School Committee.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1708, 14 May 1886, Page 2

School Committee.

SPECIAL MEETING.

A special meeting of the members of the Palmerston School Committe was held yesterday a*-, the S^choolhouse at 1 p.m. Present Messrs Stewart, (chairman) Walton, Hosking, Woodroofe, and Ferguson.

The chairman informed the meeting of the business which had called them together,- viz , to consider the action of the Secretary m appealing to the Board against the ■ late election of the Committee after he himself, had accepted hie election without dissent and aoted ag Secretary. r The schoolroom, contrary to the rule's arid regulations of the Board of Education, was to be used that day during school hours for the purpose of meeting the deputation sent down by the Board at'the' request of the IJev Wright, The latter gentleman had taken this | much upon himgelf without consulting the Committee, thereby entirely ignoring them.. The Committee were entitled to common -courtesy at leait, . and until their election was declared illegal they were possessed of all the powers and functions of the School Committee, and should object to allowing the school to be used by the Board or any other per* son for purposes otherwise than th» regulations state it should be. He had only that day received a memo from the Board stating that a deputation would attend to enquire into the election. Tho letter had not stated the names of th« deputation or the time or place of meet* ing. He had also previously received a communication from a man signing' himself A. M. Wrignt, stating that the ineeting would be held m the schoolroom at 2 o'clock. It was addressed to Mr Stewart, not to the Chairman of Committee. This latter epistle he had taken no notice of, as the person sending it had refused t© Act as Secretary of the Com-: mittee. Mr Watson, also, he might state, had not applied to the Committee for

permission to allow the Schoolhouse to be used on that day. Mr Woodroofe remarked that if the chairman went contrary to the rules and regulations he would be violating bis duty as chairman. The chairman remarked that Mr Wright had not had the courtesy to for • ward him the letter from the Board, stating a deputation was to wait on them, and i/hat by using: the school that day they would be stultifying their ova Act ■which clearly enjoined the committee not to allow its use for such purposes. ' '. Mr Ferguson also agreed that by granting such permission they would b> doing wrong. Mr Wrieht hadnorlghti h» thought, to call a meeting at the ichoolroom, but he did not think that the Board had acted other than courteously as it had notified the chairman of tot fact of the deputation coming down. Mr "Woodroofe wished to know if it was right that three members of the Board should decide that two of "their members should act as a deputation "to enquire into an election, on the application of one man, without hearing from tbe committee, and go to the expense of coming from Wauganui to Palmerston, simply on his representation. Mr Walton proposed that thig com* mittee do not receive the letter to hand from, the Board, as the names of the deputation, time, or place of meeting had not been mentioned. k '■' Mr Ferguson thought it would be better not to, pass such a resolution. It was however seconded by Mir Hosking and carried. The following motion was also carried: — "That this committee decline to sanction tbe use of the school for an enquiry into the late election of the committee by two members of the Board of Education, as the committee haye had no application made to them for the use of the school for such a purpose,. and. as the enquiry is not m compliance with ttte rules and regulations of the Board, and not m accordance with "The Education Abt 1877." The committee ' therefore will not allow the scho«i to be us«d for such a purpose without their consent being first obtained. No other business was transacted and v the meeting closed, the members leay- ' ing the schoolhouse.