WAINUI.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 265, 31 January 1879, Page 2

WAINUI.

I ■ • Almost every householder was present at the meeting in this district, which was held'on'Monday evening last, and a number of ladies, anticipating the opinion of the , Attorney-General, given the same evening in Dunetfin,'that women* were as , much parents as husbands, took the opportunity of iheing present and" of taking a part .in .tlie proceedings. Considerable local feeling exists on the subject of the , school site, the residents being divided into two parties on th;e ; question of whether the schoolroom and master's house should have been built where it at present*.stands, or on a site locally known as, S&ddlerft near the centre of the district. .'X&st year the committee was composed of, .present school aitists to" a man; "the committee elected on Monday went in on the opposite ticket entirely, and thus the' battle of - . the sites enters upon a fresh phase. Promptly at seven o'clock Mr. Wm. M'Kay, the chairman of . the out-going, committee, requested the meeting to elect a chairman to preside on the occasion find act as 'returning officer. Yourjreporfer was at once prqposed, on the "ground that. he had no local prejudices, and that, lie would act impartially. As your representative had not the honor of being , a householder in the district, the- legal point was at once started—was he eligible ? A considerable amount of forensic talent was displayed in handling the demurrer,;when, to solve the difficulty,- your special J with that desire of short meetings" strong upon him which is so characEerislic of his class, distinctly refused the honor. , -Mr C. M'Donald then proposed, and Mr A Watkins seconded, that Mr AJC. Knight fake the chair, which was unanimously agreed, to, and the real business of the meeting began by' the Chairman reading a 1 statement of the income and expenditure for - the past year, which shewed a credit balance iff hand at date of £3 4s Bd.-. Mr A. , Watkins had audited the accounts, and found the balance as stated. The Chairman-then stated he had no further report to make,

but would be glad to answer any questions. '. Mr iT. Bates wished* fq x know why {theCommittee had not complied with the wishes of the Board of' Education/ when they sent Mr Webb, down as a special commissioner,. and he had recommended that the present school should be shifted to the site of the private'school. ' ■ : Mr M'Kay replied that .the Board had ultimately altered. its decision, and that the reasons were to'be fonnd amongst the correspondence with the Board. , (Correspondence read.) ; Mr M'Donald wished to know why the Committee, as they represented.the whole educational district, did not comply with the wishes of the large majority of the people. Furthei, he was of opinion that the statement just given was not a "full report of the proceedings of the Committee" within the meaning of the Act, which no doubt implied a written report. The Chairman ruled that as the Act did not say a written report, an oral .one was clearly admissible. Mr M'Kay, in reply to the first' part of the question, again stated that everything in connection with the Commissioner's

visit was fair and above board, and would

be found in the Committee's correspondence and iuinutes. (Minutes and correspondence again read.) ■ Mr Bates wialied to know why the meetings of the Committee had not been made public.. He had often wished; to go to the meetings, bat could never find oat when or where they were held. . Mr Reid stated that the custom was to tell the children attending the school, and ask them to inform their parents. MrJM'Donald wiehed to hear the minute inregard to Mr Webb's report read. The Chairman read Committee's minute

I of sth August last. Mr M'Donald. after hearing .the minute* read, begged to. move •? that .this meeting deeply regrets that the School Committee did not cacry out the wishes of -the Board of Education in closing. the public school and carrying the school on at the private school building, until .such time ac Jhe school was moved down to Mr Saddler's land." . . t> ■* ~;.;•■. Seconded by Mr Walmsley. Mr M'Kay wished to,know, at what rent the private school wad offered- to the* i Board bf Education, as he understood a fixed sum was stated. , .'.:'.'<J . Several members of the ; priv*.fe school committee denied all-knowledge .of the matter. ' "'■ The Chairman interposed, and stated that the usual rules of conducting-'public meetings must be adhered to, otherwise it would be impossible to conduct the business.

Mr Reid explained tliat .he gave his vote for Saddler's, site, not. the .private school site. ": ' . I ''. .'.;, h_ f ;.*

Mr M'Kay offered to vote for Saddler's site, if the people in the district would sign an undertaking- to abide by the decision of the Board' of Education, whatever that might be.', ■; The Chairman ' asked if there was any amendment to be proposed, and on receiving no reply, the motion was put and , carried by 15 to 2, several persons not voting. .»_• ■ rrr.v.': •-;. .1 , -.■•',' The Chairman then Stated that the next business was -the election >of .» committee, when the following householders, 'were duly proposed and seconded,. and, the ntmib.er not exceeding seven, .were declared duly'elected, viz. r —Messrs C M'Dpnald, J, Bates, A. Watkins, Luke Perham', C. Waknsley, W. M'Kay, and J Barrett.

On the motion of Mr M'Kay, seconded by Mr Walmsley, a vote of thanks was passed to Mr Knight for; occupying the chnir.

At a meeting of the Committee, held immediately afterwards, Mr A. Watkins'was unanimously elected Chairman.