TIMABU HIGH SOHOOL.

Timaru Herald, Volume XXXVI, Issue 2412, 15 June 1882, Page 5

TIMABU HIGH SOHOOL.

; The ordinary monthly meeting- of the Board of Governors of the Timaru High School wat held on June 6th. Present — Mr B-. A. Chishclm (Chairman), Messrs Belfield, Clulee, Wakefield, LeCren and ' Ber. WGillies. BBOTOB's BBFORT. , The im'nntet of tbe previous meeting having been read by the Secretary and confirmed, the Rector, Mr Dawson, read his report for tbe month. The report stated that the attendance wat— Boys, 78 ; girls, 52 ; total, 130 ; a slight increase on the total for ' tbe March quorter. The fact that the attendance of boys bad increased 100 per cent during the past year, while ; the attendance of girls remained almost stationary, snggstUd that a bsw and separate school should be built for a Girls' High School. Tbe time seemed opportune for applying to Parliament for financial assistance, at applications of ' tbe kind were to be made by other districts. The Sector suggested -that a turn of £3000 should be atked for, £2000 to be spent m building a new girls' school, and £1000 to be invested to furnish an annual fund for moseum purpose*. An examination hnd been held the previous Saturday, m accordance with a resolution of the Board, for tbo vacant soholaisbip, two boys and three girls competing. The scholarship was won by Matter W. . F. Ward. Tbe reflecting telescopo that bad ' been offered to tbe Board had been - examined, and it wat found that . it had been so damaged that m 'its present ttats it WM uteletr.; A -few load* ot

spent tan wero required for tlie ground, under swing* and gymnastic apparatus. A short discussion took place on the Rector's suggestion . that application should be' made to Purliament for. ' a .building grant. . Tha Chairman thought that £3000 would '.not.' be . too much to ask for the new school only. The Keotor named «cYeral placoi from which it was proposed to send applications to Parliament for grants. ■ . • Mr Gillies said this sohool had not yet received Bny grant from the General Government. .The only grants thay had reoeiTed had been made by the old Provincial Government. He. moved, 1 and Mr Clulee seconded—" That application be made to tbe Government to place . on the Estimates a sum of ,£3OOO for building a Girls' High School, and that the Chairman, Mr LeCreD, the mover, and the Rector, be appointed a Committee to draw up a statement of the . groonds on which the grant is asked for." Mr Wake Geld was asked if he would act *s a member, but he declinsd, stating that be was entirely opposed to the proposal, on principle, Tho motion was carried, the _moTer, seconder, and Mr LeCren voting for it. SCHOOL APPABATUa. . A letter was read from Weuri Hutton and Co , relative to an order tent Home through thorn for scientiSo apparatus for school use. Tbe order had been completed and the goods shipped per Famenotb, which Tessel had become a total wreck on (the Goodwin Sands. The order had been again put m hand for re-execution, so that an extra delay of a few months must elapse before the. articles could be delivered. The letter also stated that the speculum of the telescope would be ra-silrered to repair the damage (referred. to m tbe Hector's report). •■ The Rector remarked that reflecting telescopes of small size were now out of date, and a refractor giving equally good results with this £25 refloctor, could be got for £5. The Chairman stated that ha. had made some enquiries respecting dumb-bells and olubs for the use of .tho girls, and the balance of opinion seeming to be against their use, he bad deferred purchasing the apparatus. (Letters read.) The Drill Instructor at the. Dunedin Girls' High School expressed the opinion thai no benefit could be derived from dumb-bell or club exercises, unless tbe girls wore special costume j that more barm than good would accrue. if the exercises were taken by ttatm m their ordinary costume. : The Rector taid he did not approve of teaching calisthenics m sohool, unleta they were properly taught m a suitable gymnasium. Mr Gillies thought some useful exercises could be taken even io ordinary costume, and suggested that the dumb-bells and club* should be obtained, and such .use made of them as was possible. On the motion of Mr LeCren, seconded by Mr Clulee, it was, resolted to po»tpone pro r outing the appliances for the present. OOMPLAISIS. Letters were read from Mr J. Goodall and Dr Hammond complaining that their boys had been given too much home work, and m some cases also " impositions " m addition. . The Rector made an explanation, and the matter was left with tbs Chairman ; to . deal with further. t THB HBW HIGH SCHOOL BIIX. The Chairman draw attention to the fact that it had sppearedin the papers that the member for Gladstone had introduced a Bill into tba House of Representatives to alter the constitution of the Board.. Tbe Board had not been consulted by Captain Sutter, but they ought to know something about it. Mr LeCren thought that Captain. Sutter had shown great discourtesy to hit fellowmembers of tho. Board m not informing them of bis intention or consulting them m any way, Tho Chairman said the Bill proposed that four members should be : elected for the Borough of Timarn, and that each of > the County Councils of; Geraldine, Waimate, and Tim&ru should nominate, one. Why four should ba elected for the Boroogh and three nominated, he . could not understand. Had the Bill proposed that the whole Board should be elected, he would have been, m favor of it, but tbe proposed arrangement was neither one thing nor the other. He oould not see where tbe improvement was. After a convention on tbe subject it wat agreed that the Chairman should telegraph for a copy of the Bill, to be sent down as soon as printed, and if he thought it advisable, io call a meeting of the ' Board to consider it. ACCOUNTS. The Chairman stated that of £2000 which had been offered for investment, £1500 had been lent at 7 per cent /or five years on a [good property. . | ' Aeoounts amounting to £174 Is lOd were passed for payment. L?WBTH OP.TEBMB. , . ..Mr Gillies brought forward the motion, of which he had given notice, to alter the, dates .tor the dosing of the terms this year,. in order to lessen ths total of the holidays given m the year. He submitted a. statement showing that, adding seven days for occasional publio holidays to the holidays scheduled, and deducting two or three days wb;ch he was of opinion would be lost as working, days, there would beonly 182 working. days,, just half the year. ' . . ■•• The matter was Tery fully . gone, into, but Mr Gillies met with no support. .Tbs Chairman argued that it was not worth while altering the published prospeotus for tbe sake of getting a few days' more work. He had taken the dates from the Chriatchurch College prospectus, and thought at the time" ha was following a very good authority. Mr Belfield seconded ths motion pro forma, and on being put it was loit, the mover only voting for it. - : . ■ . , The meeting then terminated. .