TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 82, 26 March 1908, Page 4

TARANAKI EDUCATION BOARD

The Education Board continued it? meeting yesterday morning, when all the menil>ers were present. SCHOOL AND CHURCH. A deputation from the Upjier Kent Road Committee (Mc-.-r-. Southcoml>c and Chatterton) waited on the Board and explained their reasons for refusing the Salvation Army permission to hold services in the s-choolrooin. Mr. Chatterton pointed nut that the Primitive Methodist Church was available for tlv asking. The depul.uion pointed nut thai the school was already used for tea meetings, Sunds . school, etc.. an:l the school furniture was disturbed fo such an ' the teachers constantly The B ..I leave the matter entirely in . , of the committee. XATI\E SCHOOLS.

In the absence of any application from the Maori-; at Parihaka the Education Department lias at present no intention of establishing a school in that loealitv. Experience has shown the futility of expecting any success for a school estaolished in a native district in advance, of a desire for it from the people theinl selves. It would either be ignored or upon any attempt to exercise compulsion the people would probably move elsewhere.

The Education Department advised that the Pnniuo native school was to be handed over to the Board as from March 31st. The Minister would be glad if the Board could see its way !•) take over the teacher, Mr. P. H. Clciance, D2, with the school, and that the present committee of four Maoris anl a European should be retained to the end of the year. | Mr. denianee's letter to the Department suggesting the retentiou of Miss Ciemanee's services was read and ap proved. Mr. Ueinance jiointed out that Miss Clemance had made a careful

study of the phonetic method of teaching English as recommended by the Inspector of Native Schools, and would be of more assistance in that respect than one having no experience of teaching English to Maori children. He hat good reason to believe that the retaining of his daughter in the school, with a special view of advancing the Maori children, would tend to appease any dissatisfaction tue natives might feel at the change of control. SALARIES..

Mr. R. G. Whetter, assistant inspector, asked for an increase of salary. He had noticed that no other inspector in New ealand received less than £306 a year; in fact, most of them were paid at a much higher rate. Moreover, seeing that an inspector was placed in such a position of responsibility that he had not only to report on the work of the highest paid teachers in his district, but as a part of his duty he was expected to give advice as to the organisation and methods adopted in even the largest schools, it was surely an anomaly that he should receive a salary less than that given to headmasters of many of the schools. He pointed out that the Board'? inspector-, in addition to their ordinary duties as inspectors, had in their hands the management of manual and technical education for the whole cf this district. This entailed on them a considerable amount of work that in some of the larger education districts was done by one or more directors apart from the inspectors. In order to keep abreast of the work he was not infrequently at the office before 8.30 a.m, and had to come back to the office almost everv night. FINANCE COMMITTEE. ' The Finance Committee recommended the payment of £6 8s for draining at Newall school; that the matter of additions to the Lepperton School and the Rahotu school and residence be referred to the inspector and architect for their report; tltat the matter of insuring the new offices be left in the liands of 'be Chairman, with power to act; and that the application from Mr. Whetter for an increase of salary be granted to the eitent of £25 a year, and the committee suggested that such increase was a fair charge on the technical fund.— Adopted. STRATFORD. Mr. ('. D. Sole wrote as follows:•'Please accept my resignation as a ■member of the Stratford Technical School Committee. I don't like holding a position as a tigure-head. but on a body like this prefer to have something to do. There has been no meeting for some time. There is no chairman, and, generally speaking, things seem to be drifting. The Stratford School Committee is putting the grounds in order, and at the end of March will have things j cleaned up and put right, .lust at this time, speaking a- one of the public. I should say you require an exceptionally vigorous committee to keep the public alive to the advantages ottered to their sons and daughters at the school." APPom ME\TS. Mr. Rogers was appointed one of the Board's nominees on the Stratford Technical School Committee, in place of Mr. Monkhou-e (resigned I.

iih» Mailman, teacher at Tahora aa.l Harimoana -elwoK having resigned on account of the travelling difficulties, th* appointment »f a teacher was left in the hands of the I liuirm.'in. Mr. Morison was appointed to fill the vacancy on the teachers' selection committee. Messrs. Wade and Faull were reappointed the Board's representatives on the Taranaki School Commissioners. OTHER BCSIXESS.

Mr. .1. P. Bilski. secretary of the Rat.ipiko Coniniittee, complained that storm water was damaging the school aud ground*.—Now being remedied. Mr. Jas. .T. Waite wrote urging tu? necessity for the erection of a teacher's residence at I'ruti, tlie teacher being unable to obtain board with any of the settler*.

The Education Department wrote refusing to pay the ten shillings weeklv charged by Mr. Pennington for the use of a room in his house at I'urangi for school purposes, aud limiting its amount to as.—The Board will apply to have a school erected there. The Board decided that it could not apply to tlie Department for an allowance in lieu of travelling in the case ot 'Mis* Billing, the winner of a £lO Board scholarship at the recent examination.-.