BOARD OF EDUCATION.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2788, 1 March 1882, Page 2

BOARD OF EDUCATION.

The ordinary meeting of the South Canterbury Board of Education was held to-day. Present —Mr H. Belfield (chairman), Messrs E. Wakefield, S’ Goldsmith, R. B. Walcot, R. A" Barker, M. Gray, and Rev. G. Barclay,. caaibman’s statement. The minutes of the previous meeting having been read and confirmed the Chairman stated that since last meeting of the Board committees had been elected for the Hunter and Milford school districts. He had accepted the tender of Mrdayton for the erection of school buildings at Albury, at £232 15s, the Committee agreeing to contribute '£32 15s. The erection of these buildings had beeu put off as the Board hoped to acquire the buildings now occupied by the police at Albury, but as it appeared uncertain when possession could be obtained, if ever, and the people being anxious to get a school he thought it better not to delay the matter any longer. Mr Sumner, head master of the Orari school, Mrs Walker, mistress of the Wai-iti school, and one of the pupil teachers at Waimate had resigned. The schoolbuildings authorised at last meeting had been put in hand. Plans for a new master’s house at Waimate had been completed and would be laid on the table for approval, TIMABU SCHOOL. Mr Walcot made a statement in reference to the furnishing of reports of the examination of the Timaru schools. At last meeting he had made a statement which the Inspector contradicted, and he was not then able to support bis statement. He had since proved from examination of the Committee’s papers that the report of the examination held in December, 1879, was received in August, 1880; on that in December 1880, in June, 1881 ; and that on the examination in December last was not yet received. Either the Inspector was not up to his work or did not devote sufficient attention to it, or he had too much to do. The time had now arrived, in his opinion for the appointment of an efficient secretary, and an opportunity was now given by the resignation of Mr Kirby. The Secretary stated," in explanation, that the statement he made at the last meeting was absolutely correct. The report of last year was finished, but he fell ill before he had time to recopy it. The report itself was sent in by the end of February, and the only part that he requested should not be published was his general remarks upon the various standards. He requested that this portion of his report should be returned to him, but possibly his assistant had misunderstood him and asked for the whole of it to be returned. It was therefore not correct to say that the report was not sent in till June, as for all practical purposes the report as first sent in was all that was required. As for the delay this year, that must bo attributable to the prevalence of sickness in the district, from which cause examination after examination had to be postponed. The report on the Timaru School was the only one that was not practically completed, and it would be ready before the Committee’s next meeting. A letter was read from the Timaru Committee enclosing a resolution asking the Board—seeing the incidental allow ance was quite inadequate for the purpose—to give the Committee the £3O per annum profit made by letting

Louse, and also the amount 1 £35 a year, deducted from the incidental grant on account of the janitor’s cottage. Mr Walcot said he thought the Committee had asked for too much. The incidental fund of the Committee was certainly too small. The Committee were allowed £?0 per quarter, and out of that they had to pay £l9 10s for janitor’s salary, and £6 10s for scavenging, leaving only £4 to provide stationery, other school requisites, and janitor’s requisites. It was simply impossible for the Committee to carry on with so small an allowance. He thought they were fairly entitled to claim the profit of £3O a year made by letting the master’s house, especially as the Temuka Committee, if newspaper reports were to be relied on, had let their master’s house and used the rents for incidental purposes. With regard to the £35 deducted from the allowance on account of rent for the janitor’s cottage, that was an excessive deduction ; better bouses were being let for £2O and £22 a year. And then when the general reduction of one-third was made, this rent reduction should have been made first, from the gross total, and the onethird taken off afterwards. This would have made some difference to the Committee. It was simply impossible for the Committee to carry on if the allowance was not increased. He concluded by moving—“ That the profit of £3O per annum made by letting the master’s house at Timaru be paid to the Timaru School Committee.” Mr Barker seconded the motion pro forma. The Chairman said the Temuka Committee had no power to let the master’s house, as stated by Mr Walcot. Such action on their part had never been before the Board.

Mr Barclay reviewed the history of the “incidental fund" arrangements of the Board, showing that the sums now granted to Committees for incidental purposes had been taken from the teachers salaries, reducing these to such an extent as to have caused a real deterioration of the staff. The scale upon which the distribution of the fund so provided was made, had been carefully and minutely considered for months, and the Board should not hurridly set that scale aside. The question was not whether the Timaru Committee had a sufficient incidental allowance or not, but whether the Board could afford to give more ; they could not do it without still further reducing the salaries of the teachers. If they made a concession in this case, they would have everyone of the thirty or forty Committees coming to them with similar requests; the Timaru Committee was not the only “Oliver Twist" before the Board, asking for more. The £3O asked for was a part of assets of the Board, taken into consideration when the scale was framed, and to give it to the Timaru Committee would upset the whole scheme. Besides the Master’s house had not been profitable to the Board, it had rather been a “ white elephant ” to them, from the sums spent upon it for one purpose or other. It was certain they could not take any further sum from the teachers’ salaries, the staff bad deteriorated enough already through the smallness of the salaries given. He was surprised that in a town like Timaru, with its six or seven thousand inhabitants, the few pounds necessary to supplement the incidental allowance could not be raised by voluntary contributions. The Chairman stated that the Board bad spent £73 on the master’s house since tbdy took possession of it.

