VALEDICTORY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6499, 31 May 1899, Page 3

VALEDICTORY.

— ♦ PBESENTATION TO MR ALFRED SAUNDERS. At the conclusion of the ordinary business it the. meeting of the North Canterbury 3oard of Education to-day, the Chairman, \iv J. Rennie, said that, as was known to he members, Mr Alfred.Saunders was going :o, retire from the Board, and the members vished to. take the opportunity to present iim with, an address. Mr Saunders had not fet sent, in liis resignation, but was going ;o do it. The members would far sooner irish that he had asked for leave of absence io go Home, but Mr Saunders objected to Ms course^ They wished to convey to him vheii" appreciation, of hjs long services in. connection with the BoarcL It had fallen to his [the Chairman's) lot to present the address, but there were members who were more fitting to do so, and who had been longer connected with Mr Saunders. They all regretted' very much that Mr Saunders was leaving them; they considered him the father of the Bbard. Addressing himself to Mr Saunders, the- Chairman said that Mr Saunders was so well posted up in all subjects connected' with the Board, and , had taken sucli a deep interest in everything connected" with education, that they looked to him for guidance and support, and he had always fearlessly advocated anything be thought was right. They would miss him verv much. The Chairman then asked Mi TV S. Weston to read the address and to saj a few words in connection with it. Mr Weston said he felt that the Chairman did liim too much honour in asking him tr T-ead the address to their much resnected, an<i ho might almost say beloved, colleague. Mi Saunders. Mr Saunders was, as the Chairman had said-, the father of the Board, and next., to him in length of service came theii Touch respected friend Mr Peryman. Of Mi Snunders it was almost unnecessary to speak, for he had been long in public life, and af most evervbody in New Zealand knew him. As the Chairman hnd said, Mr Saunders took a stand when he had pnce made up his rnmd, but, although it was difficult to movf him. lie was not alwavs immovable, and in ■ all lie did and said he was actuated bv the .strongest sense of justice;, honesty and ri?ht. Mr Saunders was a public man, and every public man, in New Zealand or anvwhere else, - had made some ■"'stakes in the course of hi? odm : n : stration. Mr Saunders himself would doubtless realise that", however able he had oeen. ho had urobably made mistakes, but if he had made mistakes he had not done so from anv view of enriching himself, ot servina his own nurposes, biit thev had been errors of iudsment, to which all men, however able, in every station of life, were liable. Havinrr been connected with Mr Sn.nnd o r* for several years, he (Mr Weston) Wt that in losing him from tbe Board — and without spe-king disrespectfullv of, ot cistinf anv slight on- his remaining colleaguef—in losing Mr Saunders they were l(\sin_r their right hand. Mr Saunders was thorouehl" nosted up in everything apnertainincr to the Board, and "n regard to the difficult matter of the ar Mntment of teachers, and the removal o r those who oucrht not to remain, he had. what was so necessary and so difficult to acquire, strict determination to do what hp deemed to be right and- necessary. He (Mr Weston), hoped that. the members of tfie Board would not forget Mr Saunders s example, but would still pursue the same course of righteousness and juderment, because thev would remember that it- was. the interest oj the children which they had to- took to, and hot of the masters or ouybodv : conreo^i wi h them. He would further "nlv f xnr??. his own personal Brief at Mv SaWe-* tp«iration. He was sorrv to think that- th°.y might not have him ae<vir> a-rongst +Jiem : his pxamnle b-d alwavs beeo a «ond one. and h*. (M" Wertonl c-n T d onlv bone 'hat wh°revpr Mr Saunders misrht be located, he might find the last v-ar-s of lns lifroprI tainlv not the least ptea*ant ones. (Hear. I' 6 *"' ) , „> • L .-Mr Weston, then read tVe following ad- " The Board-room of the North Cnnhrbury Board of Education, Chnstchur-h, MaV 31. 1899. -.< •„■ _ _. . I "To Alfred Saunders, Esq —Dear Sir - ! We cannot but exnress deep regret at.thf I retirement of a colleague who has rendered signal service to all concerned in the cauw of education. Our reprret, we are sure, wil be shared by the publio whom you have sc faithfully represented at tbe Board dunnf

