ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

Southland Times, Issue 1117, 3 March 1869, Page 2

ORIGINAL CORRESPONDENCE.

WE DO NOT IDENTIFY OURSELVES IN ANY WAY WITH THE OPINIONS EXPRESSED BY OUB COBRESPONDENTS. ♦ (to the editoe of the southland times.) Sib — I observed in your paper dated Feb 19fch, a letter signed C. F. Warden, which he begs to request you to publish in order that the public may know how the cause of education is flourishing under the fostering care of the Education Board ; but instead of enlightening the public, through the press, on the state of education he entertains tbe readers of the " Southland Times" with a rigmarole about the Board and One-Tree-Point School Committee, which to any person j outside must simply appear unmeaning i jargon. The letter is so full of misrepre- i sentations, seeing thft Mr Warden was a j member of committee and eventually | Chairman, that I am utterly at a loss ! whether to set him down as a or 1 a . In fact, the most charitable conclusion I can arrive at is, that he has been visited with a temporary fit of insanity, and instead of rushing into print he ought to have consulted his medical adviser. " Oh ! that mine enemy would write ajbook." It would take up too much of your valuable space to poiut out all the misrepresentations. I will confine my remarks to a few of them. Addressing Mr Tanner, he wrrites " Sir, I have to acquaint you that this Committee has resigned, and at the same time dictated the following letter." I state on the authority of a member of the Committee, that there was no letter dictated at the time the Committee resigned, neither was he shown the letter, nor asked to concur in publishing it. Mr Warden goes on saying — " Immediately after the election Mr Tanner stated the Committee would require to raise fifty pounds more or less for school building purposes." The question of building a school was not introduced at the meeting referred to, neither was it expected to be a question ; it was gene rally understood that the Committee would take steps to open the school in the church. He further states : — " Shortly after this a public meeting of the respective districts of One Tree Point and Mavis Bush (it suits Mr Warden's purpose to drop Otterewa and substitute Mavis Bush) was convened by the Board.' The meeting was not convened by the Board, neither is the Board responsible for the actions of its members individually any more than the One-Tree-Point Committee is accountable for Mr Warden's blundering letter. Quoting his own words, the meeting was well attended, and a resolution was carried unanimously, declaring the vicinity of Mr M'Kae's property adjoining the road, rather vague, a suitable place for the erection of a school. The two districts that the aforesaid meeting declared by resolution advisible to amalgamate, are not less than thirteen miles long by about three broad, comprising an area of 40 square miles. fiivmcfl among upwards or titty proprietors. Twelve people attended the meeting, ten supported the resolution to shift; the school, four of the tea belonging to the One Tree Point side of the boundary line, three of them had accepted office as committee men about a fortnight before. Those worthies represented about a fortieth part of the landed property in the district, and whether that meeting could be regarded as a decided expression of public opinion, I leave the public to judge. There was no such nonsensical resolution, as Mr W. quoted, passed by the meeting. The motion that was event uallj r carried proposed to shift the school eastward along the One Tree Poiut road, not more than a mile from the present site. He says the Board set a^iJe this resolution without granting their reasons for so doiug. Ihe resolution was never laid before the Board, therefore it could not set it aside, but the whole proceeding was ruled out of order, aud dismissed accordingly. It was considered time enough to consider the subject when it was laid before the Board in a formal manner. He also states that through my repeated promises the committee waited about nine months — " through Mr Warden's defection," would have been nearer the truth He continues the narration, which I must pass by as unintelligible, until he ar ives at what I belie ve he considers the gist of the whole subject, viz., " shortly afterwards, the Committee accidently ascertained that the Board was giving money to one of its members to keep a private teacher." A.s I am the only member of the Board that lives in the couiitry, I must be the one. To say the least of that statement, it is a base slander on the Board, ana 1 challenge Mr Warden to prove his statement or abide by the consequence. Next, he states that the Committee waited three months longer, and then offered to build at their own expense. I am fully aware that the Committee not only offered to build, but to build a school for the Otterewa District with the One Tree Point peoples' money, not at their own expense. In the last part of this sentence, I don't know whether Mr Warden is quoting the decision of the Board, or stating his own opinion. However, it is so absurd that I neea not refer to it. He says ihe Committee feel indignant at such unworthy treatment. What treatment ? It would take a Solon to know what the writer means, by reading his aetter. Would any rational human being be indignant, or call the. treatment unworthy, to be told that there was no money in the Treasury, and for that reason the Board could not give any. \ But the queerest part of a remarkably ( queer letter, is the awkward way Mr M'Gillivary is introduced, complimented, | and dismissed. Such a testimonial, from such able composers and" profound grammarians must be highly gratifying to Mr M'Gillivary. They further eubinit ;

that as— '• the Board had decided to give I but one teacher for ihe two districts, &■.:." i 1 beg to inform the Committee that the Board had not decided, nor has it to this '' day, that one teacher is sufficient {\>v the two districts. Mr Warden was told in a courteous manner that as the Board had no funds at its disposal, it was not in a position to advise ; but of course that was not sufficient, and he was told at last that the Coirnine might both build a school and appoint a teacher at their own expense, for the B >ard had nothing to do with private school?. C. F. Warden winds up by saving — '"a large, number of children in this district are quite isolated, having no school available. whatever; the Committee feel that all the district; can do under the circumstances is to wait until the Board is succeeded by i men who have some sense of just ice. i There are no children so isolated as the chairman of the said commit tee would | make the public believe, neither are the settlers in the district so hopeless as th j cotrmittee feel them to be. There has b hmi a school in the church, and will be i'qv the next six months, unless the congregation and office-bearers shall order otherwise ; it both avail iblo an I aves«ibl<; to the whole district, moreover it is only one mile aud a half distant i'rom Mr \Y \vd <n's property, the reasons why ho won't take advantage of it are best known to himself. I may add that the children lhe Committee have ever shown any disposition to accommodate are withm n i a<-h, and have been atten ling Oitere.w t school. They talk about justice. As a specimen of their ycusu of Justice, belore the Committee had met i\>r the d.-spaich of business, three of its members, at the meeting referred to hv Mr Wirden, sup ported a resolution wh'ch would, if gnei effect to, have, prevented a school fro v being established in the district. They were morally bound to promote c lu-'ation, by accep.ing office as member.-^ of Committee. Moreover, at their forty - and fourth meeting they again proposed a) build a school outside the district, where it was inae,;e^iblt» 'o se>-en-oigh'..hs of the riren, and half of the euiMreu within the district, with money that had been subscribed by people in the district tor . tiie express purpose of securing the urant in aid of building a .school on the Ou" Tree Point reserve. Justice! ! njustieo is. too mild a term for r. proposition not only to divert I'rom its legitim ite purpose a sum of money which was subscribed in good faith to procure an equal sum w!ii.:!i was also to be expended for the benefit ot the subscribers, but making their money the very means ot preventing a school from beinu establish^ in the district, and were only prevented from cai'rying out. their proposition by the threat of people not paying up their subscriptions unless the money was applied .to 'die purpose for which it was subscribed. From their proposal the public maygather some knowledge of the Unn Tree Point School Coin. nil i ee-'s idea of constitutional morality, their sense of justice, and business capacity. — I have the honor, to be, Sir, your's, &<.'., William Johnston. one Tiur! romi, L'ci). !.'(•, LMoW.