SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 189, 10 May 1878, Page 2

SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEETINGS.

AKAROA.

A meeting of the Akaroa School Committee was held on Monday evening, 6th May, in the schoolroom.

Present — Messrs Meech (Chairman), Barry, Bruce, Dalglish, Annand, Missen, Billens.

The minutes of the meeting held on the 18th April were read and confirmed. , Letters were read—

From the Board oi Education, stating that the question of procuring a site for erection of a master's house had been remitted to the new Board of Education for consideration. In the meantime, asking the Committee to obtain all information re price, &c. The Chairman stated that he had advertised for offers of suitable sites. He had received the following answers :— From A. Rodrigues, offering house and land in Balguerie street, for £650. From G. W. Nalder, offering site, section No. 105, containing one-eighth of an acre, for £150.

From C. L. Wiggins, offering site in Jollie street, including house, for £600, or portion of the same, 45 feet frontage by 115 feet in depth tor £200.

It was proposed by Mr Barry, and seconded by- Mr Bruce, that Mr Wiggins' offer of a site for £200 be recommended, for acceptance by the Board. Carried. From the Board of Education, stating that the regulations re examination of pupil teachers would continue in force till further notice. The following salaries were reported as having been paid:—A. Nicholls (including extras), £27 18s 4d ; M. Thomas, £12 15s 7d ; J." Bruce, £3 6s 8d; J. Sunckell, 16s Bd. The Chairman reported that he had received an anonymous letter, complaining of certain parts of the teaching in the school. It was the unanimous opinion of the Committee that such a letter could not be entertained. An account from Mrs Ward for cleaning, amounting to £2 Is, was passed for payment. . ■■..-...■ The accounts of the school treat were then read, showing — Subscriptions and sales, £10 19s; expenditure, £1113s lOd. The Chairman stated that a balance of £2 4s 7d was in hand from the prize fund, out of which the deficiency could be made good. Mr Barry brought under tbe notice of the Committee the compulsory clauses of the Act. He thought they had the option of deciding in each particular case whether they should compel the parents to send their children to school. He thought that information should be. sought as to what children of school age were being kept away from school. \ The Chairman thought that at present the accommodation vyas insufficient. Mr Dalglish considered the matter should be brought under the notice of the Board. It would strengthen their hands in their application for increased accommodation. On the motion of Mr Barry, seconded by Mr Billens, the Chairman was instructed to write to the. Board, explaining that the Committee were desirous of putting the compulsory clauses of the Act into operation, but were precluded from doing soowing to insufficiency of accommodation. Mr Dalglish thought that as the children of the Peninsula were debarred from attending lectures, &c, such as took place in Christchurch, it would be well if the various. School Committees were to unite together in order to endeavor to procure sc-entifie I instruments, &c, which could fee used in rotation by the different teachers. Mr Barry would like to elicit an expression of opinion from the Committee on the question of. religious instruction in the school. He quoted the clause of the Act bearing on the question, and said that, while it was quite clear thai religious instruction during school hours was forbidden, there was nothing to hinder the Committee authorising the master (if he were willing to do so) to read the Bible at any time out of scJiool hours. He was one of those who had been sorry to see the Act altered in the direction of making education purely secular, but as it was, he thought they should endeavor to meet the cffse in tha, way which he proposed. In the course of the conversation which ensued, it was stated that the practice of reading the Bible in school had never been discontinued. . .-■ ' If this were done during school hours, M> Barry pointed out that it was decidedly contrary to the Act, whereas they; certainly had the right to grant the use of the schoolroom at other times for any purpose •toey thought fit. He would suggest that the Chairman write to the. schoolmaster, asking hini if he vfould be willing to devote a quarter of an hour (daily prior to the regular school hour to giving instruction in the Bible to those children;, whose parents were willing, that they should attend. This was agreed to. ........... The use of the schoolroom was granted for the following evening for a magic lantern entertainment for the Sunday School children, and the meeting od-. journed. -.•■•,',.