DUNEDIN SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume VI, Issue 319, 10 April 1875, Page 3

DUNEDIN SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

A meeting of the members of the Dunedin School Committee was held last week, in the office-of the Secretary,-- Princes .-street.-- There- were present'-^-Messrs. Livingston (in the chair), Stout, Strode, Pish, Robin, Wright, Cargill, and James (Secretary).

A circular was read from the Education Board asking the opinion of the committee as to the desirability of getting a Bill passed during the next session of the Council to enable school committees to levy a rate on ratable property for school purposes. This question had been adjourned from the last meeting on the motion of Mr._ Pish. Mr. E. B. Cargill now said he did not consider the committee should take the responsibility of considering this matter at all It was one of those questions with which they were not empowered to deal. It might subject the committee to considerable odium to make any recommendation on the subject, and so disturb that confidence which,the public had placed in them as a purely administrative body.. For his own part he did not think such a rate should be optional. It was a matter that ought to be settled by the Government. If a tax were to be levied, it should be a universal one, and not left to the discretion of any local committee. The rate should be either general or not. at all.

Mr Fish was glad to find that Mr. Cargill agreed with the remarks that had fallen from him (the speaker") at the last meeting.. Air. Fish then travelled over the same ground as Mr. Cargill-, and said he should strongly object to such a rate being permissive in its character. He looked upon this circular as a move on the part of the Government to try and get the moral support of the school committees to back them up on a question which they intended to bring forward, and which they knew? would meet with considerable opposition.

Mr. Stoufc . did not believe in the committee shirking its duties and responsibilities. The. matter did not originate with the Government at all. He could not see that it was a political question. The "Government simply wanted the opinion of the committee on a very important subject. The matter would certainly, come before the Council next session ; indeed,' he would himself bring in a bill on the subject. With regard to some remarks that had been made in reference to the revenue of the province, he might state that -it had this year' been .ig 100,000 more than last year. Mr. Cargill moved, " That this committee consider their functions to be purely of an administrative character, and respectfully decline to express their opinion as to the desirability or otherwise of school committees being empowered to levy rales." Some discussion of a conversational character then took pla~ee~antr tEeTiiotion,T on being put, was carried with only one dissentient—Mr. Stout.—' Guardian.'