TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXIII, Issue 57, 28 March 1901, Page 2

TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD.

The Education Boird met on Wednesday. Prosant : Mr McAUum (Chairman), Miss Feywood, Messrs Adlan, Wadp, Allsworth, Mackay,, Kennedy, Faull and Hignett. The Chairman's action in appointing Mr Kitchingman temporary teacher at Ngariki road, and transferring Mr H. White, pupil teacher at Rahotu, to Omita, was confirmed.

The Architect was instructed to attend to some necessary reparations at Kaimata.

An application frem the Denbigh road CoMmittee for a teacher's residence could not be entertained owing to lack of funds.

I A subsidy of £ for £up to £8 was .voted towards a shelter shed at Tarata.

The fnglewood Committee applied for the erection 0/ £ waßhhouse at Norfolk road residence, but no funds were available.

The following appointments were made : Tataraimaka, Miss S. M. Cross ; Bird road, Miss N. Hapwsrfch ; Ratapiki, Mr Jennings ; Denbigh road (Sewing), Miss Federsen. Resignations were accepted from Miss .&. Wade, "Upper Mangorei ; Mr ;0. W. Field, Ngarikj. The usual steps are to be taken for filling the vacancies. The appointment of a pupil teacher for., Rahotu was left in the Chairman's! bauds. I

The &'ew 'Plymouth Committee are to be informed that the question of appointing an extra pupil teacher at the Central School will be considered when the quarterly return? «'• "to

hind, tho Chairman beiog authorisedj to den! with tun matter. j

Mrs. Kemp wrote stating that herj dauslitsr, who wns well qualified, wa". desirous of starting cookery classes, «itfe thft assistance of tho Board. The matter wis leforred to She Finance Committee, who had tho qxestum of technical education undar consideration. „ ,

The Inglewood Committeo notified closing of "the schools on certain days. Their'attantien is to be called to clause •SO of the Board's regulations f«- to i holidays. Mrs. Rowling's request for a watertap in her residence was referred to the architect to have carried eut. The Westlacd branch of the N.Z. Educational Institute wrote forwarding a resolution congratulating the 1 Board on its loyal support of the Department in its endeavour to inaugu*' rate a colonial scale of salaries the Board thus sicking all its own self-in-terest in the cause of justica. The letter was ordered to be acknowledged. Mr. Collins' request for deduction frem his pay for reasons explained by him was agreed t% Miss Haywood reported with refer eo'ce to a letter from thaStratford Committee on sowing, that the size of the garment seat in for examination rested ontirely with the tsacbers, size having no influence with the examiners, who, however, had always been of opinion that garments should bo made of a useful size, many of those sent in being too small to fit even a very young child. A copy of the report is to be sunt to the Stratford Committee.

A telegram was read from the Otago Board earnestly requesting co-opera-tion in urging the Government to grant to the Boards, equal representation' on the Koynl Commission on educational matters, Mr Fienett movid in efleob that the request he complied with. He said he had noticed in tho pre3B how the Commission was constituted and he considered it was only fair that the various Education Boards should be given equal representation on it. Mr Mackay expressed his surprise at the course taken by Mr Hignotf. and eensidered that the motion should not be passed. The Government had always treated the Board most fairly and the Commission was eompjsod of men who carried great weight and were ea« titled to every confidence It appeared to him as if there was a suspicion of politics at the bottom of the Obajse Board's actio a, or else that Board was desirous of aciing as the hub of the universe.

