Pokeno School Roll of Honour

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 7, Issue 344, 11 January 1918, Page 4

Pokeno School Roll of Honour

! To the Editor" Sir—Tour correspondent, Mr C. J. Leathern, characterises my letter as incorrect and as containing misstatements, whereas it was written with all official correspondence before me to get at the real facts. I am going to deal with the first meeting held last October when the trouble arose and my account of which your correspondent says is incorrect. Any other questions which arose later and which have since been dragged into this question do not affect the attitude adopted by the Committee when they officially wrote and told Mrs Lippiatt "that as a School Committee they would have nothing further to do with the Roll of Honour." (Extract from Mr Leathem's letter: " 'A] ax' states that Mrs Lippiatt told the Committee at the special meeting held at her request what arrangements she had made. This is quite incorrect. The Chairman pointedly asked Mrs Lippiatt what arrangements she had made for the carrying out of the function and she unhesitatingly replied 'I have made none.' Had Mrs Lippiatt taken the Committee into her confidenee at that stage there would jrfbt have been any trouble, etc., e^.") Does Mr Leathern wish to insult the intelligence and reasoning abilities of your readers when he asks us to believe, on his own showing, that the lady asked for a special meeting and that when she attended and the Chairman asked what arrangements she had made she replied "I have made none." I reiterate my previous statement that she told the Committee what had been done to that date, that she took the Committee into her confidence and consulted them, and to support this and to show arrangements were made and tacitly approved by the Committee I would ask "did not Mr Leathern himself undertake special work ?" His whole statement is misleading and contrary to fact. The Chairman latsr considered he was ignored and resigned. The School Committee met and asked him to reconsider his resignation. This was a mistake on the foregoing evidence. The Secretary stated in the letter that the ground of ignoring consisted in asking an outsider to preside at the function. This has been denied by Mrs Lippiatt and by the gentleman concerned. Therefore we have this position, that because of rumour a Chairman of a public body resigned and the Committee supported him, and asked him to reconsider his resignation without asking for information from the lady concerned. The meeting was held in the school. lam sure Mrs Lippiatt would have attended and given any information but I claim she was condemned unheard. The Committee has got itself hopelessly bogged, and the only solution is for them to rescind what resolutions have been passed and assist the promoters to have the Roll of Honour respected and unveiled in honour.

The latter part of Mr Leathem's letter shows a better spirit when he admits mistakes have been made and asks that an honest endeavour should be made to have the Roll of Honour unveiled. If he is sincere it only remains for his Committee to officially admit its mistakes and to assist in effecting a compromise.— I am, etc., "AJAX."

| To tiie Editor] Sir —The extraordinary letter signed by Mr C. J. Leathern in your last issue is curious because its statements are not in accord with the official letter of the School Committee. The way the . meeting (reported in your paper) was conducted was a disgrace to any public body. There was no excuse for the Chairman or for his lieutenant, whose re marks, interjections and self approving cake-walk up and down the stage were more in keeping with a variety show than a sober householders' meeting about a Roll of Honour. The speeches of the two ladies only saved the meeting from the rough house it was meant to be, and they got their hearing in spite of various interjections on the part of the Committee who were unwilling to hear anything except their own side. In the end the Chairman cleverely saved the situation by tacking on to " that the Committee were ignored " the words "that they should be entrusted to form a new Roll" (which is the one Mr C. J. fieathem wishes to be rid of without consulting the householders for live poinds i. There were about 140 people present at the meeting. 27—2 was the vote of a few ilappers ana irresponsible people for no one could decently vote against a Roll of Honour and nobody could exonerate the Commit h oe: therefore people could not vote. The Chairman then hurriedly cbsed the meeting, having got a sort of something for a householders' vote, enough to s»op Mr Massey coming up to unveil the Roll of Honour. Hy this action the School Committee have now put their disgrace on the shoulders of the householders by a catch vote and the householders arc to consider the matter further next week.—l am, etc , F. W. PYNE Pokeno, 10th Jan. l'.'l*