THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1291, 27 June 1884, Page 2

THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

j To THE EdITOE. f Sir, —I may say, fn common no doubt • with many others in and around Aohbur- - ton, 1 hare lately taken amorethan a usual interest in the proceedings of - the a Borough School Committee. The fact is - it is all but impossible to be an indifferent a onlooker at present. The reports circui lated, and the charges, preferred by one ; and another make it desirable Jhat the t matter be thoroughly investigated; cerf tainly not in the shuffling, unbusinssat like, unconstitutional manner in which i the Committee dealt with it on Tuesday b night last. Looking at the case from a I purely disinterested point of view, and on f its own merits, the high-handed way in i which the Chairman conducted the proi ceedings of that meeting, together with ‘ the letter of E. A,. Scott in of > last night, would lead one to the conclusion that there must be '*something ’ rotten in the the state of Denmark." Mr , Scott -repudiates the idea that Miss r Harband has been “ condemned and ■ sentenced;'’ He says “only by v an ali aggeration. of terms could this - coni elusion be arrived at.” Let 'us sup- ■ pose that Mr Scott were asked'to re--1 sign his charge as pastor of St. Stephen’s, r what other conclusion could be' arrive, at i but that there was some charge against > him—imaginary or real—that his people ) were dissatisfied, and hence^their request! b Even though “ the terms” have been ex* I aggerated by “Householder,” I don’t , think they have —and lot hie say here I t do not know who he is—the actions which b speak louder and more unequivocally ■ than words evidently bear the construe* : tion put upon them by “ Householder.” > And then fancy being told that “ the Com* ■ mittee did not at all expect that Miss i Harband would resign !”' Why, then, ask • her to do so ? Was it to torture her feel* ; ings ? and if not 1 cannotpoasibly see what it was for. I f there is not a clearer way to account for the action of the Com* mittee, then the s> oner Mr Scott ceturas to become the exponent of their actions' the better for themselves, and the demand becomes all the more urgent on the part of the public to ask for and demand their immediate resignation. There are a great many other matters I should like to notice, bit must not at present trespass further on your spa jo. —l am, etc., - ■ Ashburton. June 26, 1884. To thk Enillbß. Sib, —I am extremely unwilling to be drawn into this correspondence, hot in justice to the Chairman and myself I must explain matters. Ist. Miss Harband, senior, advertised for lodgings for her sister, and in a conversation with me mentioned, among others, that Mr S. W. Alcorn had replied to the advertisement. In expressing my opinion as to which would be most suitable I referred to the fact that Mr Alcorn’s children were almost always late for school, and I was afraid the same cause might prevent Miss Harband, junior, from attending punctually to her duties. 2nd. In a conversation afterwards with the Chairman I mentioned this fact, and in the same conversation consulted him on the advisability then of reporting to the Committee on Miss B. flarband’s competency to fill the position she at that time occupied,* when, he (the Chairman) said, “ report matters as you find them.” 3rd. Now, Sir, this is the conversation I had with the Chairman, which I remember with the greatest distinctness, 'and this is the same that I very unwisely repeated to Mr Andrew Orr. . 4th. I can easily understand how In® distortion has done its work. By introducing the word- “them" after the fact that Miss Harband stayed with Sic Alcorn, and changing “ report matters as you find them ” into “ we will go for her" the operation is complete. 6th. There Is nothing in the facts of the case to warrant such s statement either -fcom the Chairman or myself. Thewwa*

- no* one had'any inclination to “go fo: her. ” I should have preferred her t« ‘ remain, as may be bomb out by m written report to the Committee. ,A. . though inexperienced she was sympathetn and painstaking, and I hare no doubi would hft?6 dono Tory well had sh< remained. Therefore, there was no one, as far as I am aware, bad the slightest intention of “going for her.”—l am, etc, Hector Dempsey.