SCHOOLMASTER'S DISMISSAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 200, 21 February 1912, Page 8

SCHOOLMASTER'S DISMISSAL

WARM PASSAGES IN COURT. WITNESS AND CHAIRMEN AT VARIANCE. By Telegraph—Press Associativa. Palmerston North, Last Night. The hearing of the appeal of Thomas Stagpoole, head teacher at Linton, against his dismissal by the Wanganui Education Board, was resumed to-day, and is arousing great interest. The Court is crowded daily. ...... .• The evidence of Mr. H. A. Parkinson, headmaster of the Newtown School, Wei- , lington, and representative of the Teachers' Institute, was taken. It was largely expert evidence, dealing with the results shown by the appellant during his six months at Linton. He expressed the opinions that the report of-the Board's inspector on Stagpoole's work was quite satisfactory, but when under cross-ex-amination by Mr. Pirani, chairman of the Board, he admitted that the writing lat the school was not very good.' He, however, maintained sjhat the- -results should be judged on the inspector's re- , ports and not on the school books, which were a small portion of the training at a school. He admitted that the results were not so good as they might be, but said the teacher was working under obvious difficulties. Regarding the charges against Inspector Stewart, Mr. Parkin- ■ son said that Mr. Stewart had given him a general denial of these, charges, and had impressed him with the belief that the charges were untrue. The reports that had subsequently reached him from other schools caused him to change that view. Witness said that the general idea among the three inspectors of the Wanganui Board appeared to be that Stagpoole was eccentric. At the conclusion of his evidence the witness made the following statement The executive of the Institute had deputed him to get all possible information bearing on the case, with a view to the Institute coming to a decision as to whether *dr not to bring a case. Mr. Pirani, chairman of {. the Board, had forwarded to witness, on his own initiative, some letters from Miss Molloy, assistant teaclier at Linton. They were letters that no chairman of a public body should receive, and'it was. felt triat they had a great deal to do with Mr. Stagpoole's dismissal. The executive could hardly express its indignation at such a system being followed as appeared to be followed by the chairman of the Wanganui Board in receiving'' > these surreptitious communications. The effect among a large body of teachers was exceedingly disquieting, especially in view of Mr Pirani's statement at Wan- ; ganui that he received twenty of these letters a week. (Mr. Pirani: "I made, jno such statement. I said twenty let-" ; ters.. You are putting words into my ' J mouth.") ■ Continuing, Mr. Parkinson | said that every head teacher in the district was wondering to-day whether his assistants were among Mr. Pirani's pri,J' vate correspondents. Of course the [ I Court could not deal with the matter or •j express any opinion upon it, but he felt ! it his duty, as the official representative > of the teachers, to draw public attention ? to the fact that this case had largely j arisen' because two lady friends of th» I chairman of the Board had been sending letters to the 'Board. ■Mr. Pirani: Sir, I don't think that thisman should he allowed into the doek to make false statements. He knows a! well as I do that one of the two ladies ,- referred; to I have never spoken or written to. Mr. Parkinson knows"-this , from the correspondence, which is dated [ a week after the committee of the Board' t arrived at its decision, and Mr. Parkinl son has a copy of that correspondence.. ! The statement about the other lady is equally an untruth. I never spoke toher or never heard of her in my life till after the a'ction had been decided upon. It is grossly' a wrong thing to> state that the assistant teacher was-the cause of Mr. Stagpoole's dismissal, when Mr. Parkinson knew .that the letter* were written a week after the committee's decision, I ask you, continued.Mr. I Pirani, to withdraw those untruths you hav£ made in the box. ~ The Magistrate: At any rate,. Mr. a ) Parkinson, you are not here .tq-'state ' a what has qome to you by hearsay/ jj Mr. Parkinson: The main portion of e what I have stated I received from Mr. r Pirani's own lips. I should not have re,l ferred to it, only I have been accused of e dishonorable actions, y The case was adjourned till to-mor-i row.