WHY SCHOOL REQUISITES AND FUEL ARE CHARGED FOR BY THE KUMARA LOCAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE-Continued.

Kumara Times, Issue 1465, 8 June 1881, Page 2

WHY SCHOOL REQUISITES AND FUEL ARE CHARGED FOR BY THE KUMARA LOCAL SCHOOL COMMITTEE-Continued.

[to the editor.] Yes, sir, the action of the parents who, without pvotest, sent their children to school, and, after so long a lapse of nine months then l-efused to pay, was both peculiar and misleading; and further, unfortunately for their own children the School Committee and the head teacher, all three were placed in false positions. The Committee required the money; the head teacher had orders to collect and enforce the payment. The poor innocent children could not be expected to understand how matters stood; they were sent to school by their parents ; when at school they naturally enough felt equal with their fellows, and righteously so. Financial matters as a rule do not trouble school children. Still, on the first of the month the non-paying children must have felt keenly, when giving the answer " Papa," or "Mamma did not give us any money." How unkind of any parent to .allow this : how unwise for any parents to allow their children to be placed in such a false and hurtful position. J fancy I see the blush on their little cheeks as compared with the self-satiefied faces of those children next them whose parents had given them the monthly sixpence. These children feel quite proud and independent when carrying to school the moDey to meet the charges made. Why, sir, on the first Monday in the month any ordinary observer meeting a number of school children could without any trouble tell by their faces those whose parents had acted rightly and justly to their offspring. Why did not the discontents send by their children a little note to the head teacher or myself, couched in the following terms: Sir,

do not ask my children for the monthly" payment for requisites j I consider the same illegal* and refuse to pay. Or. on the other hand) say the committees charges are exorbitant j I intend to procure privately what my children require. Surely to do this no very great amount of moral courage was required; On the other hand, for persons in indigent circumstances the Chairman was empowered to authorise the head teacher to credit them as paid, and debit the Committee. If any application was made, in which the Chairman had any doubts, then in such cases the same was to be referred to the Committed: Receipts would be given to children on the above understanding. Now, whilst this course perhaps gave too great a power to myself; still the Committee did not wish to expose the poverty of those parents either to their own children or the Children of" persons betted circumstanced.

On the first of this month, lit Wilson, the head teacher, determined to bring matters to an Issue in the cases of those who were the farthest behind in their payment. Accordingly instructions were given and twelve pnpils were ordered to gt> back home and fetch the moneys due, or obtain att explanation from their parents. Only one of each family was selected; therelore the cry endeavored to be got up that the Committee were going to'turri them out of school was unfounded) the children sent home were simply messengers. The same message had been sent month after month, but with this distinction that prior to the Ist of June, the whole of the children were allowed to remain at school as usual The sending home on this occasion wad simply meant as an earnest that the Committee were determined that all should pay. To have allowed the matter to have gone on as before would in effect be to prove that the Committee were incompetent, and that a few discontents were to destroy the harmony and efficiency of the school, to say naught of placing the Committee in financial difficulties. If the discontents were to rule on this occasion, perhaps the next thing Government and the Committee would be asked by them to provide a dinner each for their children, whilst others must go hungry. Some of the parents whose children were sent home, I feel deeply for, because on inquiry I found it was in-. digent circumstances alone that prevented compliance, and further that whilst poor they did not like their poverty exposed. After informing them of the Committee's financial p'osftion and also the arrangements made for dealing with such cases, they were perfectly satisfied.

Then again others were of the opinion that because the Boacd of Education had rescinded the resolution, which was in effect ultra vires, authorising the local committees to collect school fees, that this committee must abide by the Board's resolution. To this section of the discontents my answer is as follows. This Committee never acted under' the Board's resolution in the first iustanco, and no matter how ridiculous that body may unwittingly make themselves, until they provide us with funds sufficient to carry on the management of the schools tinder our charge, we shall ignore any illegal resolution they may pass. The members of the Committee are personally responsible for any debts contracted, therefore, whilst contracting liabilities, we mast find the moneys to pay them, or otherwise become a shocking example, of what some persons will suffer for the rising generation. I trust the good sense of this section of the discontents will not allow it to be said of their children that any member of the Committee suffered privately for their education. One of the most active persons in placing every difficulty in the way of; the Committee I feel sorry for, and he certainly is to be more pitied than blamed. When on the School Committee he strongly advocated the charges agreed upon as being the only legitimate means of raising revenue sufficient to meet current expense. Now, owing to an infirmity of temper, and suffering under the impression that one of his children did not receive justice in the awarding of prizes last year, in a weak moment he seeks to injure himself and forfeit the esteem of myself and a very large number of his fellow-towns-men besides proving himself an enemy to a system of Education which professedly he admires and believes in. To him a last word of advice is, There are sufficient enemies outside who only smile and sneer when there is the least sign of internal disorganization or quarreling; therefore let all acrimony and ill-feeling be buried, even at a personal sacrifice. The education of the rising generation of Kumara and the good wishes of our fellow-townsmen will more than compensate and repay ten-fold.

Iu conclusion; and whilst asking to Ibe excused for going into the matter at SUch length, yet Considering as I do that the Committee have the Confidence of the public and that the question is Of great importance, I attach a statement shewing the revenue and expenditure of the Committee. RtivßlTOß. & S; di Grant from Board of Education ... m m ..i 40 0 0 BftPßtflttTTTßß. £ S. d; School cleaning ..i m 90 0 Q firewood and School requfc . sites .<> .u u> ... 50 0 0 Incidental expenditure .<> 20 0 0 £l2O 0 0 Grant, as above <;> ... 40 0 0 deficiency in m £8)0 0 0 from this it will be seen that the committee have to raise £BO per annum. We are therefore Compelled to adhere to the charges fixed. A rather unique atti absurd anomaly took place at our last meeting. In the inward correspondence from the Board Was a letter informing the committee that the Board had rescinded the resolution Abolishing School fees, whilst another letter contained a cheque for £4 10s. that being the balance left after they had deducted for school requisites, so that for March quarter there was a deficiency for school cleaning alone of £8 10s. The Board of Education are solely to blame for placing us in our present unenviable position. Say as many bitter things of that body as you like, but rest assured the Kumara School Committee under adverse circumstances are doing without fear or favor the best they can for all concerned. Tlius, feeling themselves in the right, they intend to remain firm, and trust to the good sense of the majority of the public for support. R. J. Seddon, Chairman Local School Committee. June 7, 1881.