EAST CHRISTCHURCH SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Globe, Volume VI, Issue 661, 2 August 1876, Page 3

EAST CHRISTCHURCH SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

The ordinary meeting of the above committee was held last evening at the Gloucester street school. Present —Rev W. J. Habens, and Messrs Rose, Thomson, Lee, Kirk, Farr, and Colborne-Yeel. The chair was taken by the Rev Mr Habens, who had resigned his position as chairman at the previous meeting, and who had been requested to act until his successor was appointed. After the minutes had been confirmed, the chairman said the audited statement of accounts asked for by the Minister of Education, had been forwarded, and a letter had been received saying a voucher of £SO had been passed to meet incidental expenses in the meantime. A letter had also been received from the Education Department, intimating that if the committee included the necessary levelling of the school site in the contract for the bath, £25 would be allowed for that object, and the district contribution would be levied. As he (the chairman 1 did not know whether the commiliee would care to undertake all the levelling necessary, he had delayed calling for tenders. It was resolved that tenders for the work should be called as soon as possible. The offers of school sites at Phillipstown were read. The chairman mentioned some allotments which he had seen on a plan of Phillipstown that day, and it was eventually d( elded to refer the question to a sub-com-mittee, consisting of Rev W. J. Habens and Messrs Lee and Thomson, with power to select a site and effect the purchase. Mr Lee mentioned that Mr Beattie, who is building a new hotel in Gloucester street, had offered to give a quantity of gravel which was being excavated out of his cellar. The sub committee of the main school were requested to see Mr Beattie and arrange for its removal. The work of gravelling the school site, for which £IOO had been authorised, was reraitted to the new chairman and sub-corn-miltee. The election of a chairman was next proceeded with. Mr Colborne-Yeel proposed Mr George Leslie Lee for the position. He said it would not be necessary for him to trouble the committee with a long address or occupy their time at any length. They would agree with 1 im that they could find no one who would take greater pains in the discharge of the duties or who would work with more zeal for the district than Mr Lee would. Besides he (Mr Lee) would be able to find more time to devote to the duties devolving upon the chairman than other members of the committee could who were employed all day with their professional engagements. M r Farr seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously,

Mr Habens vacated the chair, which was taken by Mr Lee, who thanked the committee for electing him. He felt the difficulty of assuming the position after the very energetic chairman they had had, but, with that gentleman’s assistance and advice, he might endeavour to make his absence from the chair not so much felt as it otherwise would be. Mr Rose moved—“ That a vote of thanks be recorded by the committee to the Rev W. J. Habens, the retiring chairman.” He said that it would be obvious to even the latest elected members on the committee how much the ratepayers of the district, and the committee themselves were indebted to the untiring energy and zeal of Mr Habens in the cause of educational matters connected with the district. Mr Thomson seconded the motion with great pleasure, and could bear testimony to the zeal with which Mr Habens had worked in connection with all educational matters affecting the district. Though they must regret his loss as chairman, he would still be with them as a member of the committee. The motion was put, and carried unanimously. Mr Habens offered his best thanks to the committee for their kind expressions of the value of his services. It had been a very great pleasure to him to render them, and he regretted that from any point of view he had bought it desirable to withdraw from the position of chairman. He would still retain his place on the committee, and he begged to express his best thanks to the members for the warm manner in which they had always supported his efforts in everything undertaken for the benefit of the schools of the district. On the motion of Mr Habens the chairman was requested to apply for permission to order six mats from England, at a cost not exceeding £3 each. The Provincial Architect reported that the schoolmaster’s house at Bingsland was too slight to bear additions, and that the Minister of Education would authorise the building of a new house. It was decided to accept the Minister’s offer. A letter was read from Mr Loughrey, stating that during the month of July 11 boys and 10 girls had left the Gloucester street school, and 17 boys and 12 girls had been admitted into the school during same month. A statement of the reasons why the scholars had left was enclosed. The attendances at the schools of the district on Ist August were ns follows Gloucester street, 655 ; Bingsland, 114 ; South town belt, 66, The resignation of Miss Gates as pupil teacher, was accepted, and a note from Miss Anthony referring to the vacancy, was approved. The Main school sub-committee reported that they entered into a contract with Mr Greenaway for planting the school site with trees, which would be obtained from Mr Armstrong, Government gardener, who could not, however, give them any shrubs. These, however, the committee considered they could do without, and would lay down the open spaces with grass. The chairman, on behalf of the Bingsland sub-committee, reported on the bad drainage at the Bingsland school. A large body of water had accumulated at the gates through the road ditches not being cleared. It was in a terrible state, and enough to breed a fever when the warm weather sets in. This state of things could easily be remedied by cutting a drain into the creek. It was resolved to write to the Road Board respecting the drainage of the road in front of the the school. Mr Rose, for the south belt coinmittee, reported that the carpenter employed at the Barbadoes street school had succeeded in finding out and stopping the leak in the roof. The work of preparing the ground for planting had been delayed through the late wet weather. It was desirable that a few loads of gravel should be spread at the entrance to the school, as at present the children were up to their ankles in mud when going through the gate. The sub-committee were authorised to have the work done. The chairman was requested to write to the Minister of Education for some mapstands for the main school similar to those granted by the Board of Education to the West Christchurch school, and recommended by the inspector for the South belt school, and to represent that the head teachers of the former school had represented strongly the necessity for these being supplied. A number of accounts were passed for payment, and the committee adjourned.