EDUCATIONAL MEETING.

Southland Times, Issue 1521, 9 January 1872, Page 2

EDUCATIONAL MEE TING.

The annual meoting for the election of a school committee for the district of Invercargill was held in the school-house, Tay-street, last night. The attendance was limited, not more than twenty-five persons being present. Mr T. M. Mac* donald, the president of the late committee, presided. The following report by tho retiring committee was read ani submitted . — Your Committee were elected on the eighth of May last and have held 13 meetings. Without delay they proceeded to the consideration ofthe educational necessities of fche district, and finding thafc the grammar schools established in other parts of the province under the Ordinance included classes for both sexes —pf the most elementary character as weU as the more advance! classes peculiar to grammar schools, strictly so called — afc once decided upon asking the Education Biard to procure the sanction of the Provincial Couilcil for fche establishment of such a school. -° - This was accordingly done. At an early meeting your Committee had the advantage of con- 1 ferring personally with Mr Hislop the Secretaryofthe Education Board, as to the operation of fcho Ordinance in other parts of the province, and more particularly with regard to the of obtaining the erection of school buildings, the appointment of masters, and other matters relating to the practical establishment of a school, and obtained from him much valuable information. Your Committee considered thafc accommodation for 40 J scholars would fairly meet the immediate and for a time at least the prospective wants of fche district. Acting upon the suggestion of Mr Hislop, plans of a school building wore prepared by the Committee's architect, and having been submitted to the Committee, they, on the first of June last, resolved — '* Ihat the secretary be requested to communicate with the Board, informing them that the Committee have obtained plans from their architect, who considers that a sum of £2000 will be required to provide a building fco accommodate 400 scholars, and that the Board be requested to have that sum placed on the estimates with a view to the necessary works being gone on with, and that a sketch of the proposed plan be furnished with the communication." This resolution was transmitted with the plans to fche secretary of the Board, but no reply to fche request therein contained was given until tho arrival of His Honor the Superintendent, and Messrs Bathgate and Cutten, members of the Executive. At an interview with these gentlemen on the 12th December, the matter was laid before them, and your Committee received their assurance that the sum of £800, aud no more, was immediately available out of the provincial funds towards the erection of school buUdings. It was suggested at the same time that thia sum might be augmented by a grant from the Municipal CouncU out of the proceeds of the Tay-street reserye. An application, however, for such a grant, made by the Committee to that body, was unhappily not successful. It then became necessary for your Committee to consider how the limited means at their disposal for the erection of school buildings might be employed to the best advantage. After conferring with Mr K*rr, the architect, your Committee resolved to get plans and specifications prepared for a school building, with two wings, in brick and slate. The plans and specifications to be prepared so as to aUow of the Government having the option of completing fche buUding wifch one wing only, or with two wings, and also to call for tenders in accordance therewith. Tho building with one wing would afford accommodation for 222 scholars, and wifch both wings, for 318 scholars. The class rooms would afford additional accommodation for 45 scholars on an emergency. Plans and specifications are now in course of preparation in accordance with this resolution. Your Committee have given long and anxious consideration to the question of a site for the school buildings. Two sites seem at the present time to be eligible, but your Committee have not beeu in a position to decide upon adopting one ot the other. As a greater delay in the establishment of a grammar school wUI take place than your Committee anticipated, they resolved on the 20th December to ask the Government fco grant a subsidy equal to that for a main school, as a temporary assistance, pending the erection of a grammar school. Your Oommittee have recommended the Education Board to extend the educational district of Invercargill, so as fco include the suburbs tying within the boundaries of the old Waihopai Electoral District, but a-> yet this has not been effected) although there seems no doubt ifc wUI be done. When your Committee undertook thoir labors, they hoped to have had the pleasure of handing fco their successors a grammar school. in operation, but whiie deploring the delay which, owing to the causes mencioneJ, has taken place, they think they nre now fairly entitled to conclude that if their labors are vigorously taken up by the committee you aie now about to elect, a grammar school should be in working order within a short period. In moving fche adoption of the report, Mr Gr. Lumsden reviewed fche action of tbe committee during its tenure of office, expressing regret that the proposal made to the Municipal Council to convert a portion of the proceeds of the salo of the Public Gardens Reserve for the erection of a suitable school-house had not been agreed to. Mr Thomas "Watson 'seconded the motion, which was put and carried without further comment. Mr John M'Pherson then moved*— Thafc the members of the retiring committee, consisting of Messrs W. H. Calder, T. M. Macdonald, Thos. "Watson, Geo. Lumsden, John Kingsland, J. Mentiplay, Peter M'Ewan, D. L. Matheson, and Thomas Perkins, be reelected a committee for the ensuing twelve months. He (the mover) remarked that the retiring committee appeared to bave done its work satisfactorily, and now when they were acquainted with the whole Working of the thing, he thought that they were most likely to conduct operations successfully. Mr John Murdoch seconded the nomination, Mr Watson made a few remarks upon the limited attendance. He was- surprised to Bee so few persons present. It showed a great lack of interest on the part of parents, and he thought the circumstance should not be allowed to pass without notice. Statements were made to the effect that one of the members of the late committee named in the resolution did not intend to allow himself to be reelected. No authoritative notification to that effect being forthcoming, the meeting decided upon disregarding the representation. The motion on being put was carried without dissent. The meeting then separated with a rote of thanks to the chair.