SCHOOL COMMITTEES' POWERS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 7 June 1907, Page 2

SCHOOL COMMITTEES' POWERS.

J.he need for some extension of the powers of school committees was brought before the Hon. G. Fowlds -u Thui-day by a deputation consisting (f Messrs it. Trimble, F. I>. Corkill, ,|. Jamison, 11. Mascmann, G. Harsh' j' Henwood, and W. Jones, 'representing seven school committees-

Jir Trimble was Hie principal speaker and he represented to the Minister that the status of the committees was very unsatisfactory. The committees had various uses, a nd most of (hem did good work in maintaining ] UC :!| interest iu the education of the children. Hut they were hampered—they were not corporate bodies, comd not. own properl.)-, and members were personally' responsible for the committees' debts,' and also personally liable j„ the matter of accident insurance, Committees had no certain means of raising funds, but were dependent almost entirely on the charity of the Education Doiirds, and the amounts granted were sometimes insufficient to pay for cleaning the schools. I'hcy should have power to execute minor repairs- The other day a shed at a country school needed a few new weatherboards. The Hoard was approached, the architect came out, and afterwards a carpenter was sent from New Plymouth, 20 miles away, to do a little job that should have been supervised by the committee. Mr Corkill said the lot of the school committeeman was not an enviable one. Whilst- l(e considered the committees should have better financing from the Department, he thought they should try to help themselves—ns the Central was doing. In country schools, of course, it was often hard to get the children to attend school, nnd there was no possibility of enlisting parents' sympathy-

Messrs Jamison and Mnseniann nskei assi-tance in having the teachers' resi dences moved closer to the' Tariki am Lincoln road schools. Each was now over a mile distant.

Other members of tho depuatiou itpeated the statements, concerning tin accident liability.

The Minister said he was sure the members of the deputation were under a misapprehension on that score, and promi-ed to look the matter up. The school property was liable. The Department would not stand aside, either, and see a committee mulcted in heavy law cost in proving the point. Referring generally to the work of commit-! tees, the Minister said there were conflicting elements. Some were for centralisation of the education system. In Parliament there were members of Education Boards who opposed extended privileges to school committees. For his own part, he favored loeal control, and he was please,l to say that the success of education in the colony was largely due to the intelligent interest displayed by the people in the welfare of the children.