AMALGAMATION

Wairarapa Daily Times, 16 September 1936, Page 6

AMALGAMATION

BOARD’S ATTITUDE. SEVERELY CRITICISED. The attitude of members of the Wairarapa Secondary Education Board towards the decision of the Minister of Education te amalgamate the Waiiarapa High School and the Masterton Technical School came in for some caustic criticism at a meeting last night of the Technical High School Association.

After a lengthy discusion a resolution was passed, to be forwarded to the Minister, regretting that the Minister had adopted such an autocratic attitude in amalgamating the two schools against the wishes of a large majority of the public of Masterton. and stating that the association dissociated ' itself from the attitude of the Secondary Education Board, a majority of the members of which were elected definitely to oppose amalgamation. The resolution was moved by Mr B. lorns and seconded by Mr J. Eenton. The chairman, Mr G. Selby, presided. In detailing the steps leading up to the Minister’s decision to amalgamate the two schools, Mr Taylor referred to the agitation for a new Technical School and went on to recall that the Minister had stated tnat in combining the schools nothing would be done to subordinate or overshadow technical education. Mr A. J. Brown said that all the present teachers at the Teclinieal School would have to resign and apply for positions at the combined school. Some of them, he added, must miss appointments. Mr Taylor said that any teachers displaced as a result of amalgamation would be provided for by the Department. of the teacher;; yroulil be but of a job. After observing that he was not in the witness box, Mr Taylor said that if a new Technical School had been asked for before the last election they would have got it without a shadow of a doubt. Voices: “We have been asking for a new school for years.” /• Mr Taylor: “All the recent Education htinisters have been in favour of amalgamation. This crowd (the Gov-, eminent) have been the only ones to show their hands.” Mr lorns: “I understand that when you accepted our support as a candidate for the Secondary Education Board you were pledged to support a new and separate Technical School?” Mr Taylor: “How did I know then wliat the Minister was going to do?” After the chairman had interrupted some cross-table talk between Messrs. lorns and Taylor, the latter remarked: “Why should the Technical School children suffer when those attending the High School have everything? I have been fighting against amalgamation for years, but finally took the bull by the horns and decided that amalgamation would be better for all concerned; better than remaining static at any rate. ’ ’ Mr Taylor went on to say that he was more than hopeful that the combined school would turn out to be a success. He said he was quite satisfied that had the board objected to the Minister’s decision it would not have done the slightest good. “Mr Taylor’s remarks have only shown us what a fine thing amalgamation is going to be for the High School but where do we come in?” commented Mr lorns. Mr Taylor: “The technical side will swallow the academic side. lam quite positive of that.” Mr lorns: “We do not want that. Why smash our school to remedy theirs?” Mr J. H. Minton: “I take it an academic principal will control the schools?”

Mr Taylor: ''l cannot say. The Minister mil have to decide that.” A voice: “It is a 100 to 1 on an academic man.” Mr lorns said he could not see that Technical education stood to gain anything by shifting up to the High School grounds. “A fine institution has been built up here,” he said. “The school is standing on it® own feet as an independent unit. We take pride in our school and feel that it will be subordinated by the amalgamation decision.” Mr Taylor: “Amalgamation is the policy of this Government and it will probably occur all over the country. I was never in favour of amalgamation but what can we do when we are forced to it? Surely the children are entitled to better conditions than they can get here? A combined school will be better than remaining as we are. ’ ’

Mr lorns: “The opinion of practically the whole town is that we would be better to stay where we are until we can get a new school of our own. Six of the nine members on the board were supposed to bo non-amalgamationists, but not one of them voted against the Minister’s proposal. We have been working for years to put representatives on the board and then they go and let us down.”

Mr. P. Prescott: “Even if amalgamation were inevitable, the board members need not have unanimously favoured the proposal.” Mr Taylor: “I am not responsible for what other members of the board did, but I do say we would not have gained anything by opposing the proposal. ’ ’ Mr Prescott: “When the schools are amalgamated the big men will send their boys away to college. That is the class distinction that exists in this town. ’ ’

Mr lorns: “The High School was shifted up there to get away from the common Technical School boys and now that the latter are going to be housed on the same ground the High School pupils will be sent further away. ’ ’

Mr Taylor: “So much the better. We want to cut out this class distinction. ’ ’

Mr Selby: “You will never get rid of it.” Mr lorns said that the Technical School people had never agitated to have the .school shifted up to the High School grounds. The requests for

amalgamation all came from the other side which had something to gain by such a move. The technical people had nothing to gain and everything to lose by amalgamation and so fought strenuously against tho proposal. In the course .of some further exchanges between members and Mr Taylor, the latter observed: “I am satisfied that not one Technical School pupil will suffer as the result of amalgamation. ’ ’ Mr J. Eenton: “Well, I suppose we cannot do anything but accept the Minister’s decision.” Mr Taylor: “No, if the board had been divided on the matter you would still have had amalgamation.” Mr Selby said he was not satisfied with tho attitude adopted by Mr Taylor and the board members. He recalled that when the association interviewed Mr Taylor prior to the last Secondary Education Board election he had promised to support a separate Technical School. “In my opinion,” lie added, “you gave in too soon. Of course it was a Labour Minister, whose party you support. This association is not satisfied with the stand you took up at the board meeting.”

When reference was made to a statement made by him on the occasion of the Minister’s visit to Masterton that he would be prepared to abide by Mr Eraser’s decision, Mr Taylor said that Mr Selby had given a similar assurance. While not actually denying the statement, Mr Selby said he could not recall having made it. A voice: “Two blacks do not make a white at any rate.” Mr Minton: ‘'The Minister was asked to give us a new school, not to amalgamate the schools.” Mr Prescott: “It is unfortunate that Mr Taylor is here on his own. If some of his stalwarts were here with him we could have a piece of them too.” Mr Taylor: “I ahi quite willing to take anything that is coming to me. I do not feel in the slightest guilty. I consider that the move is in the interests of the children and I would do the same thing again to-morrow.” After some further brief discussion, Mr Taylor withdrew and the resolution was carried unanimously.