i Mr. Allsworth said h 9 could not support the motion as, should tl»e prin oiple incorporated in it be adoptel, it would give the Otago atd similar Boards three members and Tarannki only one. If the Commission wore enlarged in the manner proposed it would nob only be vory unwi :ldly but enormously expensive and would probably lead to a continuance of tho [present state of educational aft'dirs instead of effecting improvements. He considered the pcrsanel of the Commission was entirely satisfactory and favourable to the interest* of bath the Urge and small schook. There was bo trace of political bias in the selection of the members who w*r« all, in every way, worthy of tbecenfidenoa of the Boards, The advantage of a small Commisiion was that jit could travel about and obtain evi r d«nce in various loiialitifs so that Education Boards would be *b'e to place their views before the Commission, He ww quite satisfied that the Depsrtmeßjt' waj aptnated by a dew're to leal fairly ai)4 thoroughly wjth the matter, »b4 ha suggested fchat 9 Committee should be S«fc U9 t(» PFWre details to be brought fc«fw» t»8 Cfimmissipn, Ho painted out that ftt the last meeting the Board rafus*)d point blank te agree to a proposal for a conference as suggested by the Ofcago Board and yet it was now asked to throw itself into the arms of the fame Board. The matter was one th*t required careful consideration and should ! have been made the subject of a notice .ofmo'ion. Mr, ?aull agreed T?ith tha last speaker and pointed out that if the pioposal wore adopted some of the Boards would gat only haif a memos!". The Chairman said that the Deportment had been mo ■•■■*> fair in their dealings wi±h the Board ns was shown by the faet that Taranaki had received a fifth of the special grani; and he considered that no tbstaeles should he placed in the way of carrying out the work of th,e Commission. Mr. Wade said he would nave liked more information on the majfcter before giving his vote. j Mr. Hignett, in reply, disclaimed! any intention ef imputing that tbt>' selection of members was affected by political motives, but he strongly objected to the principle whereby the! Covernment selectedthe mpuibers without f insulting the Boards in any wiy. ft was a pii-oiple that was no 1 ; to bs tolerated. He contended that the

reason why so many Commissi ms proved abortive waa due to the selection r>f the ms mberg. | Mr. Adhm moved to postpone the matter till the next meeting, but the amendment faciei to s-oute a seounder, On a division tho motirn vns rej. cted by sf© 4, Messrs. McAllum, Wnd<*. Allsworth, Mackay, and Faull votjog with the Noes.

The Ladifs Committee's report dealing with the complaint of the <own School Committee as to the examination of sowing was laid tefjro the Board. A eepy is to be sent to each iflamber of the Boird, and the report considered at & future meeting, Messrp. ESiull and Hignett reported in favour of complying with the petition of the Mirai settlers for a school. They recommended that a site of about an acre be obtained at the junction ef two roads and in a flentral position, Mr. Gibbons having promised to g ; ve ha'f an acre, Mr. Paul] detailed the result of the inspeetJoa of tho Ip-ality, and stated that as the holdings were being cut up and a daily faciei y had started the;e was every prospect of the population increasing. The report was adopted,with thanks to the committee for the same, and it, was deoided that s'eps be taken ta secure the pjto.jyostd site through tho School Commissioßertf,The Cuairmaw reported that ho with Mr. Allsworth had interviewed Mr. Strauchon with refor«nea to acquiring the sohool ti'o at Pohokura, andjjjbad

arranged tho courso to be pursued. c , The report vas adopted, ami tho archi-jp tteb was instructed to c<,U for tendersjf, fcii- the school.building, to be in by tbel s 1 22 nd proximo. j 0 : A grant «f £.?> -vf.ti wade to tho i.. j Library fund of tha Toko Commit-',) I toe. _ I,; I Mr Higuett, pursuant to notice, L 1 moved thtt negotiations bo entered f i:\to with tho Harbour Board for se- | cueing a suitable site fer offices on Mt. ( Elliot Reserve ; that the Harbour j Board be asked to co-operate and to gtafco whether any portion of the site , leservod for Harbour Board offices , , would ha available for the Education Board's! requiremonts, and if so on what terms. In support of the motion . he said that the Harbour Board hid j' reserved a site for it 3 own officoa and . were disposing of their reserve, so that t it would be well to open negotiations to 5 secure a site for the Education Board's . offices. The motion was carried. 3 Mr Paull, pursuant to notice, moved !, that the Finance Committee report on u Board Fund as per seotion 39 of yr the Act. The motion was carried, it being pointed out that the effect of tho ■'. resolution would bo that what had pre(l viously baan done in an informal way if by the Chairman would bo olfected by n the Committne who would prosent a ;e writtoa report, i. Accounts amounting to £1922 18.4 n 4d Wvt'e passed. jo The Board rose,