THE NEWTON SCHOOL SCANDAL.

Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 2, 27 October 1887, Page 3

THE NEWTON SCHOOL SCANDAL.

Herald’s own conßE.sroNDz:r Auckland, October 20. The case of flogging a girl for the i.oiipayment of ecLoo) quarter ir-oney continues to excito interest, and tho Star publishes statements by prominent men on the subject. Mr Brooking, secretary of the Newton School Committee, states that the matter has many times come before the committee for considera t.ou Inconsequence of an expression of opinion by one of the members early in 1885 us to tho unfairness, oi inex pediency of charging fees, and the pub lic.tion of that Statement in the newspapers a goodly number of parents absolutely refused to pay. Mr Coates has drawn attention to the fact that tho committee passed the following resolution ;—That in future the standing fees for children attending school in the Newton district shall be from standards 1 to 4, Is; all below standard 1, 3d. For this the children shall have the use of the pencils, pencil-holders, ink, lienholders, pens and be supplied with copybooks, blotting paper, glass paper with muriatic acid for desk cleaning, and foolscap for examination papers, and general, stationary. The teacher is Ik Id responsible for the money and if he does not get it the loss comes out of his own pocket. The thing is perhaps a speculation, but musters generally lose by it. The committee would strongly object to the infliction of punishment in such eases Tho master at one time adopted the expedient of sending non paying children away, but this does not meet with the committee’s approval, and I suppose he is thus driven to the alternative of punishment. It does, of course, seem hard to punish a child for its parents’ remissness.

A head master in the district was interviewed by a reporter, and asked : Have you ever caned any children because it did not bring money ? Teacher : Never in my life, nor could I tolerate it being done, nor ever have 1 sent a recusant child home, I would feel ashamed to do s'-. Reporter : What piofit do you think some teachers gain on their sales? Teacher; About 20 per cent. Reporter :If you did not help some poorer children who cannot pay how would you teach them ? Teacher: If I do not thus help them I could not get on at all and could work to no purpose. Dr Laishley states the system (authorised by regulation) of teachers supplying school necessaries is vicious, unless mo>t carefully supervised. It must tend to engender friction and mer eenary feelings at tho expense of the children. Uu the 12th of May, 1.882, I moved the Board of Education to prevent touchers unnecessarily changing books and material, and for either selling or supplying directly any such books or material to scholars, parents, or guard ians, but the motion was lost only Messrs Goldie and Moss voting with me for it, and against, Messrs Clink, Luke, Moat, and Prime. The instance now under review is melancholy. Dr McArthur, formerly principal oi tho Training College, says it is a vicious system. The teacher in no case should be an instrument fur the collection of any such fees. It is u bad principle to give him an interest in their collection, for the power is sure to bo abused ii seme cases. Corporal punishment should certainly not bo resorted to for the non-pay mint of fees. Tli.it is a matter beyond the child’s province. At any rate the fact that it may be made a source of profit is alone a very objectionable feature. It is also a tempta tiou for children to obtain money !rom parents under false pre tences. If fees must be charged let sumo better means of collection be devised; in principle, however, it is foreign to the free State education system. Dr Kidd’s opinion was also solicited, and was *o the same effect. He regarded tho caning at Newton as a blunder.