TEMUKA PUBLIC SCHOOL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 356, 22 February 1881, Page 2

TEMUKA PUBLIC SCHOOL.

Meeting of Householders. A meeting of the householders of the Temuka School District took place on Saturday evening last, Mr A. Wilson was voted to th® chair. There were between and thirty and forty persons present. The Chairman in opening the meeting referred to. the meeting held some weeks ago, when it was decided not to elect a Committee in consequence of the unsatisfactory state of affairs between the Committee and the Board of Education. At that meeting he was in favor of the resolution declining to elect a Committee, but the resolution having no donbt accomplished the object it was intended it should, he thought on the present occasion it would be better to elect a Committee, as the school would, undoubtedly, be better in the hands of a Committee than in the hands of a private individual. He then read the advertisement emanating from the Board calling the meeting.

Mr Mendelson said they had assembled to elect a Committee, sufficient persons being present, and although at the previous meeting he had voted for the resolution, he believed it to be the duty of those present to elect a Committee. They had showed the Board the state of their finances, and, having done this, he was in favor of electing a Committee for the ensuing year. Mr Hayhurst inquired if the cause for no,t.. electing a Committee at the last meeting had been removed. He certainly considered it had not. , tfe was sorry to see Mr Mendelson changing his mind. ■ Mr Mendelson explained that at the previous meeting he had voted for. Mr McKay’s motion on the ground that the Board wore unaware of the position of the Committee.; That being removed, lie felt justified in endeavoring to. get - a Committee elected, and, moreover, he saw a way in getting over the difficulty of the late Committee,. Tbe salary of the Socre-

tary (£10) might he saved hy one of the Committee undertaking that duty, and the master’s house could he. utilised in wiping off the amount vote'd. for planting the reserve. He failed '"to : see any inconsistency on ffis pait./ . > Mr J. Brown said he really could not see that the obstacle of last meeting had been removed. It was not a question of the £3l deficiency that had led to the resolution of last meeting being carried, but the fact that Committees were a farce, and had no statu ?.

Mr Gray said that at the last meeting he was in favor of electing a Committee, and he was still of opinion that the school would be better worked by a, Committee than by a Commission. He would move “ That the meeting do. proceed with the election of a Committee for the ensuing year.” Mr Harrop seconded the motion.

A long discussion then took place on the question of rescinding the resolution passed at the previous meeting, many present urging rhat this was necessary.

Mr Mendelson said it was not necessary to do this, the present meeting having nothing whatever to do with anything that took place at a former meeting. The meeting was called by the Board for a specific purpose—that of electing a Committee, and was in no wise bound by a decision of p, former meeting.

Mr Hayhurst moved that do Committee be elected until the resolution passed last meeting be rescinded. Seconded by Mr McKay, who said he was still of the opinion that it would be best not to elect a Committee. What earthly good were they, everything they did was vetoed by the Board, and in his opinion it wo.yld be a mistake to elect |a Committee. The best thing would be to allow the Board to take ovet the management

Mr Mendelson appealed to the Chairman to know if the amendment could be put. The Chairman eventually ruled that the amendment could not be put, and it was then withdrawn. Mr Gray’s motion was' carried nem con.

The Rev. Aft- Barclay was then called upon to explain the Committee's relationship to the Board. He said he was not there on behalf of the Board, and anything he might say must not be taken as emulating from the 1 Board. He did not think that the Hoard should be condemned in the manner it had been done. It had done its level best. There was no body of men but who sometimes committed errors of judgment, instancing the Road Boards, Councils, etc They bad not the experience of the North Canterbury Board, but they had endeavored to carry out the system of education in an impartial manner. Their funds had been likewise disbursed with impartiality. The Board’s funds were very limited, and this being so showed the necessity for economy. They bad no wish to become bankrupt, as some Boards had in their desire to please outpaced their funds, giving a 9 an instance the Auckland Board. It was a maxim with the South Canterbury Board to live within its means. The rev, gentleman then went into the question of aided schools at some length. It had been stated that the Temuka School had suffered from having no representative on the Board. This was not so. He had hiraselt looked after their interests, giving several instances. The Temuka Committees had been a great bugbear with the Board, the rev. gentleman describing them as “ pugnacious,” etc. They could not expect to get on well with the Board by carping. He also pointed out as one of the reasons that the Committee had not got all that it wanted was that they did not take any of Hie gentlemen who constituted the Board into its confidence, and reminded them of how much ho had done at the outset for them, and what little thanks he got sometimes tor his trouble. He advised the new Committee to live at peace with the Board. He would ask the Chairman to point out an instance where the Committee had suffered through the Board not allowing the Committee power to elect its own teachers. In conclusion, he might say he should be glad to see a respectable Copipiittee elected.

The Chairman, in reply, related an instance of the election of a second mistress, when the person chosen by the Committee accepted another situation through delays caused by correspondent with the Board.

The Chairman said be would now call on those present to nominate seven of their nu mber to be a new Committee, but, before doing so, he,'begged to thank those members present who had sat with him on th,e various Committees of which he had had the honor to be Chairman during the past fifteen years. He was proud to be able to say tjhat the greatest harmony had ever prevailed between them and him, and as be did not intend being a candidate for re-election, he took the opportunity of returning to all his most sincere thanks for the great kindness and forbearance shown.towards hina during so many years. The following gentlemen were then proposed as a Committee McJf ay, Gray, J. Brown, Hayhurst, Harrop, Storey, Sellars, Watt, Diddams, Russell, Cooper, Lee, Uprichard, McCaaheli, and Mendelson.

The voting was by the cumulative system, and .the following gentlem oo were elected Messrs K. F. Gray, McKay, Mendelson, Russell, Hayhurst, Wa,tt, and, J. Brown.

Messrs Cox and Hay hurst, ju)i, kindly officiated as scrutineers. \ The meeting then terminated. / Committee Meeting. : A meeting of the newly-elected Committee then took place, when Mr, D. M. McKay was elected Chairman. It was alsp resolved that the meeting of the Committee be held on the fourth Tuesday in every month.