BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13673, 11 April 1908, Page 5

BIBLE-IN-SCHOOLS.

A COMMITTEE'S POWERS.

APPEAL COURT ACTION.

Per Press^AWcia^ip^t, *- ,"' WELLINGTON^ Aprft 10. Tliis afternoon the Court,, of Appeal (Judge Williams, DenniWn, fklWardi, and Chapman) commenced tne hearing of the case Bruce and others v. the Wanganui Education Board and another. This was an- appeal from the decision of Judge Cooper. She appellant was "a school coinntrttee- ; an the Wano-anni district, and- * respondentswere" tlie Wangatiui Education Board and Henry Marrott Payne* head- teacher of the Queen's Park School.:-*. The school hours fed by the; respqrident j Board Were five hours a dayi tor, nve days in the week. Appellants on November 11 passed a resolution that f the school hours in the .'district should be five hours on four days of the week and four and on 1 the>nfth. day.. They -instructed respondent" Payne to carry out this resolution and. -notified, the respondent Board of their action. Their object in passing the resolution was to allow half- ~tm< hour a week for; religious instruction, and the use of the. school for this purpose was granted tothe. Ministers' Association -for half an I hour taken out of school hours'. Re>: apo&dent Payne fOTWardedj, the iesolu-i tion to the Education Boartt, Which in-, structed M2u; noVt»v obey % and thenj notified appellants that they would noti allow the alteratiqn in school hours.v Plaintiffs then -commenced an action in the Supreme" Court at Wanganui,; claiming an injuction to restrain tne' s respondent Board, from over-ruling its decision and % wto* of manflamils to compel respondent Payne to carry out their instructions. Judge 1 Copper, who had heard the action/ held, that^by section 120 of the Education Act, 1904, the committee was,.su,bject to the control^ of the Board and 'dismissed the action with £10 10s costs. The committee, then brought this appeal. Mr M. Myers appeared for appellants, ajid MrC. P. Skerrett, K.C., and Mr HutWa for respondents. Mr Myers, on behalf of appellants, contended that the committee had power to fix the school hours, and the Education .Board had no controlling power in this matter.. The case was not concluded wne|i the Court adjourned til! Mpnday. , ,