CORRESPONDENCE

Colonist, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 8326, 14 August 1895, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE

While desirous to give publicity to tlie ditcuision of matters of public interest, toe are not necessarily to be identified with the opinions of our correspondents . Correspondents must write on one side of the paper only. Rejected manuscript ivill not be returned.

To the Editor of thd Colonist. Sib,— The Nelson Eduoation Board, in acceding to the request of oertain priests to inßpeot their private sectarian sohools, has not only gone o&tside its duties, bat has apparently been false to its trußt,- which is to carry out our Staie sys'em of education with fidelity and int rgritr. No one oan fail to, eea that there ia an ulterior motive behind' this request for inspeotion, and the Chairman Of the Board (to bis honor, be it sa ; d, " amongst the faithless only faithful he") spoke the truth when he said that he believed that it would result in denominational schools being encouraged. Sir, we want men in our public bodies who are possessed of backbone, wbo wi.l do tbeir duty unflinchingly, taming neither to the left nor right — men above lay or clerioal inflUenoeß, pandering to neither sect nor party ; and not a lot of invertebrates, suoh as the present Board id oomposed of. Yours, etd., Mac.

To the Editor of the Colonist. Sib, — In yonr report of the meeting of the Eduoation Board, you say that letters to the Committee from Mrs Williams were read, in whicb she withdraws an angry expression in a former letter, and explained tbat the absences complained of were caused by her being weatherbound in T.kaka. The Committee sent a copy of ooe of her letters fe holidays, and the Board saya that ehe was indiscreet in writing suoh ; but where I did the letter oome from re the withdrawal and explanation ? Not from the Committee, for they have never reoeived any snoh. At the Committee meeting, when tbe teacher was suspended, Mrs Williams attended ; and when epoken to respecting the register not being correct, " Give it to me," said she, " I will Boon alter tbat." The Committee refased to allow her to alter it, yet ehe tells the Board tbe error was put right. The. Committee, througb their Chairman, are called upon by the law to certify that the quarterly and ether reports _re correct The attendanoe register is what they have to guide tbem, and when they know it is not kept oorreotly, and no explanation is tend red to them, they oonsidered tbey were justified in the aotion they took. Yours, etc, John Skilton, Chairman of Committee. Bookville, AugUßt 9tb.