SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 415, 11 October 1875, Page 3

SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

LYTTELTON. A meeting of this committee was held on Saturday evening, in the committee room. Present—Dr Donald (in the chair), Dr Rouse, Messrs H. N. Nalder, H. All wright, Grange, and H. Hawkins. The minutes of the last meeting having been read and confirmed, Correspondence was read from— Mr J. 8. Willcox, in reply to Messrs Scott Bros’ letter in reference to a reduction made in the payment of their contract. It was resolved that the contractors be written to, informing them that Mr Willcox had written to them, the committee, stating that no delay had occurred through nonproduction of details, and that Mr Willcox be written to and informed that the committee have never imputed any negligence to him in the matter, and request to be furnished, at his earliest convenience, with a full report on the matter. The following letter from the Minister of Education was then read “ Education Office, Christchurch, N.Z., “October 4th, 1875. “D r W. Donald, Acting Chairman District Committee, Lyttelton School. » gi rj —l have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th ult, forwarding a copy of resolution unanimously agreed to at a meeting of the committee. “ I should be glad to be informed in what way ‘ all attempts of the committee to effect improvements are thwarted by the action of the Minister for Education.’ I am not aware that such a statement can be supported by even the shadow of a fact. “Your chairman, |Mr Webb, being in Wellington, the committee may possibly be ignorant of what has taken place, or must have been considering documents which were not sent from this office. Since this department has been under my charge every sum of money asked for, and every request made by the committee has been granted with two exceptions; one was that the hard labor gang might be employed to floor the drill shed, which the Government could not permit; and the other was a proposition that the Government should accept a piece of land belonging to the Borough Council for school purposes, adjoining the present school site, having no frontage, and containing only 12 perches, on condition that the town should not be called upon to contribute anything toward the cost of any buildings which might be erected thereon. This offer the Government did not see its way to accept, but caused the piece of laud in question to be valued, and offered to take it over at the valuator’s price, £175. To this you would not agree, but had the proposed addition and the present site valued by a resident, and forwarded his estimate, namely, for school land, £2350; for additional 12 perches, £243 ; making a total of £2593. You also express yourself as disappointed at his low estimate. Of course this question as to value of original site could not be re-opened, because in 1872 its value was mutually agreed upon between the Board of Education and the school committee at £IOOO, and the district has been credited with this amount as a contribution from the inhabitants. This credit will not be exhausted until £9600 has been spent on buildings in There is still a small balance remaining. Should you wish, I shall be happy to show you the papers and accounts referring to your district whenever it may be convenient for you to look in at this office. “ I trust yon will see the propriety of at once making this letter as public as the resolution unanimously agreed to by your committee. “ I have the honor to be, sir, “ Your obedient servant, “A. C. Knight, “ Minister for Education.”

It was unanimously resolved that the following reply should be sent to the Minister •a Education : “ Borough Schools, Lyttelton, October 9th, 1875. “ Sir, —I have the honor by direction to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of 4th instant, noting receipt of a copy of a resolution passed by the Lyttelton Borough school'committee, and am directed to forward to you in reply the following, which was unanimously agreed to at a meeting of committee held this evening :—ln your favor of the 4th inst, you state that ‘you are not aware that such a statement as that contained in the resolution can be supported by even the shadow of a fact.’ _ , “ Whilst thanking you for this courteous mode of expressing yourself, the committee are of opinion that your memory must either be very defective, or that your idea of the difference between thwarting and assisting the committee in their endeavors to carry out the various duties which devolve upon them in connection with the schools, is totally at variance with the pre-conceived opinion of the-committee on that subject, and also with their past experience when the system of education was under the management of the Board of Education. Then if any difference of opinion arose between the committee and the Board on any subject, the question at issue was fairly discussed, and whatever the result, the opinion and wishes of the committee were at least treated with courtesy. Since the Board has been abolished this is completely altered ; if the committee venture to differ on any question with the Minister for Education, instead of considering their wishes, he says in effect, sic volo sic jubeo, and the matter must rest there. “ Take, for instance, the question of erecting an infant schoolroom, which has been urgently needed for a long time, both from the overcrowding of the present school buildings, and the necessity for separating the infants from the elder boys and girls. The late Board of Education before the last session of the Provincial Council, asked this committee what their requirements were, and this, inter alia , was mentioned, and the committee were subsequently given to understand that a sufficient sum had been included in the estimates sent in by the Board to the Government of their requirements, and passed by the Provincial Council. It was also understood by the committee that the ratepayers were not to be called upon to contribute toward the buildings, as the site to be given for the new buildings was to be taken in lieu. Since the Minister for Education has been appointed, after considerable delay, the site is fixed upon, then without in anyway consulting the committee, he sends a person (who the committee understand was a nonresident, and therefore most probably unacquainted with the value of Lyttelton property) tovaluejfthe site, and then informs the committee that he has had it valued, and that the value arrived at is £175. The committee deeming this sum far too low, get a person well acquainted with Lyttelton property to value Ihe site. His valuation, which the committee consider low, is forwarded to the Minister for Education. The committee are informed in reply that the sum arrived at by the Government valuator is tho amount at which the site will be taken or not at all, and if the committee don’t like this, the buildings must be erected on the present school ground, and the inhabitants pay one-sixth. The Minister for Education must have been perfectly aware that the latter course was impracticable, without taking away a large portion of the playground, which is even now far too small for the requirements of the schools. Then with reference to the flooring of the drill shed (which was simply the completion of part of the buildings on the original site), the committee, after forwarding the tenders, which they had been instructed to call for, were informed that they could accept one amounting to £42 18s, but the inhabitants must contribute onesixth. The cost of striking and collecting a rate of £7 3s would have amounted to three or four times the amount of the rate, and therefore prevented the work being done as was doubtless intended it should. If this were not the case, why are the committee now told for the first time that they had a credit as against the original site of £9600 which is not yet exhausted, and will not be until that sum has been spent on buildings in this district; a portion of this was surely available for the purpose, if the Minister for Education had condescended to give them this information before. Many minor things the committee have passed over, wishing, as they have always endeavored to do, to carry out and further the promotion of the present system of education in their district in as successful a manner as possible, having a due consideration for the ratepayers whom they represent, as well as the Government, as represented by the Minister for Education; but since the latter has been in office, the committeehave been treated as if everything they asked for was for their own private benefit, and not as the representatives of the ratepayers and inhabitants of the district, who have a right to have their wishes at all events courteously cofisidered. The committee fail to understand why (as stated in the third paragraph of your letter) Mr Webbs absence in Wellington should ‘ possibly’ make them • ignorant of what has taken place, seeing that the chairman of the committee, whoever he may be, acts on the instruction of the committee; or what documents the committee are supposed to have been considering which have not emanated from the Minister for Education, although those which do come from that source are usually the most unpleasant the committee have to consider. The committee desire to be informed the amount standing to their credit, also the sums charged against the sum allowed for the original site, and in conclusion beg to state that they at present see no reason for altering their former resolution, which they consider fully borne out by facts, in which their chairman, Mr Webb, fully concurs. “ I have the honor to be, sir, “ Your obedient servant, “ C. A. Rich, “ Secretary. “ The Minister for Education, Christchurch.” The chairman stated that Mr Edge (the head master) had pointed out that, owing to the largely increased attendance, it was desirable that one of the old parish schoolrooms should be hired, to be used for an infant school. After discussion Dr Rouse moved That the Minister for Education be requested to allow the engagement of one of the old schoolrooms as a temporary school for the infants, not only for the purpose of facilitating teaching but also on sanitary grounds.” Mr Nalder seconded the motion, which was carried, The meeting then adjourned,