SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2158, 25 January 1881, Page 3

SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

WEST CHRISTOHUROH. The annual general meeting of householders for the election of sohool committee for the district of West Ohristchuroh was held in the schoolroom, Lincoln road, last evening. Mr George Booth was elected to the chair. Mr H. J. Tancred, the retiring chairman, read a report of the transactions of the last year, by which it appeared that the attendance had largely increased, being at an average of 861.3 for the year. Towards the latter part of the year the infant school became bo crowded that it was found necessary to refuse admission to any more children. In consequence of the urgent representations of the committee the Board of Education had finally decided on erecting a side sohool at South Addington to accommodate from 200 to 250 pupils, which will for a time relieve the overcrowding of the main sohool. The report went on to state that the drainage, &0., had been considerably improved during the past year, and the buildings were now in a fair state in that respect. The general reductions in the Civil Sorvice expenditure had operated in preventing some very necessary works, but by the exercise of the strictest economy the result had been on the whole satisfactory. The balance-sheetshowed thatagainst receipts £2706 Is 9d, which included a balance from last year of £lOl Os 4d, there was an expenditure of £2f>96 19s lid, leaving a balance unexpended of £lO9 Is lOd. Yotes of thanks were passed to the committee for their services in the past year, and on the chairman calling for nominations for the ensuing term, the same members were returned without opposition. The committee is, therefore, composed of the following gentlemen:— Professor Biokerton, Messrs H. J. Tancred, D. Beese, J. Gh Hawley, J. B. Bell, D. Nairn, and D. Bowie. A meeting of the committee took place after the election, when Mr H. J. Tancred was re-elected chairman, and Mr Alex. McNie, treasurer and secretary. BAST CHRISTOHUROH. There was a large attendance of householders, the chair being occupied by the Rev. H. O. M. Watson, chairman of the sohool committee. The report was read and adopted, as follows : The outgoing committee beg to report that they have held twenty meetings during their year of office, thrte being special meetings and one adjourned, at which much detail business has been transacted. A vacancy which occurred in the committee during the year was rilled by the appointment of Mr M. Murphy (secretary to the Agricultural and Pastoral Association o£ Canterbury), a gentleman in evoty way an acquisition to the committee. There have been several vacancies in the etaffof the school, and satisfactory appointments have been made to fill them. Efforts have been made by the committee to obtain the sanction of the Board to the appointment of a head-mistress (there having been none since the end of 1877, and after much difficulty and considerable delay, arrangement* have been made by which the school will nowhave the benefit of on efficient mistress. It will bo the daty of the incoming committee to make the appointment. Changes have been made in the mastership of Bingsland, and in the second mastership of the main school, which it is hoped wi:l

