SCHOOL COMMITTEES' CONFERENCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVII, Issue 6063, 24 September 1894, Page 3

SCHOOL COMMITTEES' CONFERENCE.

A conference of members of school committees m Bouth Canterbury was held at the Timaru Main Bohool on Saturday. [There were over 30 members of committees present. Mr J J Grandi, chairman of the Timaru Committee waa voted. to the ohair, and Mr 0 S Frasor (Woimataitai) waa appointed secretary pro tern . . The chairman very briefly opened tbe meeting, aud the roll was then called as follows, for sohools represented and the representatives :— Adair, Bhepherd and Sadler ; Blackburn, Scott and Nalder ; Burke 1 s Pasß, MoLcod ; Canningtou, Eelland ; Claremonfc,.Belbje j Gapes' Valley, Wright ; Hilton, Bkinner ; Kingsdown, G Talbot ; Milford, E and J MoAuliffe ; Pareora, Black ; Eangitata Island, Burke ; Otaio Upper, Oopeland ; 8t Andrews, Blair and Keddie ; Scotaburo, D BfcFarlane ; Butherlandr, W Ohisholm ; Temuke, Levenr, Busaell and Scannell ; Timaru, Grandi, Hill and Keith ; Totara Valley, D Blue ,- Wai iti, Townsend and Fonseca ; Waitohi Flat, T Talbot ; Upper Waitobi, O Campbell ; Waihdyke, Eedciond; Winchester, B, Smith ; Woodbury, Dean j Waimataitai, Fraier and Bowie. Mr Keith (Timaru) was called upon by the obairman to explain the purposes of the gathering, as be had taken tbe chief part m obtaining Us being held. Mr Keith explained that, being impressed with the value that suoh a conference might be, he wrote to the Dunedin and Surburban Committees Conference inquiring into their ffrgjntsation and rule*, and one of their replies was that they had no rules. He had drafted a jet of rules for the organisation of the conference acd theße should bs disouesed Qnt. Mr Fraier thought there should be eoiie statement of the objects of tho association. VVere they going to do any good, and if so sow ? Mr Keith had better explain what the }onfc rsnoe should do or try to do. Mr Keith eaid the interests of all the comnitteoa were praotioally the same and the; lould do a good deal of good by combination. Sis iJea was that they should meet to disoasa nattero, relating to tbe powers and duties of ihe committees, and when they agreed that •eformi were necnsßary, they oould act as one :ody m demanding them. He instanced the nflaenoe exerciied by the Dunedin committee! n conference ; it was even consulted by the Minister pf Education. Mr Scott (P&reora) objected to epjme of Mr Keith's statements regarding the Dunedin )onfe r ence. It^was a happy family for the jenefit of Dunsdia schools. Mr Scott said ;ha first thing to bo done was to get periodic removal of the inspectors. The first motion made by Mr Keith, tbat 1 conference be held annutlly was carried inanimously. The following motion, the first of the rules jrought up some opposition to the discussion >f rales at this meeting, as there would he no jme to dea) wi^h the aubjeoti relating to the ohools. After fome ditouision it was agreed ;o go on with the rules. A series of motions prepared by Mr Keith wero put and with some amendments were i&rriad. These provide that there shall be an ixeoutive comprising a ohairmau, seoretary md treasurer, and a oammittee of three, no ;wo of whom shall bo members of one jommittee ; that committees of sohools of 500 md under to send one delegate, of over )00 two ; all committees m South Canter* jury to be entitled to send delegates ; -hat the annual meeting be held m June, [i.e. conveniently after the committees rleotion), "the chairman to have power to )all"a special meeting at any time ; that the chairman have a deliberative as well as a jasting vote } that the executive shall have power to make a levy to meet the eipinnes of )he conference,^rorafo on the representation ; that the executive may fill vacancies among themselves; that the proceedings of the jonferonoe be regulated, as far as practioable, by the ordinary rulea of debate, The following were elected tbe first executive :- Chairman, Mr J S l?eith (Timaru) ; lecretiry and treasurer, Mr R Bowie (Wai* mataitai) ; committee, Messrs Keddie (St Andrews), Tennant (Waitohi), Smith (Winohester). The hour of 12 30 p.m. was filed for future meetings of the conference. As it was now past three o'clook and many of these present were going away and noth* icg had been done with buunest relating to lohool committee work, it waa unanimously agreed to adjourn the meeting to some early date to be fixed by the ex.eoufcive< vote of thanks was paised to Mr Keith by asolamation for arranging the Conference, and the meeting then terminated.