EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIC, Issue 13433, 4 November 1907, Page 3

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

A general meeting of the South Canterbury Institute was held in the Glasgow Tea liooms on Saturday, Mr Thomas, B.A. presiding over a meeting of about twenty members. The":secretary, Mr Fleming, thanked the members for the vote of. condolence any sympatliy passed to him at the last meeting. At the previous meeting Mr Valentine gave orally the 'gist, of an opinion he had obtained from Mr S. O. Kaymond, regarding the powers of school committees and teachers over grounds attached to. a school, and he was to have produced the written opinion at this meeting. A member of the N.Z.K.I. Executive had, however, asked to be.allowed to take itrsto .a meeting of the Executive, recognising that it was of general importance; and probably they would pay lor the\opinion and publish "it in the Journal. (The gist of the opinion in that neither teacher nor committee has any power unless by delegation from the Board). The decision of the Board of Education about the use of the "School Journal" in place •of a second reader was received. ; , Correspondence was received froto North Canterbury and Hawke's Bay on the influence of epidemics upon the average attendance, and hence upon the salaries of teachers" and the grading of schools, and the North Canterbury proposal -was adopted that the Minister be asked to legislate in the direction' of avoiding injurious consequences from epidemics. A letter was received, signed by all the teachers of ' Waimate district, protesting against the proposal to pay teachers' salaries by Post Office orders instead of by cheques, as this would be more expensive and inipcse an unnecessary tax on teachers, even up to* 2s 6d or 3s a month in the case of the higher salaries. Mr Valentine 6aid he was informed that- the Post Office order system would be less convenient to the Board's secretary, and itwas resolved to endorse the Waimate protest, and forward it to the Board. Ax, a previous meeting a number of■ specimens of hew school books on history and geography sent out from Home, were distributed among head teachers to report on their suitability for New Zealand schools. These, reports were now given, and none of them favourable. Mr Valentine directed attention to "Hansard" No. 32, in which is recorded a question by Sir W. J. Steward, a reply | by Sir Joseph Ward, and a general discussion, on the subject of the salaries of. teachers of small country schools; One new member was elected, and accounts, 9s, ■ were passed for payment. A. discussion on handwork (reported elsewhere) was then held.