TEACHER'S DISMISSAL.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 431, 13 February 1909, Page 6

TEACHER'S DISMISSAL.

; . ,THE : DEPARTMENT'CRITICISED;''.■'.,.; 1 ";.'■; ■• CBi;.IELE(!E*PH—rBES3 , ABSOCUTiON.) i ' ■'. ;":"■; ; :;;" Christchurch, reDaruary.;l2:': ; '.Regarding thesummary dismissal, of' Miss' jHarrison, the, ■ teacher ■Sα . Te' :: Orahga' Home ' (referred -to under .the, heading [I! Sequal to a> -Commission " on .page 14), : v a .. gentleman rinterested'v , .in , . tbeV.work , of 'the.home told.'a."Star" reporter that he'eon"sidered the Education: Department/had 'made' ] '.'another remarkable error of judgment" oh an iinportaht/point of administration.■.■.' "The .Department must-either justifyits'-action bv. suggesting that'the ;teacher's: work I was un.;satisfac'tdry,;,qr else,confess;that'"the-woman in'a measure, disgraced, because she disagreed,with the ,matron on points,of administration." ; He 'said:. "Will the Minister .assure the public that Miss Harrison,was not.dismissed on the; recommendation of- , ;Mrs.. Branting, the matron?/,And.will he state that the differ-' ience.of.opinion between Miss Harrison and iMrs.-Branting'was ;not on the.question.': of whether; the scanty two hours, a day allowed for the education, of the girls,'should be,further .curtailed?" . It.'is : .'alleged -that... the : -was denied", access.' to records that .were ;her, own jiroperty;.. and that, having , to. : communicate with, the .Department in the matter when some money' became due to her, sho received a curt instructionto'call for it at a certain , house in the'eityi as.though' it, was desirable, that 'she should: not again, '.enter the walls-of;the institution." : , ,;.': ;. ; ','The' Minister for Education has - stated 'that the management was vindicated by the. ;repprt,of the inquiry, , ' said a gentleman who has been prominent in;connection,with -the rmatterat previous times. ..''The^public , dis-; : agree with him..".Wβ; will put aside the flogging and tree-felling, because there is reason: to believe that reform has been effected in these directions. ■■' Docs' anybody'contend for ■one'mpinent, however, that girls whose crying ■need is;inoral; upliftmerit and : character, development shoiild be allowed only two hours' education a! day, and then, kept down to a fourth standard level? That is : 'the position of affairs'as disclosed at the,inquiry.- Now -that the officer who had tho oqurage to protest has-been dismissed from.the service, the ,;Minifltei will have to' fexplaia to; the : publioV-v