increase the efficiency of both schools. A highly qualified mistress has been appointed to the Phillipstown schoo", while the South Town belt school and" *be iui'ant department of of the main school recajun under their former ' well qualified teachera. For a time the side schools were withdrawn front the supervision of the head master, in order that he might givn the whole of hin timo to the main school. It is now thought well, with the concurrence of the Board and the head master, that the supervision in some slight degree should beremmel by the latter. The inspector's report on the main school has- not yet cone to hand ; the class lists, however, have been forwarded. I'hey show that, while several classes have passed well, yet that, on the whole, there is room for improvement. With* regard to the South Town belt school, he says :—" The Echool still fully maintains the high standard of former years. The teaching is prosecuted with care, and the proficiency of the children in the subjects taught is highly commendable. The course of instruction in a full one for a preparatory school." Of the Phillipstown side school, he says:—"All subjects common to infant sohools are taught, and the general condition of the school may be summed up as fairly satisfactory." A conference of the chairmen of the various school committees in Notth Canterbury Educational District was held in April at the instance of your committee, which was largely attended. The following resolutions were passed by the conference, and duly forwarded through the Board of Education to the Government, which has acknowledged their receipt:—"l. That in the opinion of this conference the annual election of school committees should be held in the month of April. 2. That cumulative voting should be abolished. 3. That the amount allowed by the Government for incidental expenses is, in the opinion cf this meeting, insufficient 4. That in the opinion of this meeting the Bible should be read, without note or comment, during school hours. That no child shall be compelled to be present at the reading of the Bible whose parents or guardians objeet. 5. That the number of holidays during the year be defined by the Board of Education, and that the allotment of such holiday* be determine! by the committees. 6. That in the opinion of this meeting it is highly desirable that the constitution of the Boards of Education should be so far altered as that the members thereof should be representatives of localities, and to that end it is desirable that for the purpose of returning members to the Board the country should be divided into electoral districts, co-tqual, perhaps, with the electoral districts of tho Crown, and that each electoral district so constituted be entitled to return a proportionate number of members. 7. That the compulsory clauses of the Act be of permanent obligation, and not be left to the committee to enforce." In the month of October a conference of representatives of the West Christchurch. Sydenham, Normal, and East Christchurch schools agreed upon a scheme for providing uniformity in school holidays of the several schools referred to. An important addition has been made to the subjects taught in the schools by the introduction of Dr. B. W. Riohardson's temperance class book. An effort was also made to induce the Government to sanction the introduction of books selected from the Bible, for the purpose of teaching sacred history. The Government, however, considered the proposal if granted would be an infringement of section 84 of the Act. The salaries of the teachers have been reduced by the prevailing " ten per cent." But, besides this general reduction, a farther reduction has been made in the salary of the second master to the extent of -270. The committee fear that this redaction (to be followed, logically, by others) will be prejudicial to the efficiency of the school, and they beg to draw special attention to the change. The only expenditure upon buildings in the district other than the necessary repairs has been the addition of two rooms to the caretaker's house in Gloucester street. They are now in course of erection. The ventilation of the infant school, which was found very defective, has been attended to recently, apparently with the best results. Other improvements needed have had to remain in abeyance, owing to the limited funds at the disposal of the Education Board for building purposes. In the month of November your committee organised two concerts, one in the Oddfellows' Ball and one in the South Town belt school, the proceeds to form a nucleus for a prize fund, the result (including two donations) amounting to .£l3 143 4d. The committee take this opportunity of thanking those ladies and gentlemen who kindly gave their services on the occasion referred to. H. C. M. Watson, Chairman. The following were elected members of committee for the ensuing year: Messrs Farr, Watson, Murphy, Kirk, Hobbs, Weston, and Thomson. Yotes of thanks to outgoing committee and chairman were passed, and at a subsequent meeting of the new committee Mr Watson was elected ehairman. SYDENHAM. The annual meeting of householders of this district was held last evening in the Sydenham Borough School, Colombo road, to receive the report of the school committee for the past year, and the election of a committee for 1881. There was a good attendance. Mr J. T. Fisher, M.H.R., was voted to the chair, and opened the proceedings by reading the advertisement convening the meeting, and bespoke a fair hearing for everyone. He read a letter from the Chairman of the school committee (Mr J. Joyce) who was absent on legal business at Akaroa. Mr Hall read the committee's report for the past year, which congratulated the householders on tho more satisfactory relations between the Board of Education and the school committee than hitherto. It also oomplained that the teachers ignored the instructions of the committee respecting corporeal punishment, and it was contended that the committee should have more power to enforce its instructions. The average daily attendance of scholars for the year was stated at 740. The inspector's report was also read, stating that in the boys' division 74 per cent, of those presented passed, whilst in the girls' division 84 per cent, passed. It also strongly urged more school accommodation as absolutely necessary, and spoke of the general organisation of the school in favorable terms. The statement of receipts and expenditure for the past year was also read. The report was read clause by clause and passed, with one exception, viz., the abolition of cumulative voting. A vote of thanks was passed to Mr Hall for gratuitous lessons in French to the scholars during the past year. Mr S. Day moved a hearty vote of thanks to the committee for their action during the year, which was unanimously accorded them. The following gentlemen were elected as the school committee for the present year : Revs. T. R. Cairns, H. B. Cocks, Messrs Forrester, Martin, Joyco, Andrew and Mortlock.

A vote of thanks to the chair terminated the proceedings. A meeting of the school oommittee was held immediately after, when the Rev. H. B. Cocks was eleoted its chairman. MERIVALE AND ST. ALBANS. There was a fair number of householders at the meeting last night. The following report was cordially adopted— The St. Alban's district school committee beg to report as follows : Early in the year Mr Mitchell intimated to the committee his wish to be relieved of his duties as head master at the end of June, 1880. The resignation of Mr Mitchell was entirely voluntary, and the committee have much pleasure in stating that the last report of the school under Mr Mitchell'b management was very satisfactory to the school as a whole. The committee received thirty-six applications for the vacant head mastership, and out of them unanimously selected Mr R. Soundy for recommendation to the Education Board. The Education Board accepted the recommendation, and Mr Soundy entered upon his duties on the 4th of July last. A preliminary examination of the school was held during the same month, in order that all the scholars might be properly classified for the ensuing year's work. In accordance with a recommendation from the Central Board the wh'-)le school was reorganised before Mr Soundy entered upon his duties, one of the most important changes being the Appointment of a head mistress. Out of many applications, Misß Peache, of the Normal School, received theappointment. The committee trust and believe that at the forthcoming examination in July next the advantages of these changes will be apparent to all concerned. Miss Edwards having voluntarily resigned ber position as mistress of the side school, the committoe have advertised for her succes?or. It is but just to Miss Edwards to state that at the last examination every one of her scholars passed the required ttandard, and the inspector says that the efficiency of the Echool reflects great credit on the mistress and her staff. Owing to the fact that during the last six months so many of the available scholars have been absent from tho Bchool, the committee very reluctantly decided to put the compulsory clauses into force. The intimation that this was going' to be done has in eomo degree im proved the attendance during the last two months. It is earnestly to be hoped that the parents of the absentees will spare the new committee the trouble of proceeding to extremes in this matter, seeing that such an admirable school is in their midst, and the only expense parents are put to is the very trifling one of reading books, copybooks and home maps. Tho Education Board, under the direction of their own architect, have put the sanitary arrangements of therchool in a most satisfactory condi-

tion, and the school buildings i n every parti c _lar ere in admirable order. tiignwl, on behalf of the committee Thomas FIsTJIU, Chairman. The now committee were elected as follows —Rev. T. J"lavell, 38 ; Messrs M»nr, 20; T. .Tones, 17 j F. Smith 16; Dicbenson, 15 j Macintosh, 14? f D'ixey, 12 At the first, meeting of fho oommittee the Rev. T. Flavell was unanimously re-elected chairman for the ensuing year.