THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE.

Southland Times, Issue 1689, 14 January 1873, Page 3

THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE.

•» A meeting of householders and owners of land in the educational district of Invereargill, was held last night in terms of the Education Ordinance, at the old school.house ia Tay-street, for the purpose of bearing the report of the retiring Education Committee, and of electing a new committee for the current year. Mr T. M. Macdonald having been called to the chair, the Secretary, Mr Nutter, read the report, as follows : — Tour committee have bad 30 meetings during the past year. Your committee first directed their attention to the selection of a site for the grammar school, a question which had already received lengthened consideration daring the preceding year. The site finally selected is that at the corner of Esk, Jed, and Don streets! It was found that four Motions from tbe corner of Esk and Jed streets, eastwards, had been reserved from sale, but had not been appropriated to any special purpose. An application to the Provincial Government to appropriate them as a site for the grammar achool wae happily successful. Being of opinion that this area was insufficient for the purposes of the school, your committee at or-ce negotiated with the owners for the purchase of three sections to the northwards of the reserve, at a total price of £120, and the exchange of a fourth for another educational section. This »urn the Provincial Government, on tbe application of the committee, agreed to provide. The plans and specifications of the proposed building next occupied the committee's attention. Feeling that they would not be justified in recommending tbe erection of a buildi-g capable of accommodating les9 than 380 scholars, they caused plans and specifications for a building of brick of that capacity to be prepared, and tenders for its construction advertised in Dunedin and Invereargill. Ten tenders were sent in. Of those the lowest was that of Messrs M'Kay ani Fredric, for £1476. As this sura was conaiderably in excess of the amount allocated for the purpose by the Provincial Government, the committee felt that a special effort was necessary to induce he Government to accept the tender They accordingly requested one of their members, Mr Lumsden, to proceed to Dunedin to represent the matter to the Government and urge tbe acceptance of the tender. Mr Lumsden at once acceded to the committee's request, and bis mission was happily successful. A few extras which were found to be necessary in the course of construction bring the contract price up to the sum of £1492 10s, for which amount the build ing has now beeu completed. The committee have entrred into a contract for the construction of fittings and fencing for the sum of £380. As the sum of £200 only has been promised for this purpose by the Government, it will rest with the committee now about to be elected to arrange for the deficiency. No provision has yet been made for the amount of the architect's fee, about £100, which your committee's successors will also have to arrange for. Tbe committee next proceeded to arrange for the appointment of a head master, second master, •nd schoolmistress. In answer to the advertise■rents published in tbe leading Australian and "Sew Zealand papers, a great many applications were sent in. Of those for the appointment of mistress, tbe most eligible was that of Mrs M'lvor, of this town, and she was unanimously elected. Of the numerous applicants for the head mastership, the committee found no difficulty in reducing the number oi eligible candidates to two, and after giving their claims a careful and lengthened consideration, they unanimously elected llr Andrew Fleming, of Oamaru, whose attainments and experience justify the committee in believing that under his management the grammar school will be most efficiently carried on. No eligible application having been received for the office of second master, the committee decided upon re-advertising and offering a salary rather higher than that at first proposed. Of several applicants, the committee have considered that on the whole, Mr Edmund Webber, a teacher at Waipori, is the most eligible, and they have accordingly appointed him. The committee have adopted a scale of school fees which have been made public, and which the committee believe are sufficiently low to briug the advantges of the school within the .reach of all classes. As tbe contract for the fittings is expected to be completed by the 25th inst., the committee considered that the school could be opened by tbe 27th inst., and have accordingly published intimation to that effect. In concluding this report, tbe committee think that the public may fairly be congratulated that a grammar school, presided over by an able and experienced master, in a permanent and commodious building, erected on a conspicuous and accessible uteris now about to be opened. The adoption of the report having been moved by Mr Fredric, and seconded by Mr Goodwillie, was, after some conversation, carried unanimously. The chairman then informed the meet* ing that according to the provisions of the Ordinance the next business was to determine how the election of the next committee should be conducted, whether by ballot or by a show of hands. It was unanimously resolved to proceed by ballot, and to nominate the candidates in succession before the ballot was held. The "following gentlemen were then nominated :— Messrs G. Lumsden, J. Kingsland, H. E. Osborne, W. Russell, T. Watson, J. W. Mitchell, J. Mentiplay, Lr Hume, T. M. Macdonald, D. L. Matheson, G. Goodwillie, J. Harvey, G. ft Morrison, T. Perkins, "W. Garthwaite, P, M'Ewan, W. H. Calder, and E. D. Butts. ■ y-.y. >A ballot was then taken, under the direction of the chairman, Messrs Joyce p^and Cuthbertson actiug as scrutineers, with the following result : — Watson, 25; ' Macdonald, 25 ; Matheson, 23 ; Lumsden, 22; Mentiplay, 20; Kingsland, 19; Harrey, l(i; Morrison, 16 ; Calder, 16; Mitchell, 15 j Russell, 14 -Goodwillie, 13 ;

Butts, 13 ; Osborne, 10 ; Perkins, 10 ; M'Ewan, 10 ; Grarthwaite, 7 ; and Hume, 4. Messrs "Watson, Macdonald, Matheson, Lumsden, Mentiplay, Kingsland, Harvey, Morrison, and Calder were therefore declared duly elected, and the meeting terminated with the usual vote of thanks to the chairman.