WELLINGTON CATHOLIC EDUCATION BOARD

New Zealand Tablet, 23 September 1920, Page 21

WELLINGTON CATHOLIC EDUCATION BOARD

"" 'ANNUAL MEETING. The eighth annual meeting of the Wellington Catholic Education Board was held • on Wednesday evening, September 8, at the Catholic Federation rooms, Willis Street (writes our Wellington correspondent). His Grace Archbishop O'Shea presided, and there were also present Very Rev. Dean McKenna, Rev. Fathers Mahony, S.M., Smyth, S.M., and Connolly, Messrs. J. J. L. Burke, B. Doherty, Leo Blake, J. Stratford, J. Fagan, J. D. McPhee, F. K. Reeves, and P. D. Hoskins. The eighth annual report and balance sheet were read, and on the motion of his Grace. Archbishop O'Shea, adopted. His Grace congratulated the Board on the magnificent results achieved, and the ultimate object of the Board to provide free primary education for Catholic children in Catholic schools would be attained much earlier than what they anticipated when the fund was inaugurated some eight years ago. The goal was well within sight, and he urged the members to continue their efforts towards expediting that end. He paid a tribute to the work of the officebearers of the Board for their painstaking efforts. Rev. Fathers Smyth and Mahony endorsed the remarks of his Grace, and placed on record the efforts of the laity in the cause of Catholic education. Very Rev. Dean McKenna eulogised the work of the ladies, who had worked hard for the various functions organised for the funds of the Board.

The report disclosed that the balance of receipts over expenditure for the year ended June 30 last totalled £B9l. This amount was carried to the accumulated fund, which now stood at £4BOO. The principal sources of revenue (which totalled £1585) were as follows — Sunday penny collections, £713; St. Patrick’s Day celebration, £450; annual schools’ social, £113; Boxing Day picnic, £64; Thomas Moore anniversary festival, £3O; interest, £214. The principal items of expenditure, which totalled £695, were, deficiencies in school fees, £255 ; interest, £209 ; sundry maintenance expenses, £2OO. Of the accumulated fund, ' £4330 was invested in freehold security, £126 in Post Office Savings Bank, and £336 in current account. The number of schools financed by the Board is eight two conducted by the Marist Brothers, five by the Sisters of Mercy, and one by the Religious of the Sacred Heart. The number of pupils attending the schools was 1477, which would cost the Government £11,274 to educate, being at the rate of £7 12s 8d per pupil, according to the statistics published in the official year book for 1919.

Thirty-two -teachers were engaged, who if they were Government officials would draw £6121 in salaries. The total assets of the Board were at June 30, £9393; £4500 of this amount being bequests that will eventually be handed over to the Board. The report gives an interesting table showing the totals since the inauguration of the Board eight years ago, of the various sources of the Board revenueßoxing Day picnics, £605 ; St. Patrick’s Day , celebrations, £1600; schools’ socials, £1109; Thomas Moore anniversary festivals, £102; interest, £653 ; Sunday penny collections, £5042; donations, £1350. The accumulated fund is well invested in freehold security. The sum of £4330 is now invested, earning on an average the sum of £214 per annum in interest, and applications for the balance available for investment are now. being dealt with.

By the will of the late Mr. Patrick Lyne, of St. Anne’s parish, who died last year, the Board will benefit to the extent of £3OOO. This sum is not immediately payable to the Board, but will eventually be handed over for the Board to administer. This is a very handsome and generous bequest,, for which the Board is very grateful. It serves also as an example well worthy of emulation by some of our wealthy Catholics when preparing their wills.

The largest item of expenditure which the Board has to meet is the interest on the mortgages on the school buildings, which totalled for the year just ended the large sum of £2OB 19s 6d. tinder its constitution the Board is not responsible for the liquidation of the mortgages on school buildings, although it is responsible for the payment of the interest. Last year it was pointed out that the Board was paying interest on the sum of £7700, and although it is a large sum to liquidate, a donation of £1 from each Catholic resident in the Metropolitan area would pay this large sum off and effect a saving -of £2OB per annum. *

Another bequest made to the Board is that provided by the will of the late Mr. Louis Tasman Reichel, which provides for the Board 50 shares in the Reichel Patent Automatic Fire Alarm.

It is interesting to note that..the, sum of £1350 of the total amount now standing.to the credit of v the fund represents donations made to the fund by Mrs. H. Sullivan and family, £500; Mr. Maurice O’Connor, £500; the late Mr. Martin ' Kennedy, £100; and = the late Mr. J. P. Bourke, £250. The balance has been accumulated by the efforts of the Board. . V 7

All of the schools of the Board have been examined by the Government inspectors, and in every case a most favorable report has been received. ! It is a matter for congratulation, therefore, that the children are taught by such an excellent staff of , teachers, who, while giving the children a thoroughly sound and Christian training, are also imparting a secular training right up to the standard required by the Government. When the Board was first established seven years ago one of the great inducements to the inauguration of the scheme was the promise of annual donations, which at that time was made by a large number of people, but unfortunately these promises were not kept. The Board will be exceedingly grateful to receive any donation, however small 2s 6d, ss, 10s, or 20s or more per annum from every Catholic would greatly assist the cause of Catholic education, and a large number of such donations annually would soon enable the Board to achieve its objects. All donations will be gratefully acknowledged and incorporated in the list of benefactions, which will be published with each report. ■■■,,. .It is with gratification that the Board learns of the decision of two large religious denominations to establish their own Church schools, and who now admit that the consistent policy of Catholics for the past 40 years in refusing to avail themselves of the godless system of education provided by the Government is the correct one There is much scope for the activity of Catholic women in furthering the great cause of Catholic education. -Catholic women have proved themselves capable organisers in other directions, but what greater cause could they work for than that of Catholic education It is pleasing to record that their assistance this year was the means of considerably augmenting the fund. Catholics who can afford to do so are exhorted to remember the cause of Catholic education when preparing their wills. Four bequests have already been made to the Board by the wills of the late Messrs. W. E. Keefe, J P Bourke, Patrick Lyne, and Louis Tasman Reichel.’ The Board desires to thank the Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of the Sacred Heart, and the Marist Brothers for their splendid work during the past year—work that has brought the schools to a very high state of efficiency, making them second to none in the Dominion and a credit to the Catholic community. The Board also desires to extend its grateful appreciation to all those ladies and gentlemen who assisted in organising functions for the fund, and which considerably augmented it. Thanks are also due to those kind benefactors who so generously donated gifts to the Board.

In accordance with the rules the members of the Board and the parish school committees retire from office, and in doing so wish to impress on their successors the necessity for continuing the policy of economy and care in administering the fund entrusted to the board, and earnestly trusts that the ensuing year may be more successful than the year just closed. The report was signed by—His Grace Archbishop O’Shea (chairman), Messrs. J. J. L. Burke (vice-chair-man), B. Doherty (hon. treasurer), P. D. Hoskins ((hon. secretary). •.