THE HIGH SCHOOL.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2414, 1 February 1909, Page 6

THE HIGH SCHOOL.

It would 'bo exceedingly regrettablo if local jealousies should bo permitted to mar the establishment of the Gisborne High School which is fixed to take place to-day. It is by no means certain that tho Board of Governors has been absolutely justified in every step it has taken in tlio initiation of tho new scheme of instruction, and it must be admitted that evory interest concerned in tho alterations that havo taken place s has not been adequately represented. At tho same time it must he said for tho Governors that they were met by a situation in which the representatives of other interests than their own were So apathetic that tho welfare of tho child-i ron was imperilled, and ,thoy took the firm course of making a definite start with tho proposals they had in view. Tho Education Board took an unreasonable time to consider the position laid before them, the, local school committee did not feel sufficiently interested to take tho matter up in earnest, and now at the eleventh hour botli bodies appear to be in a mood to cause trouble. Tho letter of tho Education Board published the other day indicates /an extraordinary attitude on the part of that body so far as its relationships with the Governors are concerned, but it still does not show any desire to directly interfere with the establishment of tho new school; The local committee, on the. other hand, goes a step further, and asks the Governors not to proceed with the establishment of tho school. Tho preference of such a request two days before the school was due to open

indicates a remarkable frame of mind on-the part of those who supported the resolution. The suggestion that there is likely to be friction between' those in authority over the two sets of scholars because both frequent the same playground is .one that ought not. to . have a great deal of weight. Wo admit that there are some points of possible difference, but to suggest that they cannot he got over during the temporary occupancy of the present premises by the High School pupils is to cast an undeserved reflection upon the masters of the two schools. It would, of course, have been much better if the new High School could have commenced its existence on grounds of its owe, hut under all the circumstances there is a reasonable claim to a temporary occupancy of the premises that have in the past been used for the purposes of a District High School. In any case the committee, if it had any objections to raise, should surely have made them before the present date, particularly as the Governors asked as far back as December last that they be discussed. It is to be sincerely hoped that the Gisborne Scliool Committee will not expect its extraordinary resolution to be observed to the letter, and that there will not he the slightest suspicion of unpleasantness when the opens to-day.