but he did not think the increase would be legal. When the whole question was considered in March last he and Mr Bain had opposed the reduction of the Treasurer's salary, but all the other members of the Board were in favour of it. — The Chairman said he would rule that it was not necessary to rescind a previous resolution to increase a salary. The application from the Treasurer forjan increase had been referred to the Executive Committee with power to act. — The adoption of the report was moved by Mr Bain, seconded by Mr Mackintosh.— Mr McLeod moved as an amendment, that in reply to his application the Treasurer Ibe informed that the Board had carefully considered the matter of his salary in March and proposed to adhere to the resolution then adopted. — The amendment was seconded ■pro forma by Mr Lumsden, but on being put was lost, the mover alone voting in its favour. — The motion was carried. The Executive Committee reported as follows : — (l)That the following appointments had been made : Arrow : Mr Jabez Golding, head teacher ; Pukerau : Mr J. B. Grant, head teacher ; Clifton : Miss Emily Robinson, mistress ; Arrow: Mr S. R. Girle, temporary head teacher ; West Plains : Miss Edith Conley, pupil teacher. (2) That the following tenders had been accepted : — Orepuki : Addition to school, William Pearsey, L 153 7s ; Win ton : repairs to buildings, W. Hamilton, Ll4 ; Otatara Bush : painting and repairs, John Swap, Ll3 ; North Invercargill : painting residence, Gumming and Cushen, L 5 Bs. (3) That the Mataura Committee's application for an assistant teacher had been granted. (4) That the Otama Committee had been requested to consult with the headmaster and thereafter recommend some suitable person for appointment as pupil teacher, the person so appointed to act as sewing mistress. (5) That Mrs Campbell, of Fernhills, had been informed that the Board was satisfied with the explanation of the teacher relative to the complaints preferred by her against him, and saw no reason to interfere ; and, further, that the teacher's action in permitting the attendance of a pupil over fifteen years was perfectly legal, the committee's consent having been given. (6) That the explanation of the Guuimies Bush teacher as to the unsatisfactory nature of the Inspector's report had been accepted as satisfactory. The carpenter was instructed to report ( 1 ) On the best means of abating the nuisance caused by small birds nesting under the eaves of the Wyndham school building, the report to be forwarded to the school committee with the intimation that the Board expected them to bear the cost of the necessary work ; (2) On the application of the Clifton committee for a teacher's residence ; (3) on the application of the Gibbston committee for painting the school building. It was decided to grant half the cost of the following works : — (1) Dividing fence between Waimatuku glebe and playground ; (2) shed and fencing glebe at Waikana ; (3) filling in ditch and erecting picket fence at Wairio ; (4) painting picket fence at Wyndham. The sum of Ll4 15s 6d was voted as a grant of three-fourths of the cost of fencing at Longridge village. Steps were ordered to be taken to secure section 13, block 1, Otautau, as a school site, it being decided to hold over the committee's application for an exchange of sections, with a view to enlarging the playground. The Gordon Committee applied for half the cost of some tree planting.— Refused for want of funds. An application from the Mossburn Committee for rent allowance for their teacher was refused. Tenders were ordered to be called for painting and repairs to the residence at Wallacetown, and for repairs and an additional chimney to the residence at Ryal Bush. An application from Mr Edgar for a lease of section 43, block 20, Shotover, was referred to the Queenstown Committee for an expression of their opinion. Final consideration of establishing a school at Mataura Island waspostponed for the time being. It was resolved that the usual steps should be taken to constitute a new school district at Wendon and to elect a committee. In accordance with the Inspector's report it was decided to take no further action at present in the matter of establishing a school at Seaward Downs. The Inspector was requested to report on a request from the Women's Christian Temperance Union that Dr B, W. Richardson's Temperance Lesson Book should be included in the Board's authorised list, and also to supply the Board with a complete list of all the books used in the schools. The matter of procuring exhibits for the Education and Science Court at the Dunedin

Exhibition was left in the hands of the Inspector. The carpenter was instructed to prepare specifications for the supply of 120 sets of drawing models as recommended by the Inspector, tenders for supplying the same to be invited, and the secretary was directed to intimate to teachers that a set could be obtained for each school" on application at the Board's office. The Inspector was requested to furnish the Board with his inspection reports in dupli cate, one copy of each report to be forwarded to the teacher of the school affected with instructions to lay it before his or her committee. Inspector Braik reported that he had examined the school at Half Moon Bay, Stewart Island, with the following result : Passes, 44 per cent : failures, 0. Mr McLeod, in accordance with notice given, moved: — "That the Board take into consideration whether the business hitherto clone by the Executive Committee may not be more effectively performed by two committees and with less inconvenience to individual members, and if these ends appear to be attainable that the Bo^rcl take into consideration how the work now done by tho Executive Committee may be divided between two committees and two committees appointed accordingly. " The object of the motion, he said, was principally to enable country members such as himself to attend thoroughly to the business of the Board. The work done by the Executive Committee was so great and its meetings necessarily so frequent that he found it impossible to attend to the business* : bo carefully and scrupulously as he would j like t£>, and he thought that if the business : was divided, feftfoww WQ cpromittasa ttw>

system would give greater satisfaction to the members. — Mr Froggatt seconded the motion pro fortna, but failed to see the utility of the proposal. Of course it was inconvenient for country members to attend frequent meetings of the Executive Committee, but they had always the opportunity of being present when anything of special interest to them was brought forward. He thought the existing system preferable to the one proposed by Mr McLeod. — Mr Lumsden said nothing could be gained by the proposed alteration. It would be scarcely practicable to divide the business of the Board, and even if it were done the only result wonld be interminable discussions at the meetings of the -Board over questions which some of the members would not have previously had an opportunity of considering. At present members who were not present at the committee meetings had an opportunity of challenging any recommendations or reports at the meetings of the Board. — Mr Bain also failed to see his way to support the motion. He had had the feeling for a long time that too much was done in committee and that it would be better for the public if more of the business was discussed at the open meetings of the Board, but he was not at present prepared to . move in the matter. He could uot agree with Mr McLeod that the business was not well attended to under the existing system; it was well and carefully attended to, and members had the opportunity of becoming acquainted with all matters prior to their coming before the Board. The committee work was now well in hand, and more than two meetings a mouth would probably be unnecessary. — Mr Mackintosh said the present system worked very well indeed, and expressed the opinion that it would be impossible to properly divide the work. — The Chairman said that if the resolution

was adopted it would lead to a veiy great deal of useless discussion at the Board's meetings. — Mr McLeod in reply said he did not think interminable discussions neM be feared any more than under the existing system, as already the members had the right to object to any of the committee work at the Board's meetings. Other bodies such as the Invercargill Borough Council had experienced no difficulty in dividing the business among different committees, and he believed that if the same course were followed the work would be done even more efficiently than at present. — On being r put the motion was lost, all the members except Mr McLeod voting against it. Mr Mackintosh, according to notice, moved — That in future persons having complaints for redress shall apply first to the school committees before bringing the matter before the Board. — The motion was seconded by Mr Froggatt and carried, it being remarked that the spirit of the resolution had generally been carried out in the past, that in nine cases out of ten complaints were first made to the committees. Accounts and salaries amounting to L 2006 8s Sd were passed for payment and the Board adjourned.