NEW ZEALAND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue 3, 4 January 1902, Page 2

NEW ZEALAND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.

The Conference resumed on Friclr morning at the Borough Coi.ncil chaHher at 9.30. H The report of a committee appaiofl to draw up a scheme for the and ndtrr'nis'ratiiori of a Provident Find was kid before thej Council and (onsidered 1 clause byclause. ■ | The discussion was interrupted (by the luochjon adjournment. AFTERNOON SITTING) .-1 The Council resumed at 2.80 p.m, > The President announced f,hatthe Treasurer had prepared a balanceshe at, and Mr. Bethune was appointed auditor. 4 i Disctiasion was continued on Mr. Murray's provident fund propofolß,|M various amendments made fin clauses, after which it was decided tfaflt the report lie upon the table ijfKtn next morning session of the I The .Remits Committee report on the balance of considered, Mr.Voas (Canterbury) movedyMJ the timo has now arrived teaching profession should bs sented „oa Education Boards, presentatives not to be teachers employ of those Boards. U(^H Seconded by Mr. Selby, and sion was loot by 21 to 19. Mr. Newton (Auckland) : That the incoming executive structed forthwith to obtain par of the alleged- evasions of the Atte ndsnce Act, and having leg <1 opinion to take ac'lon a Jscßl to oStiiiu effi ient ad said Act. Seconded by Mr. WilkinHjj^| Mr. Selby (Southland) That uniform regulations pemtmeri-t. foul' promotion of throughout the olony ar.i (b) ai d tat a conference, deleg. fc-.'H from Boards, teachers, b:> palled to mt General, with the object of ing a codvi of regulations to be in all the education districts colony. Seconded by Mr. Law, and on division, by 26 to 15. Mr. Wilkinson (North Canterbury) moved: That schools and tekcbers should be periodically classifiel, find when, from depopulation, a schoH falls below the status of the scalfc, the teaoher should be given an opportunity of a transfer to one corresponding with the status of the said teacher, 1 Seconded by Mr Voas, and etrried unanimously. The Coi/ncil adjourned at 530 till 7.30 p.m. y | kvsiim SESSION. The JPresident called the attention of thy Council to the presence iff a gsntteman who had been associated witEeducation in the colony for minv year, Mr Mark Cohen, whom he asked to/lake a seat with the executive. Mr U'pflen received a very hearty welcome from the members. The report of the executive was read.

The report stated that with regard to the question of inves'ment of the Institute's funds, the executive would like the matter further discussed, as the only Government securities of a suitable nature were fixed deposits in the Post Office Savings Bank, where the interest was small. Owing to the Minister for Bail ways being unable to allow teachers to travel at reduced rates after the expiration of the holiday fares,' the conference had been fixed this year for January 2nd. Reference wns made to tho action of the execuive with regard to impressing on the Minister the necessity for a colonial scale of staffs and silaries, and they expressed appreciation of the Government's action in giving this needed reform. It was stated that a coosti- j tution for restrict Institutes had been drawn up, acd been in operation for a year, and if any amendments were required, it was for cho mfeting to decide their nature and extent. Mention was made of the inspectors' conference, at which suggestions for reforms in the syllabus and standard regulations were forwarded by the secretary of tha Institute to the Inspector-General, who laid th'epa beforo the cpuferfmce. from the report of that assembly it was seen that the inepsctorg were prepared to quite as far as the Institute in the matter, Attention was drawn fa the necessity of secretaries of district ins'itutes supplying cer'a ; n specified returns, as noncompliance with this regulation permitted He registrar to cancel the incorporation of any district institute. Reference was also made to the first case taken under tha Te\chers Court of Appeal Act (that of Miss Davis, of Kapuni), and while regretting that a cas3 should have been taken into Court and decided against the Institute, the Execu'ive expressed satisfaction at the friendly spirit in which it was conducted, and they left it for the meeting to say what Btep3 should be taken to prevent a recurrence of this kind. A hope was expressed that Mr Hughes, who had resigned his treasurership owing to bad health and was taking a trip home, would return in gocd health and possessed of information cf the working of the N.U.T., England, which would be of service to the N.Z. Institute. Mr. J. G, Jj. Scott bad been appointed in the room of Mr. Hughes, Mr Hodge made a very strong attack on the executive, and charged them with neglecting the Institutes, and with not informing them of what had been done in connection with matters re- 1 ferted to them by the Council. Mr Murray took Mr Hodge to task, j apd considered his unciUad : for, Mr Jeffrey endorsed a good deal of what Mr Hodge had said. He con- 1 sidered the executive did not let membars know esough of what was being ' done. ! The secretary quoted correspondence to disprove this. Mr Davidson defended the executive, and said that if he believed. Mr Hodge rep« seated the> feeling of the < Council he would resign, in any cose i he would b<) glad tq give hiss«at to Mr 1 Hodge. . He wn« sat'sfie i th' pxecm- J tive had tio confidence of the C >uneil t Mr Sco' t complained that Mr Hodge < had not been just in his criticism. The 8 work was increasing, acd ;oo rouc i was 1 being put on thrm th'ougli ill digestfd j notes of mbtion being tabled, and the c matter biing referred to the executive ' to deal with. * Mr Wilkitison, thought the good ' irork of p»st tx«cu'iv s was r.ow bearing fruit, the passing of the Teachers ' Claries Act bvjng a rage in point, and t was entitled to thja fullest confidence £ >i the Council.

I executive gave enough consideration jto the branches J Mr Selby thought the treatment of j the branches had justified all Mr Hodge had said, though he thought I they should consider the members of the executive had their every day work ! to do. Mr Stewart made a vigorous dafence of the executive, and said the whole charge resolved itself into their ! not having blown their own trumpet ! enough. He spoke highly of the value | of the work done by the executivp, ; both individually and collectively, by i the members of the exacutive, and said other societies would ba fortunate if they could secure the services of so | efficient a secretary. The report was then adopted unanimously. The Treasurer then read the balanceshest, showing a very satisfactory financial position, and nfrer some discussion, in the course of which members' complained that the balance-sheet ■ had not been printed and brought down at the first sitting, The Treasurer Baid if the date when subscriptions were due was altered, this could be done. ' The Trsasurer reported satisfactory arrangements with the.. Wanganui branch with regard to the cost of a recent appeal case. Mr Davidson reported, on behalf of the committee appointed to consider ) the advieableness of bringing the N.Z.EI. under the Conciliation and • Arbitration Act, that in view of the adoption of the colonial scale of salaries,! : no further action be tabeD. ! r The report was received. ] On the motion of Mr Selby, it was l resolved that it is desirable that faci- : litus be afforded to teachers in differ-! I ent eduoational districts for an interI;o of po?itionp. feral resolutions were then moved le members in" charge of remits 'ing to the question of classifica>f teachers and piymeut of salines le average roll number and the ng out dayt when the attendance ess than 75 per cant of the roll ier, and protes'ing against the low ' proposed in the case of second ant male teachers, but after disin, were all withdrawn, Mr Davidurging that the colonial scale ihave a fair, trial, and these scions be held over till next when they would have some ience of the working of it. _ lintad out also that no reductions would be fciade for two years, and the boards had large powers in the matter of arranging the staff to meet the case of second assistants. A committee was set up to apportion the grant for\expenses. JiThe Council adjourned at 10.30. p.m.

If fine the of the Council will to-day be taken to tha mountain by the Taranaki Institute, starting from the Bank of New Zealand at 8 a.m. They will resume business at 8 p.m. If to day is wet the Council will resume at 9.30 a.m., aod go to the mountain on Monday.