“UNGENEROUS” CHARGE

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1054, 19 August 1930, Page 10

“UNGENEROUS” CHARGE

EDUCATION BOARD CHAIRMAN’S ANSWER

REPLY TO HON. H. ATMORE

The chairman o£ the Auckland Edu-

Ration Board. Mr. A. Burns, has written to the Minister of Education, the J-lon. H. Atmore, replying to statements made by the Minister coucernSng the board’s circular issued to feehool committees, in the following ferms:

“In your letter to school committees, a copy of which appears In the Socal newspapers, you attack the Auckland Education Board upon the contents of a circular issued to school Committees. Consequently I feel that *l. is my duty to make a statement on their behalf in reply. “As few copies of the Recess Educational Committee's report were available, it was the duty of my board to •draw the school committees’ attention sto the contents. “In. doing so, the board claimed that 5t was for those in charge of local i ontrol for the time being to use every legitimate means to conserve and protect local privileges if they considered there was a danger of same being taken away.

“The point stressed by the board Was that part dealing with administration. and if the interpretation of the report is wrong, the fault lies in the (compilation of the report. “In that portion relating to the jduties of the proposed district boards, rite erection of building, repairs, etc., i»re not included, neither are they included in the departmental duties, while the recommendation of the director that these duties should be iindertaken by the Public Works Department led to the conclusion that iitis recommendation would be adopted, but. your reply that such is not the lease is accepted.

“In reference to the appointment of feachers by the National Appointments Committee in Wellington, and your reply that it had the strong support of the New Zealand Institute of over 6.000 teachers, it would be interesting to know what the result would be if a referendum of the teachers were taken on this question. “Your statement that, the board's opposition is due to ‘vested iuterest in positions held for many years’ is ungenerous, as the opposition arises from a conscientious belief that eeni ra! is at ion is opposed to the best interests of education.”

The board understands that the Auckland Primary Schools' Association has also circularised the comtmttees in this district.