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Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 2, Issue 375, 29 January 1880, Page 2

To the Editor of the Wairabapa Daily.

Masterton, January 28. Sik,-Your leader of to-day is not remarkable for its ingenuousness. Your attitude is that of a man who offers to lay a wager upon a verdict upon which lie has obtained information in a surreptitious manner. To use your own words, the late committee " pumped the Inspector, and got all they could out of him," i.e. that was unfavorable to the school, thus forestalling that portion of Mr Lee's unpublished report, and you calmly inform the public that by this report they are to judge whethet the action of tho late committee was justified or not. My reply is that they have already judged, for they are fully aware of the" pumping" business as applied to the Inspector. The question in the mind of the meeting was not whether the report of the Inspector would be favorable or not, but (1) whether there were not circumstances connected with the history of the school during the past year quite uncontrollable by the headmaster, which might, in a great measure account for its behsvior at the examination, and (2) whether, supposing the head master to be alone to blame, it was a manly course of conduct to coudemn for one failure, and without extending to him the courtesy of an explanation—a teacher who, since his connection with the Education Board, has had as many good reports as he has had years of office; (3) whether the late Committee's statement that" the school has had throughout the year a full complement of teachers" expressed the whole truth, and did not conceal the fact that the assistantniaaterahip had been filled by three different individuals during the course of that year; and (4) whether the manner in which the late committee wished to bring about my dismissal did not call for the strongest marks of disapprobation. Do not many members of the late committee remember that I have endeavored to impress upon them from time to time that my resignation was always at their service 1 Might they not have intimated to iiie that they were now willing to accept that resignation, and have settled the matter at once i But no! No intimation of the kind is given to trie! While I am away in Wellington this report is brought uj,, disoussed, passed, and published, and no word ever reaches me on the subject, except through the medium of a Wellington paper, where I suddenly drop across a clause which informs rae

that the Masterton Schosl Committee have blazed forth to the New Zealand -public the damning statement that I,am incapable of carrying on a t'jvo hundred and fifty children. Was it'neces-' sary to inflict upon me this act oif wanton cruelty, . • • You informed -.the; meeting that you >woula be content to let the inatter rest for six or twelve mouths, by wliich time the .new committee -will be, yptf .ire - goodenough to say, of the same opinion as the old one J but your leader of this morning shews -how much that statement is worth! PR&JWJSK oblige - ' •**- Your obedient 'servant, JW_. J. PItKINOION,-.