SCHOOL COMMITTEES' CONFERENCE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2833, 25 June 1895, Page 2

SCHOOL COMMITTEES' CONFERENCE.

The annual meeting of the South Canterbuay School Committees' Conference was held in Timaru on Saturday, Mr J. S. Keith presiding over a meeting of 18 delegates. The school committees represented when the roll was called at the opening of the meetiug were : —Adair, Burke's Pass, Cave, Claremont, Kakahu Bush, Milford, Pakihi, Pareora, Raugitata Island, St. Andrews, Seadown, Smkerlauds, Timaru, Waimataitai, Waitohi Flat, Waahdyke. Mr R. Bowie, secretary, read the minutes and the correspondence. Among the latter was the following : Copies of letters sent to kindred jcoufereuces, to the Department, Education Board, local members of the House of Representatives, etc., conveyiug copies of the resolutions passed at the last meeting, and a few replies thereto. Mr Hall-Jones wrote expressing his approval of several of the resolutions, and especially of the proposal that school books and other requisites should be provided by the Department to secure uniformity, and without direct charge to the children. The Department have in hand the preparation cf a set of reading books which should now be almost ready for the press. The Woodbury Committee wrote raising the question of written home lessons, and the Raugitata Island Committee that ef the heavy tax on householders for the support of aided schools. Tlie annual report of the executive was then read as follows :—" Your executive, in bringing before you this their first annual report, regret that the result of their labors has not been very great, but consider that seed has beeu sown which in the future will Iring forth good fruit. And if committees will only give the conference their support and take an interest in it they will find it to their advantage, as even meeting together to discuss educational matters must have some beneficial influence. As agreed at the last conference, your executive have communicated with the Education Department iu Wellington, the Board of Education here, the member* of the House of Representatives for the district, and also with kindred conferences. They also endeavoured to influence the election of members for the Board of Education, but owing to the lamented death of Mr Goldsmith, there was practically no election. But your executive would ask committees in future elections to nominate aud vote only for those candidates who were in favour of the views put forth by this conference. Since the business paper was sent out to the committees the following suggestions of subjects for discussion by the conference have been made by the Woodbury committee: — 'That the Education Act be amended and that school-teachers in primary schooh be prohibited from giving their scholars any written work at home.' The balance sheet as laid before you shows that many committees have not yet paid th •• small levy asked from them; delegates will please do so at the close of this meeting." The balance-sheet showed receipt of contributions from 18 committees, 2s aach, £ll6s; expenditure, printing and advertising £1 10s 6d, postages 9s 6d, stationery Is 6d ; leaving a debit balance of os 6d.

Tho chairman, iu raovißg the adoption of the report and balance-sheet, expressed regret at the loss which had been sustaiued by the cause of education through the death of the late chairman of the Education Board, and, accepting a suggestion from the Arundel Committee, he thought the conference should pass a vote of condolence with Mrs Goldsmith. Mr R. Smith (Winchester) seconded the motion, and expressed regret that the committees did not take the iuterest they should in the conference. At present they were all separate* and antagonistic, when by pulling together they cou'd obtain many amendments, through influencing the Board of Educatiou, and, through tho board, they could if necessary influence the Minister of Education. United they could do a great deal, disunited they could do nothing. He hoped that before the next annual meeting all the committees would have joined. The report and balance-sheet were adopted. The election of the Executive resulted in the reappointment of the retiring officers. S»me motions, of which notice had been given, were next taken. The first referred to the rulo that delegates to the conference must be members vi school committees. Mr Smith moved an amendment, which was carried, to provide that members of the Executive may retain office till the annual meeting, though disqualified by the geaeral rule. Mr Smith moved—" That iu the opinion of this conference clause 6 of the Education Act be erased from the Act, as clause 9 embodies all the qualifications necessary for the election." Tho purpose of the alteration is to do away with the receipt aud porting up of written nominations for school committee elections a week before the elections. Mr Smith explained that clause 9 had been added to tho Act to remedy an evil which had made itself apparent under clause 6. It must have been forgotten to take out clause 6. Mr Graham defeuded tho written nominations ; they were found very useful in his district. The motion was carried by 12 to G. Mr It. Smith brought up the matter of the supply of maps and wall pictures for schools; many committees were not aware that the Board of Education has a stock of such things for d'stributiou to the schools.. —It was resolved that the Board of Education be respectfully requested to notify all school committees of the arrival of school requisites. The question of aided schools was raised by the delegate fiom Kangitata Station, who condemned tho demand of the Education Board for payments towards the teachers' salaries. His committee had to pay i!J a y-ar, which was too much these hard times. If a school falls below 25 tho committee has to make a contribution, whilst in North' .'an ter'.ury no such demoud is made until a school falls below 12. The chairman said t'onj was u,i .such thing as an aided school in <)!;t;.;o. A resolution was moved by .Mr .'Jell (Soulhblini)-" Tnat the lioatd of ;M::cation take over the aided >.-1h,..!s .-Mid treat them as ordinary -oli" ■!;.' s ■•>>:-• siderahle disc istdoii ensued, ia ti'r ;muv e of which it was siiLvi.'.'W'd that (he minimum mi,lit buiow.'H,.! to 1\ Eventually an amendment a '-- :: '■*-•> ur.aiom o;;sly --"That the e\ecui :■•••• of !ln> confcienco bo requested to ta!<a- the matter of aided schools into cM-ei.'raiion." Mi- (M-aliar.i , Kakahu ibish) brought und'T noiiee an anomaly in the payment of -i'wit.L' no-;reuses. If ihero v.ero a school of -'a', it be of li'.t boys and 1 i_'ir!. a .-i \s \-r.! mistress would be | a j,|. but a ■•eio "'. of 'JO, though there wore '2O .;irls and '.» boys, was nut allowed payment for a .saving mj.stvet,s. The eoiittia-.uu-should hviug sumo pressure to bqur upy^

the board to get rid of this anomaly. At his school, for exampio, they had had 15 to 19 girls taught sewing by a skilful mistress, but as tin) attendance was generally below 30, she had only been paid for one quarter in thrne years. —No motion was proposed, and the conference procoodod to the next business. The chairman moved a vote of condolence with Mis Goldsmith on the death of her husband, and this was carried unanimously. Ou the letter from Woodbury regarding home lessons, Mr Smith said there were very few home lessons given nowadays, and it appeared that the Woodbury objection was to winter lessons only. H« thought it lay with the teachers themselves. The chairman said that there was no need to amend the Education Act. The Otago Board had instructed all teachers not to give home lessons, except reading history in the upper standards. The Temuka school last year made a splendid pass after a year without home-lessons, and .Sydenham had done exceedingly well without them. Mr Frazer raised the question of dis tant committees being allowed to appoint a proxy, the latter to be a member of some committee. He wished to alter the rule at once, but the chairman ruled that notice must be given to amend the adopted rules. Mr Watson moved—" Seeing that Bchool committees are called upon to very largely contribute to the funds for building additions, aud to effect repairs, etc., it is the opinion of this conference that the control of schoolrooms may be very safely left iu the hands of the committees, to be let for public meetings for instruction or amusements." The motion on being put was lost by 7 to 4. Votes of thauks were then passed to the executive for their services during the past year; to the mayor and town clerk for the use of the room for meeting in; and to the chairman for his conduct of the meetiug; and the Conference terminated,