ELECTION OF BLENHEIM SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Marlborough Daily Times, Volume I, Issue 89, 27 January 1880, Page 3

ELECTION OF BLENHEIM SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Pursuant to notice a meeting of the householders of the Borough of Blenheim was held in the school-room at half-past twelve on Monday last, for the purpose of electing tho School Committee which consists of seven members.

On the motion of Mr Wm. Sinclair, Mr S. Johnson took the chair.

Mr Dodson said he thought it desirable that the meeting should be held at a later hour, at the same place ; they would then not only have a fuller meeting, but more time to discuss the business before them, before electing the members of the Committee. He moved that the meeting be adjourned till half-past seven in the evening. Mr Hustwick seconded the motion, and remarked on the inconvenience of holding so important a meeting at the time it was called.

Mr Turner said there would be one objection to the meeting being held in the evening, and that was that there was no provision made for lighting the schoolroom. Mr Fell said he would not object to the adjournment, but he thought it advisable to have the report and accounts read then, and also to have the candidates nominated, so that the ballot papers could be printed. Mr Dodson said the report had been already printed, and read by most people interested, and the ballot papers could be struck off in a quarter of an hour. He also thought that provision should be made for the ballot to be taken in another room, and in the proper way and form. The Chairman read the clause of the Education Act bearing upon elections of School Oommitttees. Mr W. Parker moved that the report be read. Mr Dodson said there would no doubt be some discussion on the report, and householders—himself perhaps—might not be prepared to go into the matter then. Mr Fell said the report had been printed in both the local papers, so that householders might have every means available afforded for reading it. Mr Dodson said a great number of people thought the meeting was to be held in the evening—be did not know whether they had been wilfully misled—but that was another reason for the meeting being adjourned. The motion for ad journment was carried by 23 against 12, and the meeting adjourned.

The adjourned meeting took place in the school-room in the evening, Mr Johnson in the. chair. There were no lights provided when the meeting commenced, but subsequently a lamp and a few candles were procured, and placed at long intervals in the inkstand holes in the desks. A “ dim religious light ” was thus diffused over the apartment. The light afforded was just about sufficient “to make darkness visible,” and under these circumstances our reporter found it impossible to give anything like a full report of proceedings, but the following account of what was done will be found substantially correct. The Chairman read the report of the Committee, which was published in our issue of Friday last. Mr George Henderson, referring to an item of LSO, asked to whom? it was paid? Mr Fell said it was paid to Mr Macklin. Mr Hustwick pro forma moved the adoption of the report, and Mr Henderson seconded it, so as to elicit discussion on it, and “expose it.” After some discussion as to whether the report could be discussed, the Chairman was understood to say that he saw nothing in the Act about that. They could not alter the report, which was the Committee s. Mr Henderson then addressed the meetin" in a long speech. He said he objected to'the report being received nolens nolens without first being discussed. The report was deficient, and did not contain all the information that was wanted as to tho regulations for the admission of children into the High School and other matters. In that report Blenheim was congratulated on the success of the High School, buthe (Mr H.) did not think it had been by any means a suceess. It was not correct that it had only been in existence a year; it had been in existence at all events for two years, for Mr Hodgson spoke of it in bis report for 1878. Instead of the High School having been a success, it was the reverse. It had receded. 100 per cent of its pupils passed in 1878, hut only 70 per cent, in 1879. It was true there had been a change in the Standards, but that was not sufficient to account for it. He would show that there had been a falling offatßlenheim in spelling, dictation and arithmetic. The excuse for the failure was that there was a want of more teaching staff. Mr Hodgson,_ the Inspector, had been a schoolmaster himself, and he naturally wished to let a master down easily, aud so, there being admittedly a failure according to his own Report, he very kindly put it down to a want of teaching powef. The average attendance at the

