EDUCATION BOARD.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVI, Issue 248, 18 October 1881, Page 2

EDUCATION BOARD.

A special meetiug of the Board was held thia morning for apportioning the building fund and revising the salary list. Present: Mr Barnicoat (Chairman), Messrs Rout, Dencker, Malcolm, Shephard, Graham, Campbell, Rev J. C.Andrew, and the Bishop of Nelson. The Finance Committee brought up the j following report:— Opon looking into ihe ] finances of the Board, the Committe* md i there is a small balance fairly divisible among the present teachers, including any new teachers that may hava been appointed during tba carrent year, of nearly £400, or say 5 psr cent increase on amount of salaries as at present paid. At fthe sama lime the Committee are of opinion ihat many items have been charged to th? Building Find which should have been defrayed out of Maintenance Account, particularly those charges for the upkeep of existing schools and teachers' residences, fences, and outbuildings, which must in future be charged to Maintenance Account unless the Building Fund continues as a permanent grant (Signed.) A. B. Nelson, W. Rout.— Mr Graham, the third member of the Commi tee, being of opinion that the charges for repairs, &c, should be charged to tha Building Fund such being the evident intention of the Government, as expressed in the Under Secretary's circular, dissented from the report. Mr Shephard said it appeared to him that there was a surplus of £830 available for expenditure in excess of their actual requirements, and this should as early as possible be expended for tho purposes- for which it was intended, namely, for the promotion of education in the district, instead of following the very undesirable course of increasing the Bank balance. Last year ! the Board, actin? under a false impression unjustifiably given by tha Government that deductions had to be made to tbe extent of tea per cent, made very large reductions, but it should be remembered that, . i even if they wished to act in accordance j with the course pursued in the Civil Service, the reductions made last year ceased on the 30th June iast. They would receive no mors money than usual from the Government, fcot they had adopted a system of charging for booka in accord with the action taken in every other part of the colony, which had been found to work very well and had largely increased their income. They now had £1900 in the Bank, the money having accumulated partly owing to the repayments for books, and partly because the Board had had the means of paying larger salaries than they had been led to suppose by the Government. It waß not advisable to keep a large balance in hand, and from that they could add from time to time to the salaries until their income increased, as it certainly would from year to year by the larger aggregate received from the Government as head money in consequence of the increasing number of scholars. They should take a portion of their accumulated funds and make up the payments to what they consider right. In increasing the payments to teachers they should keep ia view the advisability of rewarding merit, and he would advocate a return to the system of allowing head money. He would move as «n amendment to the adoption of the report, that the Board resolve itself into a Committee for the purpose of considering what increases consistent with prudence could be made in the salaries and teachers allowances, such increase in the aggregate not to exceed £1000. Mr Rout said that the income of last year had amounted to £11,777 and the expenditure to £11,839, showing tbat, instead of a saving, there was actually a deficit of £62, so that the talk about their savings of ten psr cent and battening on the moneys screwed out of the teachera was all nonsense. (The Chairman here called Mr I. out's attention to the fact that there were receipts to the amount of £579 of which he had taken no account.) The estimate for the year showed receipts £1 1,758 and expenditure £11,407, which did not allow for large increases. It was not safe if they wished to guard against accident to spend all their littlo savings, sb until tha year was over there was no knowing what continginoh.B might arise.

