School Committee.

Huntly Press and District Gazette, Volume 3, Issue 6, 9 April 1914, Page 2

School Committee.

The usual monthly meeting of the Huntly School Committee was held oil the evening of Thursday, 2nd inst., when there were present Messrs J. Elliot (chairman), T. Black, R. Greenwell, A. H. Geary, G. T. Horwood, W. M. Jolley, C. Starr, and the secretary, Mr E. A. Jones. The minutes of the previous meeting were read and approved. The secretary reported that as a result of inquiry the cost of obtaining the services of an efficient lecturer on First Aid and Ambulance would amount to something like £2O per annum. As no grant would be available for the purpose, and as the revenue was not sufficient to meet current expenditure, the committee was reluctantly obliged to abandon tile idea of starting such classes. The head-teacher wrote at length on the subject of “ handwork,” which, he thought could be efficiently taught (1) at tlio School of Mines; (2) by aking advantage of the services i of the itinerant teachers employed by the Board of Education ; or (3) by instituting a Technical School ii Huntly, which, if this were done, would become the centre to which pupils from the surrounding schools would come for instruction in technical subjects. After considerable discussion it was decided that if the Education Department insisted on the teaching of technical subjects, the necessary teachers should be provided as well as all equipment required; that to become pupils of the School of Mines, a membership fee of five shillings together with class fees would have to be paid by each pupil, these payments by children attending the primary schools being inconsistent with the idea of free education so universally adopted ; and that the institution of a technical school could not be accomplished without adding to the burdens already imposed on the local authorities and the ratepayers generally. The committee, therefore, regretted their niability to proceed with the matter, and thanked Mr Kay for his letter. The following report on the work for the year ended 28th February was approved, and ordered to be submitted to the householders at the . annual meeting ; “During their period of office the committee held twelve meetings at which the attendance of members was as follows : Messrs E. A. Jones, 12; Jas. Elliot, 11 ; T. Black, R. Greenwell, G. T. Hor wood, and W. M. Jolley, 10 ; A. H. Geary and C. Starr, 9 ; and J. Fletcher, 6. “ From the abstract of the School Fund account it will be seen that the credit balance at the end of the term was £1 16s Id; but against this there are several accounts which have not yet come to hand. During the year the committee received from the Board of Education grants for ordinary incidental purposes totalling £B7 8s 6d, wh.il - the expenditure for the year amounted to £IOO 0s lid. Had it not been for a fairly substantial credit balance carried forward from last year, the committee, like the majority of school committees throughout the Dominion, could not have met its liabilities. Ihie committee is unanimously of opinion that the Board’s capilation allowance is not an adequate one, and strongly urges the householders at the annual meeting to draw the attention of the Minister for Education to the urgent need of increased grants. The price of labour and material being still on the increase, the outlook for the future is anything but bright. “Arrangements were made during the year for a supply of water from the railway tanks; but before the installation was commenced, the water was subjected to an analysis that showed the presence of insoluble iron compounds in such quantity as rendered it unsuitable for drinking purposes. The committee was, therefore, reluctantly comp lied to abandon the idea of securing a supply of water from that source. “ During the year a Singer Sewing Machine was purchased, the committee considering that instruction in sewing on modern lines was a necessary part of the school curriculum, and would tend to make the instruction more in keeping with the present day methods. “ A portion oi the school ground was tarred and sanded by the Board’s workmen during the Christmas holidays, a work that has reduced the dust nuisance. “ The work done in school throughout the year has been of a highly satisfactory nature, and reflects the utmost credit on the Headmaster and his staff. The number of Proficiency Certificates obtained at the last annual examination compares favourably with the results achieved by other schools in the Auckland Province; since, of the twenty candidates, presented for exami nation, all succeeded in satisfying the examiners. “The committee tenders its congratulations to the Council of the School of Mines, and hopes that the institution, the idea of which emanated from the school committee, will prove most useful to those who wish to continue the education received at the primary school. “ The cleaning and caretaking of j the school buildings by Mr T. j Husband continue to be performed in a thorough and efficient manner.” On the motion of the chair- y nan, whose seconder was Mr Treenwell, the report was

manimqusly adopted.

The secretary submitted the annual balance sheet which showed a surplus of £1 16s Id in favour of the committee ; but, as there were still some accounts that had not come to hand, the income had really failed to meet the expenditure. The abstract of accounts which had been duly audited by the auditor appointed by the Board of Education (Mr Alexander), was as follows :—- Receipts. Credit Balance from