TEACHERS AND MILITARY SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 19 December 1917, Page 6

TEACHERS AND MILITARY SERVICE.

TARANAIU EDUCATION BOARD'S ATTITUDE.

Tile question of the attitude of the Taranaki Education Board regarding appeals on beharf of school teachers called ,for military service came before the board at its meeting-yesterday. Several applications from committees were received asking that the board should support appeals on behalf of certain teachers. The chairman said lie had received a letter from the Military Service Board on the matter and had sent the following reply: "Although no actual resolution has .been passed by a meeting of the board not to appeal for teachers, the members have resolved that the board will not do so. We take up this attitude firstly as a matter of principle, members holding the view that Winning the war should be, the first consideration; secondly, so far, although we have at times been hard put to, we have been able to find teachers fo'r all our schools. I may say right away, there is not a "serious" shortage of teachers, and the position will he easier at the beginning of the year. Each year a, proportion of scholars take up positions as school teachers, either as probationers or pupil-teachers, and this naturally relieves the position. I have no reason to think that our experience will be any different to past years. As far as McHardie's particular ease is concerned, we will not have any difficulty in filling his position. What attitude the board will have to adopt with regard to Second Division teachers I am not at present prepared to say. Personally, I feel that we will be able, by turning some of the small schools close together into half-time schools, to relieve a number of teachers, and I have hopes of being able to let all our Second Division teachers go to the war if called upon to do I am enclosing'for your information a list of the Second Division teachers in our service, which may be of some value to you. Summed up, our reasons for not appealing are: 1, as a matter of principle; 2, because there is no necessity; 3, if there were a necessity, the Education Department should, as a general .principle, appeal for teachers throughout the Dominion."

Messrs Wilkinson. Trimble, and White supported the. chairman's view. Mr. Smith said he did not thiivlc it was fair that members of the police and railways departments should be appealed for and nothing done to secure the exemption of school teacher*, who were infinitely more essential to the country than some of those for whom appeals wero made.

It was ultimately resolved that the chairman's reply to the Military Service Board be approved.