The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1877.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 420, 1 September 1877, Page 2

The Evening Mail. SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 1877.

It would scarcely be possible to conceive a more ridiculous state of affairs than was presented at the meeting of the Otago Education Board held a few days since. At that meeting matters fraught with the utmost amount of interest were brought forward—matters requiring calm consideration and careful handling ; and yet we find that only three members of the Board were present, and of these, two at any rate can l;iy but little claim to any knowledge of matters educational. With an amount of cord effrontery and a total disregard for decency which is perfectly refreshing, those three members—Professor Shaxd, and Messrs. Gillies and Green—proceeded to deal with ''Lri^Ui'e 1 designation of the Hector of the Boys' High School and of the Lidy Principal of the Girls' High School. These questions were dealt with in an eas.y, off-handed, if not graceful, manner, thoroughly in accordance with the smallmindedness of the actors in the delightful farce. No heed whatever was paid to the importance of the matters ; no consideration was given to the consequences likely to arise from any hasty or ill-advised action being taken by the bogus meeting. Messrs. Gillies, Siia.vd, and Green were fully bent upon playing out their little burlesque ; and they gave up all consideration for the welfare of the schools named in order to show the power they possessed. The resingation of Mr. Norrie, which he had been forced to tender through the impertinent and overbearing conduct of men immeasurable inferior to him in educational attainments, was accepted with an amount of eagerness which certainly indicates that the task was not an uncongenial one. Once more an excellent and popular master has been driven from the position of Rector of the High School ; once more that institution has been brought into contempt and disrepute ; once more the Education Board of Otago has shown its total inompetence to manage properly the grave matters entrusted to its care. The whole of the proceedings at this so-called meeting of the Education Board form a not very pleasing commentary upon the manner in which educational matters are managed in Otago. Only a few days ago we pointed out the injustice done to Education by the appointment of members of Parliament to seats on the Board, owing to their being unable to attend properly to their duties. We are now even more fully impressed with the correctness of the opinions we then expressed. Better far that the general Board be done away with altogether, and the management of its own educational affairs placed in the hands of each district, or in those of a competent and responsible Minister for for Education, than that Messrs. Gillies, Green, and Shand should be permitted to bring our educational institutions into contempt by their folly and incompetence. We can on'y hope that so far as Oaniari; ; is concerned, our representatives in the General Assembly will succeed in getting North Otago constituted a separate Educational District. Of one tiling we k are

certain, and that is : Were Oamaru granted her request, it would be impossible for any number of gentlemen in this district to render a local Board more ridiculous than the Otago Education Board lias been rendered by that precious trio, Messrs. Gillies, Shand, and Green.

We understand that Lieut. Morris has presented a ve y handsome electro-plated tea and coffee service, consisting of four pieces, to No. 1 Company Rifle Volunteers. This very excellent prize will be shot for on the Prince of Wale,' Birt day, under conditions to be arranged at an early date. On Monday, at 12 o'cl ck, Mr. A. F. Maude will sell by auction the whole of the household furniture of Mr. James Reid, who is leaving Oamaru. The salo will be held on the premises at the North Town Boundary.

It will be observed by an announcement in another column that Dr. E. Ellis, of Auckland, will de'iver a lecture on Monday evening next in aid of the Oamaru Mechanics' Institute. The subject of the lecture, "'lhe Life and Times of Michael An-'elo," is a most interesting one, and should draw a crowded hou.se.

Irishmen generally are considered pur ern-lkucv the hull-makers of the world, yet occasionally other nation dities " run them" close." For instance, yesterday, at the Police Court, two gentlemen amongst th s-K-etaUv-swcro having a chat on some sub jeet of mutual interest ; and so absorbed did they get that, unknowingly, their voices rose above the pitch of a whisper. This offended the sense of decorum of an official, who, walking carefully on tip-toe, approached them, and thus delivered himself sternly, "If one of you wants to shpoke mit another in here, you niiisht go ootside." The two offenders withdrew in guilty eon. fusion, and are now industriously engaged in hunting up an Irishman to stand up for the hono'ir of his country, and put the "comether " on that Teuton. The first annual meeting of the North Otago Permanent Building Society was held last evening, at the oilicc of the Secretary (Mr. C. Sumpter). There was a very good attendance of shareholders, and Air. Headland, the Piesident of the Society, occupied the chair. The minutes of the inaugural meeting having he. n read and continued, the Secretary real the annual report and .. _, _ vi ii liiyniy 5a1i5]..,1.,„„.. ]..,1.,„„.. ' -" a J factory nature, and we regret that want oi space precludes us from publishing them in ix.'ow. The following extract from the report gives a pretty clear idea of the progress of the Society during the fir.>t year of its existence :—" It will be seen that the Society lias met with very considerable support from the public, shares to the present time having b-en taken up to the number of 1201, and debentures disposed of to the va'ue of LIOUU. Your Committee must

cong-atulnte you on the profits made during the past year, enabling them, without ailing any credit for accruing profits 011 repayiiU'Uts. to recommend a dividend of L 9 per cent, per .share, equal to IS pir cent, per annum. It is only fair that your COlll- - should here state that afrer duly considering the subject, to anticipate accruing profits would, they 1 liink, he imprudent, and would in fact endanger the stability of the Society, and at the same time materially affect future profits. Had your Committee taken such credit they might have done so to the amount of LSOO, equivalent to '2O per cent, per share more." The report and balance-sheet was adopted, and ordered to he printed. Messrs. H. Thompson, T. Procter, J. Thomson, and It. Wilson were nominated for the vacan ,ies 011 the Committee, and on a ballot being taken the three first-named gentlemen were elected. The question of amending the rules and bringing the Society under the new Building Societies Act were referred to the Committee to consider and report upon at the next monthly meeting of the Society. The Auditors' fees were lixed at 1.6 65., and a Do:ins of LlO was voted to the Treasurer. The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the Chairman.