; a period extending over twenty yean That as a private member, as Chairman the Board,. . and. o"f . its several -committ. ER- y° u lla - ve contributed .materially to t successful working of the system esta lished. by the Education Act, 1877, the cannot be ado«bt. Economy in the c , penditure of the Parliamentary grant, wi departmental administration, equal justi lost to the town and_epuntry schools, and clo but just control over the inspectorial ai sket teaehiiig staff have ever been the cardih ivas P oints of y°ur .policy, a policy, we m. , say, the Board has endeavoured to pursu ±UO rpjjg gx-eat service rendered upon the "R ion fpnn Committee" of 1886, whose repo lalf resulted in the gradual removal of ui worth- and unqualififed teachers, and in tl introduction- of the existing committee sy tem was perhaps your best contribute to the work of the Board. The Building! Appointments and Normal School Commi tees have performed, . and still perforn duties which prior to 1886 and to the; formation were practically disposed of b the chairman and secretary. It would h unbecoming in us to criticise here th methods of the long past ; we can, " how ever, consistently say that the committe system has ensured prompt and real at tention by members to the business of th Board, and '■' successful administration b the Board's executive officers. As regard the Appointments Committee, of wluci , you haye generally been chairman, and ii the duties appertaining to which you hav • ie always taken a keen interest, we feel tha d- its strict supervision over our schools hni fte Proved not only advantageous to. the chil I^. dren, but a boon to .the teachers. It , watchfulness has resulted in the selectioi of those who by training and rectitude o as conduct have proved themselves pre-emi rently qualified to direct and educate th< youthful mind, and has also helped materi ally to raise the of a, class engagec in one of life's most sacred vocations. W< id are sure that the present satisfactory con e . dition of our schools, and the excellence of our inspectorial and teaching staffs, wil be to you sufficient compensation for th< unflagging interest you have ever evinced in the rising generation of this colony. Ir conclusion, we offer our best wishes foi your health and happiness. We trust .that hereafter we. may once again have you amongst us '"; and we ask you to rest assured that in the meantime your wise and valued counsels of the past will not be forgotten. It only remains for us to wish you a very respectful farewell. — We red main, vours very sincerely, — John Rennie n .chrirmim), H. W. Peryman, T.W.Adams, t J. Munnings, C. A. C. Hardy, D. Buddo, Matthew Dalziel, jun., Thos. S. Weston (members of the Board), H. C. Lane (secretary)." The Chairman said he had much pleas sure in presenting Mr Saunders with the 1 j address. They all hoped he would have a I pleasant passage Home, and a good time ' I there, and they also hoped to see him back ' I amongst them • before long. Mr Saunders,- who was much affected, said that it was not many,. weeks ago that his friend Mr Adams had said" that he was a much better hand at fighting than at receiving compliments ; and he felt that he ' was overpowered on .this occasion. They '■ would readily understand that the constant intercourse he had had with his fell&w members had endeared them to him so far that he felt it a very great wrench to be separated from them. That was not the only great > wrench that he had to undergo to carry out liis very sincere and earnest desire to be in _ England again, but it was one. It" had not only been bis duty, but his privilege, for nearly twenty years, to: meet the members of the Board. Isolated as he was, and not much given to convivialities generally, he , felt that it had contributed very "much to keep him in touch with the public life of this country. The almost weekly meetings and the constant intercourse with his peers had been of great advantage to him — much more than he had 'been able, probably, to return. Those who had worked with him and had had experience of the difficulty of removing undesirable teachers, would know how very difficult and uncongenial a task it was, and how much determination it required. In that task he had never consulted his own feelings ; he had- not been actuated either by sympathy or by anti- ( pat-by. but simplv by consideration for the welfare of the children. The other members and he had had "differences of "opinion,- but thev had ftlwavs been 'able to contest them without the slightest diminution of the respect they felt for each other. ' Under these i circumstances he felt' he had been very , kindly treated, and' he could not say anv , more. (Applause.) Tt is intended to have the addressLUlu- . minnted. bound in morocco, and "forwarde"d , to Mr Saunders- in" England."