LITTLE RIVER.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume VI, Issue 578, 27 January 1882, Page 3

LITTLE RIVER.

A meeting of the Little River School committee took place at the Schoolroom on the evening of the 23rd inst. Present— Messrs W. Coop (Chairman), H. Fitton, Jno. Olphert, G. W. Joblin, Jas. Reynolds, and Wm. Greenland. The Annual Report was determined on and the statement of accounts, as audited by Mr Allan, was received. Some discussion took place in reference to a suggestion made by Mr Allan, to the effect that tho various sums collected for the children's treat should henceforward be paid into the Bank, and the expenditur« of the same be accounted for in the same way as the other Boms expended by the committee. To this proposal objections were made by Messrs Olphert, Jas. Reynolds and G. W. Joblin. Finally the further consideratietn of the subject was deferred for the new committee. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr Mr A. D. Allan for his kindness in auditing the accounts. Mr Olphert said he thought that some remuneration should be accorded to their secretary, Mr Holt, who had a great deal to do and he should propose that a sum of 3 guineas be paid to him in recognition of his services. Mr G. W. Joblin quite agreed to the proposal as he thought the sum was well earned. The Chairman warned the comm.ttee to be careful what they were doing as the Board of Education might disallow the payment on the grounds of its being unauthorised expenditure. __ reference to the Ordinance settled the point, and the proposal was carried unanimously, and the meeting terminated.

Subsequently ths annual meeting was held. The attendance was very thin.

On the motion of Mr Coop, seconded by Mr Olphert, Mr Geo. R. Joblin took the chair. He read to the meeting the clauses of the Education Ordinance pointing out the duties to be performed by the householders present, and expressed his regret that the attendance was not better. He then read the following report :-—

" Your committee has to report that the annual meeting of househ .lders was held on the 24th day of January, 1882, when the following were elected members of the committee, viz:—Messrs W. Coop, W. S. Greenland, H. E. Tyson, N. Walters, J. Olphert, G. W. Jeblin, and James Reynolds. At a meeting of the committee held the same evening, Mr W. Coop was elected chairman. Your committee has held 19 meetings during its year of office. The contract for erecting tha new school was let to Mr J. S. Jameson, who completed the work in a most satisfactory manner. The Education Board was applied to for, and granted, the sum of £30 for clearing and levelling the school ground, and £28 13s 6d was spent on this. Your committee applied for a further sum of £12 for shingling ground in front of school, and to complete levelling, etc., this the Board declined to grant. The Akaroa County Council was applied to for a number of trees—the Council granted 300. These were planted on the new school site, adding much to its value and appearance, and at the same time a portion of the fence washed away by the floods was re-erected across the school ground, and the cost of this, together with bringing up gymnastic apparatus from the old school ground amounted to £12 2s. The Education Board, on being applied to for this sum, declined to grant it, on the, ground lhat the work had l.a_n done without the sanction of the Bjoard. Your committee has made repeated applications to the Board for payment of the above amount, but the reply has always been the same, and the amount is still owing. The new school was completed in June last, but, owing to the want of the requisite school furniture, was nonopened till Monday, the sth of September. The inspector visited the school on the 7th of September, and examined the children. The examination proved to be most unsatisfactory. On the 3rd of October a meeting of the committee was held, and Mr Westropp, the master, was asked to resign. This he did ; his resignation was forwarded to the Board of Education and accepted. Mr Lee, the assistant master, shortly after resigned. A master and mistress were advertised for, and after giving due consideration to the various applications, Mr and Mrs Proudlock were nominated for the appointments by your committee, and were approved of and appointed by the Education Board. On August 8 Mr M. Fitton was duly elected a member of the committee, in place of MrN. Walters who had left the district. In consequence of the unsatisfactory examination held by the inspector, no prizes were given to the scholars, but the annual treat was given to the children on the 3rd inst. Your committee feels that it is their duty to bring before the notice of parents the absolute necessity of sending their children to school with the utmost regularity and punctuality, as unless this is done they

Cannot expect their children to make that progress in learning which U requisite to enable them to pass the various standards. The annual statement of accounts, receipts nnd expenditure, has been duly audited by Mr A. D. Allan and found correct, and is now open for iusi_ection."

Mr Olphert said, since he had been a member of the Committee he had given a good deal of attention to everything connected with the school, and had spared neither time nor trouble, but the result was not at all satisfactory. People outside were constantly dissatisfied and complaining about one thing or another, and therefore he had made up his mind not to stand f9r the office again, but let some oi those who grumbled, go in and see what they could do. Mr G. R. Joblin said he should not be justified in permitting his position as chairman be a bar to the expression of his views in the matter. He hoped _ they would not allow themselves to be influenced for a moment by the remarks just mado by Mr Olphert. Ihe administration of the Education Ordinance was a more important matter than was the administration ef any other local institution, County Council or what not. If the school committees of the Peninsula did their duty, the ultimate prosperity ot their county would be assured, whether the Council and other, local bodies were inert or otherwise. But, however active the Council and other local bodies might be, if the school committees failed in their duties, sound progress could not be secured. The reasons for this were easily found. The characteristics of the boys and girls to-day would generally be what education made them, and what those were, would as a rule, be those of the men and women of the future. The developement of these characteristics in the boys and girls was a power in the hands of the school committee. A work such as that was a most important and a most honorable one, a work that would command for those committees who devoted themselves to it, the approval of their own conscience and the respect of all right minded men. The other local bodies howsoever intelligent, energetic and patriotic they might be, could but fashion the characteristics of their roads, their bridges, their Public Works. These duties were important ones without doubt, but far less so than were those devolving upon the school committees. When he reflected upon the amount of power lying unexercised in the hands of the working mon of these islands, the indifference displayed in reference to it, he fell overwhelmed with astonishment and regret. The attendance that night was unsatisfactory, though doubtless seeing the variable state of the weather, many would be absent harvesting their grass seed. It temained, however, for those who were present to do their duty. If they had complaints, proposals, or suggestions to make, they had the right to make them now, and this night was appointed to afford t_hein an opportunity for so doing, and he hoped they would use it.

Mr Coop said he thought Mr Joblin's observations were very much to the point, and he was satisfied that tho progress made by the children at the school had been unsatisfactory, but he thought things now would mend. It should be borne in mind that we were settlers in a new country, where there were necessarily many things to be done, and some of these would be done but indifferently. But he was satisfied things would come all right after a time, and he had pleasure in proposing Mr G. R. Joblin as a member of the Committee now to be elected.

Mr Joblin begged he might not be nominated.

Mr Coop did not see why Mr Joblin should decline. He wanted to see those who preached have an opportunity of practising what they preached. Mr Joblin said he had been on the Committee one year, and was much dissatisfied with the way the school was conducted. He expressed his dissatisfaction and was howled out. The same might occur again. He did not, however, decline on those grounds, but because he had no children to send to toe school, and he thought when competent men with families were present, they should be elected. He, however, complimented the late Committee on tbeir management,

Mr Olphert thought that Mr Joblin might serve them tbe best by other means than by joining the Committee.

Mr Holt proposed that Messrs Coop, J. Olphert, M. Fitton, G. W. Joblin, S. Harris, W. Greenland, and Jas. Reynolds b~ the Committee for the ensuing year'

Mr Fitton seconded. (Carried unanimously.)

A vote of thanks to the Chairman brought the meeting to a cloee.

Subsequently a meeting of the Committee took place, whereat it was resolved that Mr Coop should be Chairman, and that all cheques should be signed by the Chairman and Mr W. S. Greenland.