TEACHERS AND MILITARY SERVICE.

Taranaki Daily News, 28 February 1918, Page 3

TEACHERS AND MILITARY SERVICE.

' EDUCATION BOARD'S TOLICY. ATTITUDE OF TEACHERS. At yesterday's meeting of the Taranaki education Uoaru the chairman (Mr. R. Masters) drew attention to •. ome press reports of sUtemein alleged to have hecn made by Mr. T. Thomas, headmaster of the Either school, to the school .■ominittee, in reference to the appeal oa behalf of Mr. it. u. Jackson, assistant teacher, for exemption from ;nililai;y service. 'J.lie reports had made it appear that Mr. Thomas iiad said that the Board had supported an appeal on behalf of a teacher, at the Stratford school, and that though liie Hoard was reported 10 have decided not to appeal for any teacher, their practice was not in accord with their preaching. i The chairman said when (he matter iwti- hronaht under his notice he wrote to Mr. Thomas asking him if he had boon correctly reported. Mr. Thomas' reply was to the ell'iel that he had been misrcporled, and he was well aware that the BoardVas not supporting appeals on l.eiialf of its leathers. Mr. Thomas stated that when consulting with the committee as to the advisability of appealing on behalf of Mr. Jackson lie had been careful to inform them that the Board was not supporting teachers' appeals. What lie. had said to the committee was that an appeal on behalf of in assistant a! had been sup ported by the Military Appeal Board and had been opposed by the Education Hoard. He claimed that the reports tailed to note which of the two boards mentioned he iviik referring to. He also :!oi;>!e<] fi>it that when the appeal was hoard a! liawera it was made clear that tVie lloird did not support it. A letter whs aho enclosed from the "hairman of the committee endorsing /"•..Thomas' view of the matter. Mr. M-"'!cv-- said mo=t emphatically that the Board had not at any time hnd vnything to do with appeals for cxr-mp-Hon for any of its teachers. Tlie noiiev of the Board was not to appeal for teachers. Mr. Thomas' claim to have been wrongly reported was somewhat extraordinary, seeing that practically identical statements appeared in two different papers. The reports had left ■ the Board somewhat under a cloud, and [ if they were wrong. Mr. Thomas should have made it his business to have corrections made, in fairness to the Board as well as himself. He thought it was time the Board took action to stop headmasters toing behind the Boerd and ap pealing for cxemptiorf for their assistants. Mr. H. Trimble moved that the Board notify headmasters that they must, not appeal for exemption of assistant teachers from military service. He said that 'f the enemv was to be militarily defeated it would probably be necessary t° put every available fit man in the field, and he did not think that any class of men should be given exemption. Mr. P. J. 11. White, in seconding the motion, expressed pleasure at hearing the chairman's definite statement on the matter. He said the people who stayed <t home and thought they wero "doing their bit" were making no secriflce compared With the men at the front. He did not believe in exempting any class, though if exemptions were to be made he thought they might well be made in favor of teachers. Mr. S. G. Smith said he supported the motion because it was to uphold the policy of the Board, though he did not think that policy was right. Exemption was being secured for many men in the country whom he thought might well be spared before teachers were sent. It .would be a ridiculous position for the Board to oppose appeals and allow its teachers to appeal for their assistants. On being put the motion was carried unanimously.