Outspoken Comment at Education Board’s Meeting Mr Turley’s Allegations

Grey River Argus, 20 September 1948, Page 2

Outspoken Comment at Education Board’s Meeting Mr Turley’s Allegations

An outspoken attack on the Canterbury Education Board was made at the meeting on Friday by Mr 1. L. Turley, when dealing with his replacement ,’on the Greymouth Technical High School Board by Mr W. S. MeClymont. He claimed that the whole method of the appointement reeked or petty spite and underbandedness and amounted to a stab in the back. Mr Turley said some person from Greymouth "had interviewed the secretary of the Board, and the past chairman (Mr C. S. Thompson) and sought his (Mr Turley’s) replacement He was not informed of what was going on. . , “While I was away from Christchurch,” said Mr Turley. “Mr W. T. Langley, a Board member, conceived the idea that it would be good business to remove me from the lechnicai High School Board. He telephoned Greymouth and asked a man, who had previously been suggested, if he would take my place. Mr Langley was not interested in the fact that this man had never taken an interest in education. His first consideration was to oust me,” Mr Turley said. The chairman (Mr A. E. Lawrence), asked Mr Turley to withdraw his remarks concerning Mr Langley. Mr Turley: “I will withdraw if it suits vou, but it is still a fact. He’aded that it was useless members saving, that, with the exception of Mr J. F. McDougall, they had open minds on the appointment, and that there was not a price paid for this , t tle bit of what he called dirty busiHGSS “DIRTIEST BUSINESS” When asked to withdraw, Mr Turley added: “It is, in fact, the dirtiest bit of business I have ever come across in all my public life.” He said he was not prepared to believe that another Board meeting, by an almost unanimous vote —the exception being Mr McDougall—voted to dump him, and elect someone whom not one of them knew personally He knew this was not true and in his wildest moments he would not say that they were all as stupid as that. He said he would not now accept the appointment at the hands of the Board, or under any consideration. Mr Langley strenuously denied the accusations made by Mr Turley. According to Mr S. J. Irwin, the reason the Board wanted another representative on the Technical High School Board was that the representative really represented the views of the Board. Mr Turley, he said, had been the only member who had opposed the Board’s resolution to support an appeal in the schools for the starving children of Europe. The Board had the right to choose its representatives, and it would be most insincere to appoint Mr Turley when his views conflicted with theirs on questions of such paramount importMr Turley: This is a trifling thing, and pure piffle. Mr Irwin said that Mr Langley had nothing to do with the matter. MOTION REJECTED

Mr Thompson claimed that, because he and the secretary had said nothing to Mr Turley about the discussion referred to, he should have regarded it as a compliment. Mr Turley said he did not regard it in that way. , , . His motion that all resolutions passed bv the Board in Julv, relative to the appointment of Mr W. <S. McClymont as the Board’s representative on the Grevmouth Technical High School Board be rescinded, was lost. Messrs Turley and McDougall voted for it.