A COUNTRY SCHOOL'S AFFAIRS.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 182, 23 July 1908, Page 4

A COUNTRY SCHOOL'S AFFAIRS.

THE YOUNG MEN SCORE. The fun at Uruti concerning the recent school coniinittee election is at an end. The Education Board yesterday considered the correspondence on the, subject.

-Messrs. Jas. Waite and William Murray, of Uruti road, requested the Board not to confirm the recent Uruti school election, they feeling the same to lie illegal and not having been conducted in a spirit intended by the Act. They gave reasons as follows:—At 7.15 p.m. on the 27th April, the writers arrived at the Uruti store, secured the si-nool key, and at once proceeded to the sdioolhouse in company with another householder. In one of the school porches were several single, ulen. One of them, C. Hunter by name, informed them that it was after 7 o'clock, and | that the election of the school copnnittee had already taken place and that live single men' had been elected. "Wo then gave them the key to open the schoolroom, and left the premises." The parents of the school children were very dissatisfied at the committee being composed of single men, the residence of all of them being two or more miles distant from the school-house, and owing to the school teacher being a single woman the parents felt that it placed her in a very awkward position. The questions to be settled were these: Because the two commissioners were a few minute;; late, were they (the young men) legally justified in proceeding with the election; and if the porch was understood by the Act to -mean the sdioolhouse.

The letter was referred by the Board to the new committee for an explanation, and Mr. A. L. Hunter has written as follows:

"Re Messrs. Waitc and Murray's letter, there are several statements which are not correct, namely, they did not arrive at the school until 7.25 p.m.; I did not say tliat live single men had., been elected, but that a committee of live had been elected. After a little argument . . . Mr. Waitc handed over the boohs he had with him. and by so doing recognised the committee. As regards the parents of the school children being dissatisfied, we have not heard anything to that ell'cct, and believe it to lie untrue. We admit that our residences are two or more miles from the school, but lake that as a compliment, seeing we can roll up at a meeting at the appointed time. As to the statement re* placing Miss Bichcno in nn awkward position, we are very sorry if it should do so, but will endeavor not to place her in such an awkward predicament as Messrs. Waite and Murray did . . ." Mr. Hunter wrote at a subsequent date that the committee could not lift the money paid into the Bank by the Board's secretary, owing to Messrs. Waitc and Murray's action in writing to the Bank stating that they were still the commissioners and that the new committee had absolutely nothing to do with the school.

Mr. Trimble moved, and Mr. Morison seconded, that the election of the committee be confirmed.

Mr. Tiseh supported the motion, expressing, his pleasure at the interest taken in sc'hool matters by the young people.

Mr. Faull said that no committee could do worse than the previous one, who allowed the school surroundings to get into sad disrepair. The motion was adopted.