WAIRARAPA.

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3295, 6 September 1871, Page 3

WAIRARAPA.

(PHOM OUIt OWN COUBESPONDENT.) TUX GREYTOWN SCHOOL CASE. This case was ngnin heard before H. S. Wardel], Esq., R.M., «t the Court House, Featherston, on Tuesday last A. K. Arnot, the plaintiff, produced a written authority from the Trustees of I the Grey town School acre for him to take possession, and also the original deed of conveyance. He also produced the Provincial Government Gazette, in which the election of th<? school committee had been notified. In reply to the Court the plaintiff stated that the committee had been elected at a meeting of electors under clause 3 of the Education Act. J855. This was a general meeting. The Court : Had there not been a general meeting held in August, 1870? Plaintiff: Yes. The • Court : Then how can you hold two general meetings in one year? Plaintiff: The meeting in August not having appointed a committee, the meeting in May had been convened to elect one. The Court doubted if the public had power to call two gon oral meetings in one year. If the first meeting neglected to appoint a committee, it was the duty of the Superintendent to appoint one. Plaintiff: The Superintendent did not appoint a committee, and nocommitteehaving been appointed, it was competent for the electors to do so, which they did accordingly, and that committee had been legally gazetted. The Court: That does not prove that you are a legal committee. The court adjourned for a quarter of an hour, and on resuming the Resident Magistrate gave judgment for the defendant, with costs £§, as follows : — " 1 am of opinion that the annual meeting, held in August, 1870, having , neglected to appoint a committee, the , power to do so was, by the Act of 1871 (No. 5) vested, at the time of the appointment of the committee of which Mr Arnot is chairman, in the Superintendent, and not in the public meeting

\ held 25th May, 387 I. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, I assume the committee by which Mr Poolc was appointed schoo) m aster was legally appointed. It has been shown that the school has been carried on by MrPoole up to the present time under that appointment, and that it has been recognised as a public school within the meaning of the Act by the payments made to Mr Puole from the provincial treasury. Tho authority given by the trustees produced by Mr Amotdoos nol appear to me to justify my making an order of ejectment against Mr. Poole." Plaintiffs applied for leave to appeal, Application refused. The court informed the defendant that his refusal to give quiet possession would only cause himself serious inconvenience, as it was competent for the Superintendent to appoint the same committee as had been already elected. The defendant stated that it was solely on account of his inability to remove, owing to his low circumstances, that he did not give up possession. All that he and Mrs Poole had received for their joint labor? for fourteen months was the sum of £-i 17s per month. If ho had had tho means to remove Le would have left before. Thero were rates in arrears under the laws in force, and ho considered that it was the duty of the Government either to sec that they wore paii I, or for itself to see that ho did not suffer from its neglect Truly the position of a provincial schoolmaster is not an enviable one ; but the present slate of the Greytown school is still worse. The building, which was at one time the best in the village, is now in the most dilapidated state, and a miserable unlined lean-to constitutes the teacher's residence, In the meantime a new teacher has been appointed, and at present there is no place for him to teach in. It is about time the GeneiMl Assembly took this matter of education in hand.