SCHOOL COMMITTEES’ ASSOCIATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18545, 16 April 1930, Page 8

SCHOOL COMMITTEES’ ASSOCIATION.

QUARTERLY MEETING. The quarterly meeting of the South Canterbury School Committees’ Association was held in the Waimataitai School last night. Present—Messrs G. Benstead (chairman), F. E. Stewart, W. Gibb, F. Matthews, W. F. Dickson South), F. J. Eggleton, R. W. Dale, D. I. Dent (Timaunga), W. S. Curr, J. McArthur (Gleniti), H. L. Warsaw, F. Oxford, C. H. Johnson (Waimataitai), A. Carnegie, C. Lund (Main), T. C. Palliser (West), G. Swaney, J. Webb (Craigmore), E. Prattley, A. F. Stocker (Washdyke), E. J. Dash, Rev. J. Hay (St. Andrews), W. Divan (Rosewill). The chairman said that a dental nurse had been taken away from the clinic in Timaru, but representations had been made to the Director of Dental Hygiene asking when the vacancy would be filled. The Director had also been asked when the scope of the clinic would be extended to include country schools. The chairman added that the loss of a nurse was unfortunate, for the Association contemplated asking for an additional nurse making three in all, so that all the schools in the district could be catered for. A letter was received from the Department of Health, stating that a second nurse would be appointed almost immediately. In regard to the appointment of a third nurse, the Department stated that it was regretted that an appointment could not be made, as all available nurses had already been allocated to districts. The chairman said that it was regrettable that the Department did not have enough trainees to enable them to extend their work. The position was exactly the same twelve months ago. It might be, however, that the opening of clinics in other districts was a constant drain on the staff available. He thought the attention of the Department should be drawn to the desirability of extending the work so as to cater for country schools.

Mr Gibb moved: “That this Association regrets that the Department is unable to extent the local clinic operations, and respectfully requests that the application of this Association made a year ago, be registered for compliance at the earliest opportunity, as applications are being made for treatment by the adjacent country schools and in view of the necessity for such treatment, this Association feels that the Department should do its utmost in the matter.” The motion was seconded by Mr T. Palliser. Mr Gibb said that they should not content themselves with the position as it was to-day, and should impress on the Department the desirability of extending the operations of the clinic, particularly to adjacent country schools which could be reached with a reasonable amount of travelling. A copy of the motion, which was carried unanimously, is to be sent to the Director of Dental Hygiene. Rosewill School. A letter was received from the Canj terbury Education Board stating that the Board was prepared to pay the Rosewill School Committee the usual conveyance allowance in respect of children conveyed by motor-car between Rosewill and Timaru. Incidental Allowances. The chairman said that some time ago it was suggested that they should interview local Members cf Parliament, before the next session of Parliament, in regard to the ever-green question of incidental allowances. For years they had been endeavouring to secure some improvement, but so far they had had no success. The reason I they had not cut any ice, he conisidered, was because they had not been I a united body. The reason for asking j Mr Carr to be present was to ask him I to urge on the Minister of Education | the financial disabilities under which i they were labouring. But for the J generosity of parents, committees long ago would have been forced either into the bankruptcy court or to disband. Mr Gibb said that he had noticed that seven M.P.’s had attended a meeting held in Wellington in this connection. The Government, he remarked, sent round a school doctor and a school nurse to advise the parents in regard to the health of the children. The committees were responsible for the hygienic condition of the schools, however, but they did not receive sufficient money to pay the janitor a reasonable amount for the work he was expected to do. In Wellington it had been stated that the schools were scrubbed three times a year, but he asked how many Members of Parliament would accept such conditions in the offices in which they worked. He ventured to say there would be a strike. In the case of Timaru South, their annual allowance, on the average attendance, worked out at £167, and out of that they had to pay the janitor £l2O. Parts of the school were 50 years old, and yet the children had to live under these conditions. The school janitor was the most sweated institution in New Zealand to-day. By the time they had paid their fuel bills and their janitors, they had nothing left with which to carry on. He hoped that Mr Clyde Carr would do his best to secure better treatment for primary schools than they had received for the last 40 years. Mr Gibb added that he knew of one school, which consisted of two rooms, which received an allowance of £ls per year for all purposes. Mr Carr, member for Timaru, who attended the meeting at the invitation of the Association, said that he agreed with and supported the proposal to secure united action throughout New Zealand among School Committees, but he doubted whether there was a more united body or whether they could have got a larger or more impressive deputation than that which waited on the ; Prime Minister and the Minister of Education last session. Every argu- ; ment that had been raised that evening was used. Some very forceful arguments and even threats were made, and : some of the latter were carried into : effect. By that he referred to the resignation of some committees in Wei- ; lington. Mr Carr said that apart from : the member who introduced the depu- . tation, he was the only member to ’ speak. Prior to the deputation wait- ; ing on the Prime Minister, Mr Gibb ! had armed him (the speaker), with a ! letter setting forth various arguments, i and these he had placed before the Prime Minister and the Minister of ' Education. One of the arguments was • that incidental allowances should be ■ based on the roll number instead of 1 on the average attendance. The Min- [ ister’s answer to that was that it would mean so much adjustment in the . method of calculation that he did not ’ wish to make a change. The point I was stressed, however, that the same ; amount of work had to be done by ; committees whether the attendance . .was up or down, and the same attention had to be given to cleaning up and |so forth. Under the circumstances, ” the roll was the fairer basis. Mr Carr - went on to say that he had been cris ticised for not having brought the r matter up in the House last session. ? The matter had been mentioned in the d House the day after the deputation t waited on the Prime Minister, and he l felt that if the Prime Minister and Minister of Education had not been

impressed by the deputation, then anything that would be said in the House would only be supererogation. The Prime Minister had said that the grant was insufficient, and that he realised the difficulties of Committees, but the trouble was finance. That was a matter of budgetting, and it was sometimes claimed that the education estimates were as high as the country could afford. However, he would again approach the Minister on the matter. Members of the Parliamentary Education Committee were awaiting copies of the evidence taken during their tour of the Dominion, and then they would bring down their report. A sub-com-mittee was busy drawing up a draft report, but the final report could not be brought down until the voluminous evidence was typed. In conclusion, Mr Carr said that he knew the facts, and so did the Minister of Education. He could not say what the future would bring forth, but he believed that the reorganisation of the education system would tend to make things easier for School Committees. He believed that in the near future, School Committees —they might not be known by that name, but local representative education bodies —would have more power and more money to spend. Reorganisation would mean relief for committees in the carrying out of the duties which they found so onerous at the present time. The chairman thanked Mr Carr for his presence, and for the interest he was taking in the affairs of the Association and in education generally. Transport of Pupils. Mr Dash made reference to the lack of adequate transport facilities for children from St. Andrews and Pareora who were attending secondary schools in Timaru. The matter, he said, had been brought under the notice of the Minister some months ago, but so far no reply had been received. The matter was discussed at length, and it was decided to again communicate with the Minister.