ARANUI DISPUTE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20282, 17 April 1934, Page 10

ARANUI DISPUTE.

Headmaster Replies to His Critics. STARTLING ALLEGATIONS. The motion of censure passed on him at the annual meeting of the Aranui School Committee last night has not troubled the headmaster, Mr V. H. Bremner. He is confident that anything he has done has been in the interests of the school and with the backing of the Canterbury Education Board. Startling allegations were made this morning' by an Aranui householder, who declared that a certain party was trying to get control of the school committee for the purpose of running the school to suit its own ends. Mr Bremner. in an interview this morning, alleged that the motion was the direct result of personal animosity shown towards him by a certain section of the old corrfmittee. Series cf Disputes. He explained that last December a dispute had arisen which subsequently led to other disputes. “At a meeting of the committee in December last I taxed Mr E. Rowse, the chairman, with having withheld a committee letter from the Education Board,” he said. “ This disclosure led to some bad feeling, and at a later meeting my wife, a member of the committee, was forced to resign. “ Then came the affair of the picnic, which caused another stir in the committee, and also was the subject of a discussion at last night’s meeting. I contend that I acted .within my rights on that occasion.” With reference to the school report, which Mr Bremner was accused of not supplying to the meeting, he said that he had given material for the report to be fixed up. The chairman’s statement that he (Mr Bremner) had promised to give a report and had not done so, was incorrect. Without Foundation. “In fact, the allegations made against me at the meeting are practically all without foundation,” he declared. “ The meeting criticised me for not having a Rugby team at the school. Well, last season and the season before the school had teams entered. “ The first year we were runners-up in the competition, and the next season we were bottom. This year, all the big boys left, and it was not possible to form a good team. Another point which affected the formation of the team was that many of the children had poor parents, who could not afford the tram fares necessary to go to Hagley Park. The letter which was read out last night from Mr W. P. Spencer, chairman of the Education Board, expressing surprise at the way in which the picnic was handled, was only a matter of personal opinion, and not the opinion of the board.” Mr Bremner added that the statement that he had been invited to attend the meeting was also incorrect. He pointed out that it was optional on headmasters to attend committee meetings. It was also optional, but usual, for headmasters to supply reports on the year’s work. This he had done. “ Ticket M Election. Some interesting revelations were jmade by a householder—not a member of the committee—who stayed to the end of the meeting, after reporters had left at a late hour. He declared that the committee was elected on the “ ticket ” principle, with a definite list of partv candidates for election. The district had been canvassed for support of these candidates before the meeting. “ The district, like the school committee,' is definitely split into two sections,” he continued. “ One group, the meeting learnt, had arranged a definite two-year plan for the running of the school. “It was noticeable that they did most of the talking at the meeting. I am sure that the majority there were in favour of the headmaster’s administration.” An official of the Education Board supported Mr Bremner’s attitude, and reiterated the view that the board was fully confident of his ability and actions. (A report of the Aranui discussion appears on Page 8.)