TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 192, 23 August 1900, Page 2

TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

The Education Board met on Wednesday. Present: Mr. Mcdllum (chairman), Miss Heywood, Messrs. Adlam, Wade, Allsworth, Mackay, Kennedy, Paull, and Hignett. The Architect's report as to the chimney at Salisbury Road School, is to be submitted to the Committee for their remarks.

Messrs. Mackay and Kennedy were appointed a committee to confer with the Stratford Committee on the question of accommodation at the new infant scheol. The consideration of tenders for the erection of the new school was postponed till the next meeting. An order was made for payment of £l2 towards the Tariki Road shelter shed, subject to the architect's favourable inspection. A subsidy of £ for £ up to £3 was granted towardstbe libraries at Cardiff and Tariki respectively. I The Architect is to report |on the complaint as to a smokey chimney at Kaimata.

The chairman of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board (Mr. F. P.Corkill) waited on the Board and stated

that Mr. Lister, the Truant Inspector, had been appointed caretaker of the Old People's Refuge, and he (Mr. Corkill) asked the Board to waive the usual month's notice from the Inspector.

Great regret was expressed by the

members at the prospect of losing such an efficient officer as Mr. Li=ter had proved himself to be, and his services were very highly spoken of, At the same time, it was considered that the appointment conferred on him by the Hospital Board was not only a recognition of Mr. Lister's good qualifications, but would, in a pecuniary sense, be advantageous to him, and therefore on that ground the Board were pleased to accede to Mr. Oorkill's request. The Chairman was accordingly authorised to accept Mr. Lister's resignation without waiting for the customary month's notice.

Tha question of painting the Albert

Road School, and the erection of an out-office there, and at Waitara, is to be considered at the allooAtion of the next building grant. An additional grant of XI 10s was voted towards the cost of fencing at Oaonui. The Waitara Committee' forwarded a resolution asking the Board to favourably consider the desirability of altering the time for appointing pupil teachers, as they considered the present systam did not seem conducive to the best interests of the education of children. —The Committee are to be informed that the Board did not see how it would be possible to so alter the time of appointing pupil teachers as to give universal satisfaction. In reply to the Committee's application for a' grant towards erecting swings, they are to be informed that the Board have

no funds. With regfcrd to the question

of painting the boundary fence, the Hoard expressed surprise at the Committee not havi»g carried out their promise.

Consent was given to the mid-day recess at Rowan Road School being shortened by 30 minutes and the schooi closed at 3 p.m. The Teachers' Selection Committee recommended that the following list of names be forwarded to the undermentioned committees for selection to till the vacant teacherships:—Dudley Road: Miss J. M. Riclnrdson, Messrs. W. R. Moore, F. C. Crookes, P. P. S. Finlayson, J. Morland, and Miss W. J. Aitken; for Huiakama: Messrs. W. R. Moore, P. P. S. FinlaysoD, J. Morland, and Misses Tillie and W. J. Aitken. The report was adopted. The Special Committee (Messrs. McAllum, Adlam, and AUsworth) appointed to inquire into the charges made against the teacher at Koru, reported that after an investigation lasting over seven hours, during which time over twenty witnesses were examined, the charges had tot been proved. The Committep further found that a number of settlers in the district who had children attending the school, bad not been asked to sign the* petition presented to the Board for been consulted about it, and on its being read over to them stated most emphatically that they disagreed with its contents. The report was considered in cpmi mittee. On resuming the report was

adopted, and the thauks of the Board were tendered to the committee for the

able way iu which they had conduoted the inquiry. An application by Mrs, McKoy for lease of section 27, block 1, Mimi, was referred to the Ilasems Oommittee with pswer to act. Miss Hickey's request tj ha allowed

to piss for the first yeu-'s pupil examination could not ba complied with. The Board were unablo to offer Miss Murphy any inducement to start cooking classes in the district. The question of fencing the Cour-tenay-street school was left in the hands of the Chairman, with power ta act. An order for apparatus was passed. The llatapiko Committee were granted £2 towards the cost of work done by them. | Mr. Chas. W. Mackay, 8.A., was; appointed examiner for scholarships. Pursuant to notice, Mr, Mackay moved that the Board urge on the Minister of Education the necessity of taking steps to secure the inspection of private as well of public schools, so as to make certain tint every child in the colony is receiving the benefits of a sound primary education. After considerable discussion, in which it was pointed out that so far as Roman Catholic schools in this district, were concerned, it might be possible to arrange for their inspection, but that the Government were not likely to start a special inspection of private schools, the motion was lost. The Chairman was requested to procure a map of the district, showing the educational acquirement 1 , for the use of the Board, at a cost not to exceed • £lO 10s. | Accounts were passed. | Mr. Hignett, pursuant to notice, moved a resolution in respect of a section of land in the Mimi S ])., vested in the School Commissioners, which, owing to some blunder, could not be: let, as there was no right-nf-; way to it. Ho said that Mr. Eastwood,' who was willing to take the land, had first applied to the Board, then to the

Commissioners, and subsequently to' the Laud Board, but could get no satisfaction from any of them. It appeared that the only way out of the difficulty was by obtaining a speciil Act of Parliament.

It was eventually decided that Mr. Eastwood's application for section 9, block 9, Okau, be referred to the School Commissioners, as an application for the land had fallen through, owing to there not being a right-of-way. The Board rose.