school was 276. There had been an increase of 35 during the year—in the * girl’s school 18. There were six teachers to 276 children, being an average of 46 to each teacher, which number was not too many, and was less than some other masters had to teach. The school was not under-staffed when compared with Otago. He observed in the Report of the Inspector that in reference to the Renwick Town school he spoke in praise of the singing as taught there. Now it was provided by the Legislature very properly, that singing should be taught in the State schools, but it did not appear to he taught in the Blenheim school. He had a very grave charge to make against the Committee’s report. It was therein stated that during the year 1579 the Board had made a profit of LIBB 14s Gd. Now this was not true. They had not even paid their debts and therefore they could have made no profit, aud it was not trim that “ the profit of LIBB 14s Gd is more than any Board has made out of a school of the same size as ours in New Zealand.” The Committee in their report had isolated this school from the rest of the district in order to make out it was making a profit, and this he objected to. He could not vote for such a repoit, and no one who possessed a love of honor and truth, and contempt for those who tried to impose on them, who told them the thing was a success when it was not a success, and that it was cheap when it was dear, could vote for if. This was a most expensively conducted school, and in Auckland there were eleven teachers at one school provided at the same cost they were paying at Blenheim for six. He read from the Inspector’s report as to what he said of the progress made at other schools, and contended that the Blenheim school suffered by the comparison. He urged them not to stultify themselves by adopting such a report as that which the Committee had laid before them.

MrFellwhosaidhe expected that Mr Dodson would have followed in rubbing down the Committee —[Mr Dodson : When Mr Dodsou wants to speak he can do so without prompting] said he had a few remarks to make- This was the first time the Committee’s report had been published in the papers before it had been read to the meeting. This had been done with a view to give it full publicity and to enable persons to consider it deliberately on its merits and not on party principles. Mr Henderson had quoted figures to make out that the school had receded, but it was most unfair of him to compare the examination of 187 S under the old Standards with the examination of 1579 under the new Standards. The two examinations were altogether different. The passes made here compared favorably with those obtained at the best hoarding schools at Nelson and Wellington, and tney were better in the lower than in the higher Standards, which showed that attention was not devoted to pushing on a few of the upper boys and neglecting the rest. Nelson school passed 20 out of 30. Thorndon (Wellington) 37 per cent. Blenheim presented 40 and passed 28, being 70 per cent., and Mr Macklin also taught a class in which 18 weae presented and 15 passed. The Committee felt that the staff of teachers was insufficient, and in making their report they dealt with their own school alone, as they were bound to do. The Board hail made a profit, as stated in the report, of LISB 14s Gd and might very fairly ask for an assistant teacher at LI2O. Mr Henderson said the Committee ought to have appointed another teacher if one was required, but the Committee had no power to appoint a teacher. That rested with the Board. He (Mr Fell) contended that the Blenheim school was in a worse position than other schools. He would not now go into the question whether or not it was better for the boys and girls to be taught separately cr to have mixed schools. Some people were greatly in favor of the mixed system, and others entertained a rooted objection to it. Mr Henderson’s remarks seemed to open up the question, which was an important one. Under the present system Mr Macklin taught GO pupils and Mr Alloway 56. and this was a larger number than could have justice done to them. The head master, besides having GO children to teach, had the supervision of the whole school on his hands. He quoted from the report of the Inspector in reference to the Blenheim school, and said that greater praise of Mr Macklin could not possibly have been given to him than that given by Mr Hodgson. An additional teacher was absolutely required; the Committee felt this, and he brought forward at the Education Board a motion to have one, aud they would have had one hy this time, but for Mr Henderson. At Picton they had four teachers to 114 children, and here, when they were making a profit of some L2OO a year, they were certainly entitled to another teacher at Ll2O. His great object in advocating a High School, here was that every child should have an equal chance. At the last examination for the Nelson Scholarship, the candidates were sons of people for the most part who could not afford to send their children to Nelson College without the help afforded by a scholarship, and the opportunity ought to be open to every boy to compete for it, and this was the great object of the High School. He had tried to get the High School fees reduced to 5s per quarter, but Mr Henderson had prevented it, in order, as he (Mr F.) believed to make the School unpopular. The fees had been paid to Mr Macklin, who, it must be remembered, had evening classes, and foun 1 light, coal, and all incidental expenses, himself. For these handsome and commodious school buildings, and for the good teaching, they had to thank the Committee, where they never introduced politics or party feeling. Mr Dodson said he had children attending this school, and he was not satisfied with their progress. They were not the dullest, he thought, in the school, but they did not advance as they ought. There was neglect on the part of the teacher. He knew Mr Macklin was a good teacher if he liked, and if he only did his work instead of “ bossing ” the Committee and the whole lot, he could do very well. But he neglected the school work and there wanted a change, in the system of management. He (Mr D.,) in looking over one of his boys work in the evening, remarked that it was done very slovenly and carelessly, and said to him, “ you’ll get a thrashing for this, I expect.” He replied, “ Oh, no, I wont ! Mr Macklin will never look at it.” He could not say to the boy what he thought about this, otherwise the lad would lose all respect for his master, but he felt that he must withdraw the boy from

