SCHOOL WAR MEMORIAL.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3466, 21 April 1920, Page 5

SCHOOL WAR MEMORIAL.

THE HEADMA‘.§TER’S VIEWS.

The following statenient with reference to the difference of opinion between the 1-lea.dnlasler (Mr. J. F. Thurston) and the late School Committee regarding the proposed school War niemorial was made at the householders’ meeting on Monday evening: I am going to take this opportunity of placing before you a few facts with regard to the u-ouble between the School Committe and the rest of the Eataff of the-’l‘aihape District High School. So far, thanks to the onesided accounts which have been ham?ed to the Press, you have heard only one side of the question. All who know me at all will, I think, readily admit that I am not one who seeks trouble, but, all the same, I am hardly what you might call a “peace at any price” man.

' The difficulty arose out of a reportsubmitted by me to the Committee at its monthly meeting in October. The‘ following is, us far as I can remember, copy of the report which I submitlted:——“A couple of months ago I saw in the paper a report of one of thfl Committee meetings, in which it was stated that Mr, Swindells had been asked to make a report on a memorial for our boys who went to the war. I was much disappointed as I fully expected that I, the teacher, who had taught over a hundred of the boys, would have been asked to help the chairman in drawing up the report.’;’ I think you will agree with me that that was not asking a great deal. But I shall continue the report: “Some months ago Mr Swindells and I talked over the proposal fol- a. memorial, but that does not_ get away from the fact that the Committee, at its meeting, had ignored the Headmaster of the school. You will note, Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, that my grievance was that the Committee, when the matter ofi a memorial first came before it officially did not ask me as the Headmaster of the School to helpl with the drawing up of the report. It was not that the chairman had not discussed the matter with me. For years I have been talking to many gentlemen besides the Chairman] about a suitable memorial for our soldier boys. So sure was I that I had only to mention‘. the oversight to theCommittee to" have everything put in order that I ma.de several of the suggestions with regard to the best method of raising the money _-required, etc. ‘ .. ..

The Committee, however, took 3. different. View of the matter, and passed the. following resolution, a. copy of which I have not yet .re,ee_ived —“That the. Committee take exception to the Headmastefs report re memorial, and that the matter be referred back to him through the chairman of the Committee.” In other words 'the Committee practically said that my report was not a. true one.

The following report appeared in the report of the meeting of’.-the Comn'lit'€ee held on‘ October 6th-¢“A report was laid before the meeting by the Chairman, as requested, regarding the erection of a lnemorial. The memllorial was to take the form of a boulder cairn, etc._, at a cost of £ll3. It was resolved, that a memorial be erected in the school grounds, and that‘ the proposal be placed before a public nieetinng at an early date. The Committee held a special meeting on Monclty, October 20111, when a report was received from the chairman, a letter from the Headmaster, and .a letter signed by the school staff. Only the chairlnan’s report was handed to the press for publication. At this meeting it was resolved that the Conimittee adheres to its former resolution, etc.', and that no consideration had been given -to the proposal by the committee up to the time of the headnlas'tell’s assertion of being slighted.” . ' This, ladies, and gentlemen, in the face of resolutions which I have quoted as having Ibeen passed with regard to the memorial at a previous meeting. At the same meeting, the chairman in his report said:—-“That up to the present moment the Committee had no concrete proposals.” Surely a boulder cairn with inarble slabs-V, was concrete enough To wind 11p I would like to quote to you the following resolution passed at a meeting of the School Committee on Monday, December Ist:——“That in View of the fact that a general public memorial is now mooted this committee decides to take no further action in th ematter of a memorial on the school grovundsfl’