"A SLAP IN THE FACE."

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 265, 16 December 1909, Page 3

"A SLAP IN THE FACE."

MINISTER AND EDUCATION BOARD. BOARD ON ITS DIGNITY. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Dunedin, Last Night, At a meeting of the Education Board to-day, the Education Department came in for some sharp criticism. The !?opartment forwarded a reply to the Board's resolution respecting the Department's attitude regarding the Hillend residence. The Department stated that connected with the public schools there were over a hundred of small residential structures built by the boards themselves, presumably suited to circumstances and representing in terms of scale of house allowances a value of £IOOO a year. Their abandonment would mean a charge upon the Government to,that extent, and the Minister could not accept such a charge without consultation. The Minister deprecated the Board's view that, it was humiliated <by the necessity for consultation, and pointed out that the statement that the Department expected authority to be obtained for every trifling work went much. beyond what" the occasion warranted, there being many building operations, including very important ones, with regard to which the Board did not refer to the Department at all. The Rev. P. B. Fraser said that every fresh grant made by the Department during the past few years had been made under restrictions that took away the independent and responsible judgment of the Board. The same thing occurred whenever a "pin's head sort of school" was going to oe put up. Were it not for the strong love members of the Board andjocal educationalists had for education, members" would have been .compelled to leave it all to be managed fcy underlings of the Department. It seemed a mosfr extraordinary thing that it should enter Mr. Fowlds' imagination that besides having a monopoly of power for a brief period he had the monopoly of all wisdom that belonged to the local authorities throughout the province. Some of these things would come home to roost. The boards were nothing but hewers of wood and drawers of water for the people in Wellington. If the Board had any good idea it was snapped up in Wellington. Tf there were a dirty job to do the Board got it to do. The present action was a most humiliating slap in the face in the eyes of the province. A motion calling the attention '-f the Department to" the fact that the letter did not contain a reply to the Hoard's request to the Minister to consider his decision not to par house allowance to the Hillend teacher, and again asking that the subject receive fresh and favorable consideration, and reaffirming the -statement that it was humiliating to the Board to have to apply to the Department for authority to carry out small works of this character, was carried.