OAMARU SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Oamaru Mail, Volume II, Issue 548, 2 February 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

OAMARU SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

The first meeting of the School Committee was hold at the Grammar School last evening, and immediately adjourned to the Secretary's office. Messrs. Gibbs, Hislop, Fleming, Steward, Falconer, and Be? were riresent,

After some discussion H. .!, Steward, Kso, was elected chairman unanimously on the motion of Mr. Headland, seconded by Mr. Fleming. On taking the chair Mr. Steward thanked the Committee for the honor conferred, and promised that he would till the office to the best of his ability, and expressed a hope that whatever differences of opinion might exist at times among the Committee, these dift'er-onoea would not be carried beyond the doors of the Committee's office.

The minutes of meetings held on the 17th and 28th of January, were read and confirmed.

Mr. Headland was unanimously elected Treasurer, and Mr. Hardy Secretary, and the salary of the latter was fixed for the present at the rate of L!3O per annum. The resignation of Mr. Bradley Bennett, the second master of the District High School, was accepted, and the Secretary was instructed to advertise for applicants for the position, at a salaiy of L2OO per annum.

Mr. Rice applied for the appointment of two pupil teachers for the South School, and the Secretary was authorised to ask for the appointment of David Wallace and Mary Ellen Crawford bv the Education Boa'rd.

Mr. Fleming moved, and Mr. Headland seconded' a motion, authorising the Secretary to obtain from th.e headmaster of each "school a monthly report of the daily attendance of pupils at each school, noting all who had been absent three or more days in each month. Mr. Rice having applied for lease to open a night school, authority was given on condition that fire and light be provided at his own cost.

It having been pointed out that every child of school-age was entitled to-instruc-tion in military drill and vocal' music, and as the South School had neither, and the North School no drill instructor, it was resolved that the Secretary should apply to the Education Board, asking authority to enlarge the duties of the singing master, by placing the South School" under vocal instruction, and by giving to th.e Northland South Schools instruction and exercise in military drill, provided that this would be effected at an additional cost of LlO per annum for each teacher. It was also resolved that the Secretary be authorised to ask the sanction of the Board to contracts for cleaning "schools, providing fuel, and other ordinary expenditure : and also to forward a schedule of outstanding liabilities, and a request for funds to discharge the same. The following Sub-Committees were then appointed : —Visiting Committee : Messrs. Fleming, Hislop, and Falconer. Building Committee : Messrs. Gibbs, Bee, and Headland—the Chairman, to be (.:•■ oljirlu a member of both. After a considerable amount of conversation as to the nomination of candidates for the Education Board, Mr. Headland moved, and Mr. Fleming seconded, a motion in favour of nominating Messrs. Steward and Gibbs, but an amendment by Mr. Falconer in favour of postponing the actual nomination till Monday, February 11, was seconded by Mr. Bee, and carried by the casting vote of the Chairman. The Secretary was instructed to confer with the Rector as to a successor to Mr. Davidson, whose term as a pupil teacher had expired, and also with reference to pupil teachers generally, and, after some consideration of the compulsory clauses, the Chairman was requested to write to the Education Department for an opinion thereon.

A vote of thanks to the Chairman was passed, and the meeting adjourned.

The learned Attorney-General, in opening the ease for the prosecution of the Scotland Yard detectives, thus referred to the charge against Mr. Froggatt, one of the defendants, when commenting upon the duties of professional men : —" Xow, Froggart is a solicitor, and his duty is to use his best exertions to obtain the acquittal of his client. He is bound to use all the knowledge and skill he is possessed of, and to do everything that is proper to secure the interests of his client. But then, if he goes further than that, and, knowing his client's guilt, tries to get rid of the evidence that may be obtained against him, and endeavours to obtain the acquittal of his client by suoh means, he ceases to be his advocate, and becomes his accomplice." " It is difficult," writes the Law Times, "to take any exception to the general proposition here laid down by the chief law officer of the Crown. The word ' proper,' as here used, is one the precise meaning of whioh it is not always easy to determine. So the expression, 'knowing his client's guilt,'must betaken to mean 'believing his client's guilt.' "