the school, and send him to Nelson at an expense to himself that he could not well afford, and which ought not be thrown upon him, and would not be, if there was proper teaching at the Blenheim school. He had taken a boy from Nelson and put him there, and he now regretted having done so, for a year’s time had been wasted, and the boy would have to be sent back again. They were drifting into a bad system of education at this school, and a new element was required in it’s teachers. It was an expensively worked and badly taught school. He wanted his children taught to read, write, and spell correctly, and to be well grounded in arithmetic, but failed at the Blenheim school, and new blood was required to be introduced into the system. He received only the other day a letter badly spelt from the Secretary of the Committe. [A voice : “ Who s he ”?. No reply]. Mr Macklin said he had never taken a child into the High School withoutbeingtold that the parents desired it. He had never “ bossed ” the Committee, or dictated to them in any way, or refused to carry out their wishes, (cheers). Mr Fell said he wished if parents had fault to find they would write to the Committee. It was impossible fora master to please everybody, and there would be complaints from time to time, but they had very few. Last year there was only one complaint made. Mr Millington : Has Mr Dodson ever made any complaint? Mr Fell : No.

Mr C. Eliott asked Mr Fell if he knew' how it was that when boys were admitted to the High School, and fees received for them, that there w'as no alteration in their studies for over three months ?

Mr Fell replied that he w r as unable to answer the question. On the motion for the adoption of the Report, a division was demanded, and after a large number of people had passed either w r ay, the ayes to the left, and noes to the right, the chairman declared the ayes were greater by a large majority, but did not state numbers. Some persons who counted them, stated the numbers to be—ayes 94, noes 35, but the Chairman considers the proportion excessive, as, in his opinion, the ayes only outnumbered the noes by a little over two to one. In auy case, the School Committee’s Report was approved by the largest majority in any division taken here for a long time. The election of a committee by ballot was then proceeded with, and was a long operation, not being brought to a close until after midnight. The following is the result of the poll : W. Sinclair 238,. Hnstwick 115, Favmar76, Fell 76, Jas. T. Robinson 76, W. Parker 67, Griffiths 63, Nosworthy 39, Macintosh 23.

The first seven are consequently elected. Mr Fulton and Mr J. M. Hutcheson were also proposed, but withdrew. Mr W. Sinclair thanked the meeting for tho proud position in which they had placed him. He said he was indebted to the Blenheim school for his education, and he hoped the boys there would stick to their work and eclipse him. Mr James T. Robinson, Mr Farmar, and the other Committee-men elected also returned thanks briefly. Mr Hnstwick said he thanked them for the honor they had conferred on “ the most unpopular man in Blenheim,” as be had been termed on the dictum of one individual in in the community. He assured them he would do his duty on the Committee to the best of his ability. A vote of thanks to the Chairman terminated the proceedings. The following persons were elected at the undermentioned places : GROVE TOWN. Messrs Bassett, A. Cameron, J. Cameron, Herd, Ohlson, Pritchard, and Rush. WAITOHI. Messrs Bragg, Green, Hart, Thomas, Simmonds, Williams, and Woolley. FAIRHALL. Messrs W. Avery, G. Storey, H. Hammond, F. Ilammoud, W. Jeffries, T. Jeffries, W. Kelly. KEKERANGU. Messrs McLauchlan, Hamilton, Dewdney, Lyford, Chaytor, Stretch, Watson.