OFFICERS ELECTED

Stratford Evening Post, Volume I, Issue 76, 9 March 1931, Page 2

OFFICERS ELECTED

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE SATURDAY'S MEETING At the meeting of the Educational Institute on Saturday the following officers were elected: —President, Mr. L. B. Galbraith (Fraser Road); vicepresident, Mr. L. J. Furrie (Stratford) ; honorary secretary and treasurer, Mr. Thos. Taylor (Normanby); assistant secretary, Miss Ritchie (Stratford); honorary auditor, Mr. R. E. Thomas (Eltham); executive, Miss D. Moore (Stratford), Mr. J. Thomas (Hawera), Mr. D. G. Sherson (Manaia), Mr. T. Linaham (Rahotu) and Miss Terry (Hawera); grading advocate, Mr. Thos. Taylor. The secretary and assistant secretary were granted the usual honoraria of £ls and £5 respectively. "That the present regulations governing the appointment of probationers are not in the best interests of an agricultural and pastoral country." This remit, to go forward to the annual conference, was carried unanimously, members stating that they did not like these particular regulations. In moving the remit, Mr. Thomas Taylor stressed the fact that under the present regulations equality of opportunity was not given town and country children. Hardy Annual The other remit from the executive was the hardy annual: "That as an attempt will be made this session to introduce religious instruction into schools the executive be urged to take a referendum of members in order to find out the opinion of the institute on the contents of the Bill. Following upon a brief discussion on the question of refeerndum generally, Mr. E. Coleman moved as a further remit that in matters of a contentious nature the executive, be permitted to take a referendum of members. "I move in this matter," said Mr. Coleman, "because I am convinced that fully 50 per cent, of the teachers in our branch are not represented. Their appointments are too far out in the country to enable them to attend meetings." The remit was carried on a show of hands. On behalf of an absent member, Mr. Furrie moved a remit that promotion in grade of a teacher owing to the rise in grade of his school should remain in force only as long as the school remained in that grade and the teacher be not entitled to transfer to another school if his own grade fell. This remit, was lost. Other remits were dealt with as follows: Once a position is advertised in the Gazette it be not used as a reason for transfer. —Carried. That the department be urged either to reduce the number of probationers next year or to make no new appointments and that, unemployed extrainees be employed as additional assistants temporarily in place of probationers until permanent appointments can be found. —Carried. That Education Boards be given discretionary power in the appointment of married women teachers. — Carried. That superannuation be based ou the teacher's best three years of service and not necessarily on the last three. —Carried. That teachers who failed to join the superannuation fund as probationers be allowed to do so on payment of arrears, plus compound interest. — Carried.

That in assessing superannuation the effect on salaries of the 10 per cent, cut be not taken into account. — Carried.

Thai, the executive call the attention of the Prime Minister to an inconsistency in his recent financial statement. Whereas reductions in salaries were justified with a view to maintaining existing staffing, considerable reductions in staffing in the Education Department have been effected. This was adopted unanimously, as also was a further motion to the effect, that, a protest, be made against, tho continued unemployment cf probationary assistants, the lack of whose assistance and the consequent enlargement of classes to meet reduced staffs caused a detrimental reaction upon the children. The matter of increasing the amount donated to the earthquake relief funds (£250) was left to the cem tral executive to deal with as it thought fit.