CORRESPONDENCE.

Timaru Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 1662, 16 January 1895, Page 4

CORRESPONDENCE.

<*, PUPIL-TEACHERSHIPS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE TIMARU HERALD. Sin,— Will you kindly grant me space to review the candidates' examination and your article of to-day's issue. In the first place, if you and " Another Fairplayer " are correct m stating that the committee Vavo- a rule rccomiueiiChig appointments according to the number of marks obtained at examination, then the appointment of H. Montgomery is clearly a direct yiolation of such rule, ' seeing that he failed to present himself for examination. In the second place ; the committee have no such rule. They • simply have a minute approving of the ( headmaster's principle of testing the L efficiency of candidates— in other words, \ the idea of the examination is to select those who are suitable (the Act defines those who are eligible) for teacherships. Those who are not suitable are supposed 1 to receive notice to that effect, so that > parents may not keep their children » hanging on at school waiting an appoint--1 ment that may never turn up. The ' idea originated with the headmaster. He demurred at the committee plan ' of selecting candidates' according to > seniority of application, because he con--1 tended that there were applicants on the 3 list who never could be licked into shape ' as teachers. The headmaster recom- > mended Montgomery, who was senior male applicant, and on this recommen- [ dation the committee took it for granted \ that he was suitable. Personally I am | m favour of selecting, from suitable can- \ didates, according to seniority of applicaf tion. Where date of application is equal, : priority of marks at examination should | decide. 1 I am, etc., J. Storrier. January 14th, 1895.