HEADMASTER FOR HIGH SCHOOL

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 132, 27 January 1932, Page 6

HEADMASTER FOR HIGH SCHOOL

BOARD'S PROTEST APPOINTMENT BY DEPARTMENT NOT CONSIDERED SUITABLE NEGOTIATION SUCCESSFUL Before the applications for the headmastership of the Rotorua High School were considered by the Rotorua High School Board at their meeting on Monday evening, correspondence was dealt with in connection with a protest to the Education Department but which concluded satisfactoriiy as a result of the excellent work done for the Board by the member of Parliament for the district, Mr C. H. Clinkard. Mr. Clinkard was present at the meeting to explain the j part he took in the negotiations. The protest originated from a letter reeeived from the Director of Education informing the board that in accordance with the provisions of the Finance Act, the late principal of "a technical school was to be sent to the vacant position atthe Rotorua High School and that it was therefore unnecessary for the

toard to take any further steps m he matter of appointing a headaaster. The letter also gave the tualifications for the appointee. The board, however, took excepion to this infringement of their ight to recommend a master of their >wn choice for the Education De>artment's. consideration, and drafted i letter to Mr. Clinkard asking for lis assistance in the matter. The aoard did not consider that the ;eacher appointed by the department vas suitable for the position as he frad no qualifications in* general science and agricultural science. The board also protested against the action of the department in appointing a headmaster without consulting the wishes of the board. The letter clear'y placed before Mr. Clinkard all the "acts relating to the board's objection to the department's choice and asked for his assistance in taking up their case with the Minister of Education. Some of the Facts Some of the facts placed before Mr. Clinkard were that the school was :>pened in 1927 with some 207 pupils. Five years prior to this a local committee had spent a great deal of personal time and energy in endeavouring to have a secondary school esfcablished in Rotorua. Yery many years ago the natives had handed over free, an important endowment in the centre of the town for secondary education in the Rotorua district, and the Government had appropriited the revenue from this endowment for general secondary education purposes in the Auckland province. The committee referred to, had, however, been able to show that the regulabions diverting this money to general secondary education funds were invnlid.

Sir James Parr was Minister of Edu eation at the time and on the whole matter being investigated by the Sol-' icitor-General, the Minister came to the conclusion that the contention of the. committee that the Government regulations were invalid was corj rect. The result was that the moneys wrongly appropriated were refunded over a period of time and when cne total refund reached approximately the sum of £11,000, the High School was built. These facts were mentioned to show the amount of time and labour out in by the Rotorua residents in their efforts to get the school started. It was also pointed out that the present Board of Governors consist?.d of a number of the men who had participated in the steps for the school's establishment. "The first board," the letter continued, "realised that the most important feature in the success of the I new school was the appointment of a competent headtfiaster, whom they were fortunate in obtaining in the person of Mr. A. R. Ryder.

Board's Policy "The board's policy after appointing the master was to allow him to choose his own team of teachers as far as possible, and as a result the team-work at the school had been splendid." Reference was also made to the improvements carried out in the school grounds, which at first had

been a mass of fern and ti tree, but which now were attractively laid out. The interest that the members of the board had put into the school, the letter continued, now appeared to be rewarded by their being absolutely ignored in the appointment of the most important officer, which had been made necessary by the loss of Mr. Ryder on his promotion to a larger school. "To say the least of it the board feels the position very keenly, and the public, as far as they are aware of the position, can hardly credit that the Department would so ignore the board. The board feel that a technical school master is not at all suited to the present appointment. Further, they desire to personally examine the personality and personal qualities of any gentleman they would plaee in charge of the school." The letter then sets out the teaching work previously done by Mr Ryder, and states that the new master would have to be qualified to carry out these same duties, as the only other teachers in the school who could take the science and agricultural subjects, already had their time fully occupied.

"We sincerely hope that the board's five years of service to this community," the letter concluded will in some measure be rewarded by the earnest and fair consideration to the j representations set out." The board also reeeived the assistance of Mr. H. Tai Mitchell, who drafted a letter to Sir Apirana Ngata, the Native Minister, asking him to assist with the board's cause on behalf of the Maoris interested in the school. Negotiations however, were successfully concluded without the necessity of calling for the native Minister's aid. Mr. Clinkard, armed with these facts from the board, immediately proceeded to "Wellington to interview the Minister of Education, the Hon. R. Masters, and at the meeting on

Great success with the treatment of ragwort with sodium chloride (common salt) has been attained by Mr. E. C. Cox, of Hamilton, who eompletely exterminated the weed on a section in the Wairarapa by this means. Speaking to a "Waikato Times" reporter. Mr. Cox said his method was to cut the weed down level with the ground, criss-cross the root with a knife and fill the cavities created with salt. The weed never reappeared. Mr. Cox admitted that this treatment would be somewhat laborious on farming land, but pointed out that anything was better than allowing the pest to grow and flourish.