A TEACHER'S APPEAL.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1370, 22 February 1912, Page 3

A TEACHER'S APPEAL.

THE LINTOX SCHOOL CASK.

«r Telczranh-Prets Aaeoeiatiea.i Palmerston N., February 21. _ J. lie hearing of the appp.il of 'J/homas htagpoolc, Jiqaclteaclipv at Liiiton. against Ins dismissal by the Wanganiii. Education Hoard-was resumed to-day. Tho evidence of Mr. H A. Parkinson, headmaster of .Ncwlown School (Wellington), and representative of the Teachers' Institute, was taken. It was largely expert evid»nco dealing with results shown l )v appellant during his six months at Liiiton. Jlo expressed , tho opinion that the report of the board's inspector on Stagpoole's work was quite satisfactory, but under crossexamination by Mr. t'iraui, chairman of the board, admitted that the writing at the school was not very good. He however maintained that results should |.» judged on the inspector's reports and not on school books, which were a sinnll portion of the trainin" at a school lie admitted that results were not so enoil as might, bo expected, but said the teacher was working under obvious difficulties. Regarding the charges against Inspector Stewart, Mr. Parkinson said that Mr. btewart had given liiiu a general denial of these charges and had impressed him with the belief that the charges were untrue. Reports that had subsequently reached him from other schools caused him to change that view. Witness said that the general idea among the three inspectors of the Wanganui Board appeared to be that Siagpoolu was eccentric. At the conclusion of his evidence tho witness made tjio following statement: Tho executive of the institute had deputed him to get all possible information bearing on the case with a view to the mstitute coming .to a decision as to whether or not to bring a case. Mr. Piraui, , chairman of the board, had forwarded to witness on his own initiative some letters from Miss Molloy, assistant teacher at Linton. They were letters th-at no chairman of a public body (should receive, and it was felt that they had a great deal to do with Mr. Stagpoole's dismissal. The executive could hardly express its indignation at such a system reing followed as appeared to bo folowed by the chairman of the Wanganui Board in receiving these surreptitious communications. The effect among a large body of teachers was exceedingly disquieting, especially in view of Mr. Pirani's statement at Wanganui that he received twenty of these letters a week. Mr.T?irani: I made no such statement. I said twenty letters. You are putting words into my mouth. Continuing, Mr. Parkinson said every headtoacher in the district was wondering to-day whether his assistants were ampng Mr. Pirani's private correspondents. Of course, tho Court could liot deal with the matter, or express any opinion upon it, but ho felt it his duty, as official representative of the teachers, to draw'public attention to the fact that this case had largely arisen because two lady friends of the chairman of tho board had been sending letters to the board. Mr. Pirani: Sir, I don't think that this man should be allowed into the witness box to make false statements. He knows as well as I do that one of the two ladies referred to I have never spoken or written to. Mr. Parkinson kaoirs this from the correspondence which is dated a week after the committee of tho board arrived at its decision, and Mr. Parkinson has a copy of that, correspondence. The statement about the other lady is equally an untruth. I never spoke to her or never heard of her in my life till after the action had been decided upon. It was a grossly wrong thing to state that the assistant-teacher was the cause of Mr. Stagpoole's dismissal when Mr. Parkinson know that the letters were written a week after the committee's decision. I ask you (continued Mr. Pirani) to withdraw those untruths you have made in the box. His Worship: At anyTate, Mr. Parkinson, you arc not here to state what has come to you by hearsay. Mr. Parkinson: The main portion of what I havo slated I received from Mr. Pirani's own. lips. I should not have referred to it, only I havo been accused of dishonourable actions. The case was adjourned till to-morrow.