The Bishopof Nelsob ftould vote agaiaat hiß own report as after what Mr Shephard bad said he could see tbat there waa a way of increasing permanently the salaiiea by way of bonus as tbe Board's income was likely to increase with the number of scholars, Mr Grabam would vote against the report^ as he waa anxious to increase the teachers' salaries es much as possible, but be objected to the bonus system, as it had been found to give great dissatisfaction. Mr Dencker advocated the bonus system aa the fairest way of paying, besides being a stimulant to the teachers. Mr Barnicoat was quite sure that every member of the Uoard was desirous of keeping up the salaries to the highest point consistent with prudence. He waa prepared to vote for Mr Shephard's amendment. When last year tbey were suddenly informed tbat their income waa to be reduced by .41400 they were naturally much alarmed, and, perhaps overstepped tht mark in a spirit of panic. By using ip the whole of tie!, reserve, they might, perhaps, have kept «p tha salaries for aaariy a year, but tkay toald ml tea their way te do tbat. Nov they ?cre ia a far b«tUr position tkae they mi aver hoped or expected. last y*ar __^r ware unanimou in making the redaotloM, howeves, much th«y might have rs§ rat-tad the necessity j bow, ha believed, they were almo.t equally unanimous in the desire to restore them aa much as possible The Bishop of Nelson would; like ta add to Mr Shephard's amendment abate words to the effect that this was tbe first meeting at which the Board bad had the opportuity of making aa increase. Mr Shaphard objscted, aa he did not admit that it was the flrat opportunity. Aftsr a little further discussion it was agresd, on the motion of the Bishop of Nelaon, to prefix the followiog words to Mr Shephard's amendment :— " That the Board, having ascertained frcm the Government what amount of funds are at their disposal for the ensuing year.'' The report of the Committee was then put and negatived on the voices, and Mr Shephard's amendment was agreed to. The Board then went into Committee aud upon the motion of Mr Malcolm it was resolved " Tbat the reductions made in salaries of the officials and teachers by tbe --commendation of the Government be reconsidered with a view of increasing the aggregate by ten per cent of the salaries now paid to teachers and officials, the aame to take effect from tbe lat September. The list was then re-arranged aa follows, the asterisk showing that home allowaaee or accommodation it supplied in addition to the salary : — Prfliant Future Salary Salary £ £ Town Boys' — Mastar 270 300 Bridge-street Boys'—Master 225 250 „ Assistant 103 125 Taiman-st, 3rd Division— Mistreia 100 110 Assistant Mistress 12 12 „ 12 12 Bridge-st, 4th Division— Mistress 54 60 Hardy-st Girls— let Division, Mistress 140 150 2nd „ „ 72 84 2nd „ Assistant 54 60 Hardy-st Preparatory— Mistress 72 84 Assistant 54 60 Haven Road Boys'— Master 225 250 Assistant Master 108 125 „ Mistress 54 60 „ » » 12 12 Hampden-st Boys'— Master 225 250 Ist Assistant 54 co 2nd „ 64 60 Toi Toi Valley GirlsMistress 140 150 lst Assistant 84 100 2nd „ 54 60 3rd ■•■• „ 36 42 „ Junior Division 42 48 Port— Mistreas 54 60 ♦Clifton Terrace— Mistress 65 72 *Hill Side— Mistress 65 72 ♦Happy Valley — Mistress 65 72 ♦Stoke— Master 130 150 Assistant 36 42 ♦Richmond Boys— Master 140 150 Assistant 36 4*2 Richmond Girls— Mistress 120 130 Asßißtant 54 60 ♦Rsnzau— Master 120 - 130 ♦Hope — Master 120 100 ♦River Terrace— Mistress 86 10ft Brightwater— Miatreaa 108 120 Assistant 42 ♦Spring Grove— Master 140 150 v Assistant §4 SO •Lower Wakefleld, Boys Master 130 140 Assistoat £4 60 j, Girls— Miatreaa SS joo ♦Bighty.Eight Valley— Masts? 79 84 ♦Upper Wakefield— Master 12* 180 i, Assistant 54 SO ♦Fox Hill— Master . 129 130 „ Assistant Mistress .6 42 ♦Motupiko— Master 72 84 ♦Waimea West, North 100 120 ♦ „ Village 100 100 •Sarau— Master 120 140 „ Assistant 54 60 ♦Neudorf— Master 129 120 ♦Lower Moutere— Master: 120 140 „ Assistant 54 60 •Motueka, Boys— Master 140 150 „ Assistant 12 12 i, Girls— Mistress 72 84 „ Assistant 12 12 ♦Ngatimoti— Master 108 120 ♦Dovedale— Master 72' 72 Pangatotara £3 10s per head capitation on average attendance ♦Riwaka— Master 130 140 „ Assistant 54 60 Brooklyn— Mistress 80 84 •Lower Takaka— Master 100 108 •Long Plain — Mistress^ 65 72 ♦East Takaka— Miatress 65 72 Motupipi— Mistress 90 100 ♦Colliogwood— Master 120 125 Ferntown — Mistress 80 84 Pakawau— Mistress 80 84 Rockville— Master 80 84 Westport, Boys— Master 180 200 „ ist Assistant 75 84 „ 2nd Assistant 60 79 Westport Girls— Mistress 125 140 „ Assistant 60 72 •Waimangaroa— Master ISO 140 •Karame-fc— Master - 140 150 Addison's Flat— Master 130 140 •Charleston, Boys— Master 140 160 „ Assistant 48 48 ♦Charleston, Girls— Mistress 120 120 „ Assistant 48 48 ♦Brighton— Miatress 60 100 ♦Reefton— Master 180 200 „ First Assistant 75 84 „ Second Assistant 60 72 Central Buller— Mistress - 100 100 Black's Point— Master '130 140 „ Assistant Mistress 60 72 Lyell— Master 130 140 ♦Tadmor— Master 60 60 The Inspector's salary which was reduced last year from £527 to .£450 waa increased to £500, and that of the Secretary which waa reduced from £250 to £225 waa restored to the original figure.