The Foxton School.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1620, 28 January 1886, Page 2

The Foxton School.

A CONDEMNATORY REPORT.' Report of committee, consisting of MesErs Fry. Ross, and Baker, appointed by the Education Bonrd for the purposa of meeting the Foxtou School Committee on the 7th Jan., 18Ri» :— Sir, — Your committee arrived m Foxton by the evening train on the 7th instant, and the next morning proceeded to the office of Mr Thynne, Chairman of School Committee, but found that illness and heavy family, affliction had obliged him to leave Foxtori by steamer the previous .- night. We then went to see Mr Charles McLean, a member of the school committee, who told us that the committee had not been, called upon to meet us, nor had received m any way any intimation; of our intended visit to Foxton, and hq-. did not believe the board's secretary, /had even^ communicated .the fact of the intention of the board to send a committee to Foxton ; that the members of school committed were scattered over the district, and as the ch'airmsn r '*#as away there was no one whq. could legally get them together; ; did not know who kept the key of the school, or where the log book wai kept ; did-ndt iknow who the earelaker wag, but /whoever -he or she was they'werW away. . Mr .McLean, however, promised to try /and get the committee together^ but regretted that on that particular day , he would be very busy, and not have much time,' to spare. Under these circumstances your committee wired to the^ board's secretary m Wanganui asking -if the chairman of school committee nad been informed of the appointment of your committee, and the day fixed for the; meeting to be held m Foxton. (Copy of telegrams herewith). Theu the, chairman of your committee wrota to j each member of the^ school committee asking them to -meet ug at .the schbolhouse :at 2 p.m. of that day, the ; result being that six members were pre-* sent, the largest meeting of tha senool qoinmittee that had been held for a Ion; time; but /not being able- to meet inside the school- we adiourned toUhejg Atbenseum, wtere the meeting wag heraF" Present : Messrs Baker (chairntan), Ross, and Fry, members of the board, and Messrs G. W/Robinson. C: McLean/* J. Purcell, S.M. Baker, T. P. WilliamVaiMDr Rookstro,w. members of school committee. The chairman explained-the object of the board m appointing tha committee, and/hoped all personal feeling would be laid aside, arid the matter discussed m the interests of the children of 'the district. Mr Thynne's letters to the board were then read, but as Mr Thynne Was; away the replies; were not , read.- A, discussion then took place upon; : the school without aay formal resolution being proposed; .afterwards tha Chairman suggested the' moving of a resolution. All declined to move m tha matter, but your committee are satisfied from the expressed opinions of five out of the six members of committee, • ■Aod .the silence of the sixth, that the Fox* '■ ton School Committee is not by any .means^unanimous, Messrs McLean, Pur2beli, and AyriUamsspeakinfif m favour of regaining Mr Forsyth, and Dr Rockstrow an^Jyir S. M. Baker against it, but all speaking m the highest, terms of Mr , Foi'syth's attainments and social qualities. ? Not one ;of ? the school committee^ could'speak asUoithejcliscipline qr'abiliiyj of the f master to keep order m the school, even when a direct question was put to them on this point .by Mr Ross, tor this reason, that none of these gentlemen had ever been inside the school during school hours. But your committee saw unmie* takeable evidence that nothing approach. ; ing discipline or order could have existed . for sometime, the whole surroundings of the school indicating absolute indifference or inability to control, and if the unknown can be even guessed at from the known, then the ruling spirits that presides over that institution is neither a clean one nor an orderly one. "Windows broken all round, nearly all the down pipe wrenched off, much of the spouting- ren r dered useless, evidently by childreii. hanging on to it m order to climb on thY roof, the doors of the porches open, and the floor covered with sheep dropping!, obscene writing oil the walls of the schoolhouse, which we were told was the accumulation of years (fancy allowing such a thing}, But which can only have been done since the ■ last painting of tha building. The closets are beyond description—the most disgusting writings . m pencil all 'over them! The -sereenai round these are evidently used as target* to throw stones at, and are knocked almost topieces, the result of the heavy ; /'fire sustained by them. And to showhow opinions differ even m Foxton, one/, member ot the committee, m trying to explain the cause of this disgraeefui state of things! said that Foxton suffered more than any other place from larrikin- ' ism. This was at once contradicted by : another member of the committee, who •stated that Foxton children were above the ' average intelligence of the coast, and larrikitiisin not known. However, the state of things we describe^ we saw, , whatever was the cause, and your committee ire^ygrestted exceedingly the abscene of Mr Thynne, Before concluding this report we would draw; the boair'd's attention te C: the following, 1 which might be taken into • consideration' before ■ appointing commit- • . teWfor a like purpose to that for which . this committee . .was ; ■ appointed.- : It/ is / this: That when, your committee expressed | dissappointinent at not being able jto get inside the school, and that' nothing-had been done to help,' but e^errfV obstacle placed m our way, ope member of -the school 'committee -told 4*. that if we', were disappointed we, only had our selyeVto4)lame, ! aB they neVer aikediuH,'; to come to Foxton. . The conclusion of the whole business is this-; That your committee. . .unhesitatingly. ? advise , the* board to ai once remove ifrFoVsytn/iir terms of the Education- Act ; and your j, committee iß.orppinion.that it a suitable married manJcan be ffot" as head master «it will tend iff'many ways to produce • better state of tilings, iboth inside ani out of the Foxtori school. : i 'j' ; J j ]■■ James W. Base* i ■ .. Chairman of Conin^itwe.