CORRESPONDENCE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1436, 20 December 1886, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

We do not bold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by out correspondent#. ASHTON SCHOOL ENQUIRY. TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In your issue of Friday last there appeared a letter tigaed by the Oh irmsa of the C >mrai tsa, in which ho ooa radicts aid endeavours to disprove several statements made in my report of the enquiry. Ho finds fau ! t with tha copy of the charges, saying I have given an abbrev a'ed version of my own.” Now, Sir, the varamn was not my own but was as [ stated previously received from the Board’s Secretary who i» qu : te, competent to supply a communication without the aisistance of M' Qismour whether that gentlemtn think so or not. Still should he prefer his own orthography and compos tion, I have no donbt, Sir, you will allow him space to advertise the charges.

Your correspondent objects to the remarks passed by Air Saunders regarding the election of the Committee, Nevertheless I maintain such remarks were passed, sad also that the exact word* given were need by Mr Saunders, The fact that “ other persons” were taking notaa, dopj cot necessari'y prove that the remarks were not made. However, as he i* so confident, will the Chairman be kind enough to furnish the cam’s of the “ other parsons ” taking notes Than my report, your correspondent continues, falls to mention that I kept *‘a family of four closed np for ahonc six hoars.” Most decidedly, for no time was mentioned. And as the children that day came at 9-39 and were dismissed at 2, the six hours will amount to 4£. Farther the report was stated to bp “ barren of the fact that another witness stated that her girl had her band r md- rod so bad as to be arable to use It for a fortnight. ” We will suppose such a statement was made, bat did Mr Gib ■sou' see the hand ?—fur I have a witness (a teacher) to prove that the girl was at bis school three days afterwards, and that ber band was perfectly well. And this same witness was the teacher who reinsert to admit the children to his school. The girl’s mother stated to me during the enquiry that the children had been refused admittance to another school, so that I am quite satisfied on this point* Your correspondent then says—“ Words are put into the mouth of Mr Saunders which bo never utte r ed.” At the commencement of his letter he stated I had attempted a feat which no reporter on your staff would have undertaken nearly a month after the occurrence ; and yet Mr Gilmour can give the exact words quoted by Mr S-unders 1 will leave your readers to draw the inference. Yet again he states the Committee considered the last annual report “ very unsatisfactory.” The report in question was as follows, and is given in the Inspector’s word", not in my own version: —“ the school has pasted an excellent examination. The grammar of Standard IV and the reading of the lower classes were the only subjects In which any traces of weakness were noticeable.” These remarks were endorsed by the Chairman of the Board as “ a very good report,” and yet the Committee were dissatisfied.

Then the Mistress is represents! as teaching standards I, II and the infants Before committing himself to paper Mr Gilmour would do ir 11 to make sure that his statements are borne <>ut by facts Though never in the school once dur ng working hoars he appears to know the whole internal arrangements Now at the time of the examination the Mistress was teaching Standard I and toe infants, and is doing so at the present time. The conclusion to be dra »n from the letter is that everything appearing against roe qieets your correspondent’s approval entirely ; and any r- mark passed in my favor receives no recognition ; and hence he expresses hig sorrow £V<js I should have opened a matter that bad been virtually settled to bis complete satisfaction. But the report furnished by Mr Gilmour “was apparently intended to mislead yonr readers” and to satisfy a certain amount of pomposity and to, vent to a large amount of verbosity which perhaps is pardonable In a Obsir man who has served scarcely two years on a School Committee. Again apologising for trespassing bn your space, 1 »m f etc., Th* rotrso Mastee, Achton School.