THE STAGPOOLE APPEAL

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 219, 14 March 1912, Page 5

THE STAGPOOLE APPEAL

PECULIAR ALLEGATIONS AGAINST .ORGANISING INSPECTOR. By Telegraph—Press Association. Palmerston N., Last Night. The hearing of the appeal by the Teachers' Institute against the dismissal of Mr. Stagpoole,. teacher at Linton, by the Wanganui Education Board, wag resumed to-day before Messrs. Kerr. S.M., R. McNab and E. H. Broad, M.A. Mr. Moody, chairman of the Linton school committee, was subjected to a further two hours' examination by Mr. Pirani, chairman of the Education Board, as to resolutions of protest against Mr. Stagpoole's dismissal and inquiry by the committee and Teachers' Institute into the statements regarding the actions of the organising inspector, David Stewart, at Linton school. Mr. Moody said that Mr. Stagpoole had told him that Chief Inspector Braik had told him to drop the Stewart business or he would be dismissed. The Board continued its sittings tonight, when various children were examined regarding statements that the organising inspector had put a piece of chalk in their mouths to ( make them open them and speak properly; that he had swung one girl behind the blackboard and left her there for an hour; that he. had pushed a boy against the blackboard, pinched a little girl and hit her on the head with a reading book for inattention, and told them all to look at him, because they would never see such a fine-looking man as he was. The children were subjected to considerable cross-examjnation. This was the fifth day of the case, and Mr. Kerr, S.M., said it would be necessary to finish on Saturday evening or :l must be adjourned indefinitely to ••mit of his • magisterial work being • idertaken. Mr. Pirani stated that'the organising inspector, Mr. Stewart, would give evidence later as various statements had made this necessary.