NORTH SCHOOL.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXVII, Issue 8167, 23 April 1895, Page 3

NORTH SCHOOL.

Tlip annual meeting of tho households s of tho North School district was held last night. There were about 50 present, including a lady. Mr B. Mollison was voted to the chair, and lead tho usual notification. The minutes of tho last annual meeting having been coniinncd, tho lion. sec. (Mi Jas. Mitchell) read the umiuul rcpoit as already published by us. 'Die Chairman explained that the balance sheet, which would be read by the trcasuiui, had not been certified to because the auditor took exception to the Committco expanding pait of the Board's allowance in pens and ink and other requisites necessary to the •chool. The hon. treasuror (Mr Annand) than read the balance-sheet, and tho Chairman made a fow remarks saying there was nothing ho need add to the report, which waa very full. The Committee had woikid harmoniously together, making his duties light and pleasant. He thanked tho householders for the manner in which they had always responded when called upon to assist tho Committco with hinds. Mr h. Fleming asked for further information as to the items taken exception to by the Board's auditor. Mr Mitchell explained that over since Oamaru North had been constituted a separate district, the Committee had regularly raised a considerable amount to supplement the Board's inadequate allowance. With tho exception of two occasions of largo works, the Committee had not, until this last year, asked tho Board for any subsidy upon tho money so raised ; but last year they had applied for a subsidy in aid of ccitain works, towards which they had applied money locally raised. Instead of procuring supplies of pens, ink, and stationery out of tho funds tdised locally they had charged this cxpenditmc against the ordinary allowance made by the Board. The Board's auditor had taken exception to this, and in reply to his lcquest for explanation the Committee had stated that they were not aware of having acted illegally, and had asked to be infounod as to the clause of the Act which made it improper for Committees to purchase school requisites out of the Board's grant. The reply received was a referonco to the regulation made by tho Board forbidding school committees to apply any part of the allowance to tho purchase of pens, ink, etc. He olaimed that the regulation was not in accordanco with the Act, which stated that tho grunt or capitation allowance was for general school purposes, and if the providing of stationery, etc., was not a " school purposo" ho had something to learn. He mentioned that during tho seven years the school district had been in existence the Committee had raised locally a sum of L 297, and that after allowing for expenses and prizes a sum of LI 10 had been raised to supplement the Board's allowance for ordinary school purposes. Nothing had boen said of this, but becauss the Committee had on this occasion obtained the trilling subsidy of Ml Is 9d from the Board their right to provide pens, ink, etc., out of the ordinary grant had been challenged. The whole spirit of the Act was that education should be free, and there was no power to levy any fees for the purchase of those necessaries, and the system of voluntary contributions by the children had been found to work unsatisfactorily. Although he was not prepared with definite information on tho subject ho believed that the Auckland Board had made a special provision for tho supply of pens and ink. But tho Otago Board did not act in so libeial a spirit, and sought to impose upon committees the necessity for practically illegally levying fees. This was a Board that had the audacity to propose to filch from the funds voted by Parliament for priniiuy education a substantial sum of money for the establishment of a school of arts in Dunedin. It WftB not tbo paltry sum involved that had to bo considered in this matter, but tho great principle that was underlying the dispute. Ho far as ho was mdividuilly concerned, and if he were reelected upon tho Committee, ho would be prepared to fight tho question out to tho end, and he would accept his election as a desire that this should bo done. Mr Fleming said that from the paragraph ho had read in the evening paper it indicated that thero was to be a row at the meeting and ho wanted to be in it. He had been in many rows with the Board, and particularly when the Board illegally dismtcd the District High School. Had the people of the town held out for their rights on that occasion they could have prevented that disratement. On this occasion ho thought the Committee were on a wild" goose chase and should accept tho advice of the auditor and pay into tho bank the small ■ amount in dispute. Ho held that under the Act committees required tho sanction of the Board before thoy could mako any expenditure and referred to clause 75 in support of his contention. As to the statement that tho Board had no power to mako the regulation in question, it waa absurd. No public body could carry on without regulations. He thought the Board had tho best of the argument, and that tho Committco should accept the fair chance which tho auditor had given them to retract. The Chairman said tho Committee had not yet done anything in the matter, as tho dispute had only arisen within tho last few days. Tho matter would be one for the iacoming Committee to consider. Mr M'Dowcll moved the adoption of the report, which was seconded by Mr Rusbatch and carried. Mr Fleming then moved that it be a recommendation to the incoming Committee to settle the matter in dispute in the manner suggested by tho auditor. Mr M'Dowcll seconded the motion. After a lengthy discussion, Mr Roll said it was only laymen who gave florid legal opinions off-hand, and suggested that tho motion should bo withdrawn, and that Mr Mitchell should also forego his determination to consider his cleotion in

the light of an instruction to carry the niiittci through totho bittor end : ana Hint tho incoming Committee should liavo power to act unfettered by any instructions from the meeting. He hud no doubt they would naive tit a just, conclusion. The Roy. Mr Marten supported this view, and said that oven lawyers differed as to the leading of Acts; but from nil that lie could gather from the arguments brought forward ho believed the viowa advanced by Mr Fleming were untenable. Mr Fleming, with the consent of his ' seconder, withdrew tlio motion, ugiccing with Mr Roll's suggestion. The Chairman said that the Committee generally succeeded in attaining their mds, and ho hnd no doubt of the issue of this question. The election was then proceeded with, and Messrs Fleming and M'Dowell having been appointed scrutineers a ballot was taken with tlio following result : B. Mollison 44, Jas. Mitchell 43, A. Meldrum 41, .1. Animnd 30, H. W. Roll 34, J. Symington 30, G. Menzies 30, R. Milligan '28, T. .Jones 24, W. Cross 24, Roy. Marten 21, Chni. Jones 18, VV. Stevenson 17 The Chairman, by lot, gave his casting vote in favor of Mr T. Jones, and declared tho first nine named duly elected. On tho motion of Mr Fleming, seconded by Mr Crawshaw, a voto of thanks was accorded to the outgoiug Committee. Tho Chairman having read the notification that the first meeting of tho new Committee would be held on Friday next, tho meeting terminated with a voto of thanks to the chair.