Mr Walcot did not see where the “ white elephant” argument came in, seeing that the money spent upon the master’s house would come out of the building grant, and would have had to be paid if the master himself occupied the house,—in which case the Board would receive no rent. He did notask the Board to go beyond their scale, in asking for this £33; if ho asked them to forego the deduction on the janitor's cottage he would be doing so. The Committee had endeavored to raise funds by contributions from parents, and for two years succeeded in doing so to a very useful extent; but the con tributions had fallen off, and had become next to nothing. Mr Barclay said many Committees, the Point for instance, raised considerable amounts to supplement their incidental allowances. A big school like Timaru should set a good example in this direction. The case of the Temuka Committee was not an analgous one. as the master left the house of his own choice and did not ask for a lodging allowance. Mr Wakefield—lt simply amounts to this: Is the incidental allowance of the Timaru Committee to be increased by £3O? It does not signify where the money comes from. If they receive £3O more it seems other schools must receive £3O less.

Mr Barclay suggested that Mr Walcot should withdraw his motion, but he declined to do so, and on being put it was lost, he only voting for it. ASSISTANT SECRETARY. A letter was read from the AssistantSecretary Mr .Kirby, tendering his resignation. It was resolved, on the motion of Mr Wakefield, seconded by Mr Goldsmith—- “ That Mr Kirby’s resignation be accepted, and that the Board convey to him an expression of their satisfaction with his conduct during the two years he has spent in their service.” Mr Wakefield moved and Mr Barker seconded—“ That applications be invited by advertisement for the post of clerk to theJßoard at a salary of £165 per annum.” Mr Walcot moved as an amendment —“ That the offices of Inspector and Secretary be divided, and that a Secretary be appointed at a salary of £ per annum.” In his opinion the whole time of the Inspector should be given to the inspection and examination of schools, and that a Secretary could be obtained to do all the work required for £2OO a year. As far as his experience of the office went the Secretary’s work had not been efficiently performed, and a Secretary should be appointed who could devote his whole time to the work.

Mr Barclay reminded the Board that the question of dividing the offices was fully discussed some time since, and it was found that such a division would entail an increased expenditure, and for financial reasons could not be carried out. He doubted whether they could get a really efficient Secretary for £2OO a year; aud the Inspector would hardly have enough to do in inspecting the few schools as yet under the lie hoped in a few years the division would bo necessary on account of the increase of work in the Inspector’s department, but at present it seemed to him inadvisable.

Mr Walcot considered the fact that schools did not get the reports of examinations till late showed that the Inspector had bis time too fully occupied now. He was sure a Secretary could be got for £2O0 —only £35 more than was to be offered for a clerk. Mr Wakefield said they must take into consideration the fact that the Inspector had been ill last year. He agreed that it was a defect iu the system that reports were not sent in promptly, and if they- wore not sent in earlier in

I future the Board must nuke some other arrangements. Mr Barker was not quite satisfied with the present arrangement of the office staff. Mr Goldsmith did not think there was anything to complain of in the way the Secretary's work had been done. The Chairman doubted whether' they could get a responsible Secretary for £2OO, and Mr Wakefield thought the Secretary would have too much to do, and would require an assistant. Mr Walcot failed to find a seconder for his amendment, and the original motion was put and carried, Mr Walcot voting against it. i ;

election of members. The returns of the voting by the various Committees for three members of the Board of Education to replace Messrs Belfield, Barclay, and Gray, who retired by rotation, were then read as follows : votes - Dr Foster 21 Mr Belfield 15 Mr Gray ... __ 15 Mr McKerrow ... 12 Dr Chilton 10 Dr Hayes ... g ' The Chairman declared the three first on the list duly elected. The returns showed that of 37 Committees 31 voted, 3 Committees “ plumped,” for one candidate and 6 voted for only two. scholarship examination. Several communications were read from Mr Ward, Waimate, relative to"the refusal of- the Board to accept the application of his son to be examined at the scholarship examination, but 'the Board held to their previous decision that Master Ward had not complied with the regulations and therefore could not be admitted to compete,,. sq, were lie allowed to do so, numbers Mi others could fairly claim to enter also. . The Secretary stated that Mr Wakefield, who had been appointed one ,-of the examiners, had asked to be relieved of the duty, and that he, as would take his place, The examination’s were now proceeding. Mr Wakefield explained that press of other work had prevented him being able to satisfactorily fulfil the duties of examiner on this occasion.

WAIMATE SCHOOL. Plans for a new Master’s house at Waimate were laid on the table, providing for the erection of a house in brick with facings of Oamaru stone. Mr Wakefield moved and Mr Goldsmith seconded, that tenders be called for its erection, but Mr Gray objected that it would be a mistake to proceed with the Master’s house until it should, be seen what would be done about the school buildings, and the motion on being put was lost. An application from the Waimate Committee for a screen to be used in the schoolroom to separate classes at work,, was referred to the Secretary to make! enquiries. GERALDINE SCHOOL. An application was received from the Committee of this school for u grant to enable them to paper some rooms in the master’s house. The Secretary explained that. a. smaller sum expended in repairing andplastering would perhaps meet the. requirements of the case.—£l was granted ■ for this purpose, ACCOUNTS. Accounts to the amount of £42 9s 8d were passed for payment, and the meeting terminated.