TEMUKA SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Temuka Leader, Issue 932, 30 March 1882, Page 3

TEMUKA SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions expressed by our correspondents.

TO THE EDITOR, Sir, —My name having appeared rather prominently in connection with the School Committee since my election in January last, and certain occurrences haying taken place at the last two meetings which demand some explanation at my hands, will you be good enough to allow roe through the columns of the Leader the opportunity of placing the whojg matter before the public. At the annual meeting of householders held in January last, after the usual report of the outgoing Committee had been read, I stated that it was the custom at all former meetings of this character that the minutes of the last annual meeting of the householders should be read and, if found correct, confirmed. The Chairman stated that this was quite unnecessary, but on Mr Wills requesting this to be done as a matter of courtesy he caused them to be read. As it was patent to everyone present that the minutes were a correct record of the proceedings of the said annual meeting I moved that they should be confirmed, and this was seconded by Mr Oopestake, but the Chairman declined to put the motion on the ground of its being unnecessary, and to this day the proceedings of that meeting remain unconfirmed. Being of opinion that such ruling was, to say the least, irregular I made enquiries of other Committees, and found that the prevailing custom is to appoint a Chairman at the annual meeting of householders and then call for the minutes of the last annual meeting to be read, and, if found correct, to confirm the action taken at the said meeting. But, sir, many who were present at that meeting could see the object of the Chairman's ruling, which was to prevent any comparison being made between the work carried ont by them and their predecessors in office. At the meeting of the newly elected Committee, which was subsequently held, the question of nominating gentlemen to fill the vacancies in the Board of Education was brought ferward, when Dr Hayes and Mr Talbot were duly nominated, A special meeting was afterwards held to vote for members of the Board, when it was found that Dr Hayes' name only had been sent. Mr Bolton, as the proposer of Mr Talbot, naturally felt ag jrieved at this, and demanded some explanation, as Mr Talbot having been proposed he became as it were public propert}', and it was due to Mr Talbot aud the public that they should know why his name was omitted from the official list of candidates. Mr Mackay said that it was Mr Bolton's fault that Mr Talbot's name did not appear, and he should have got his written consent, and it was the duty of the proposer to have seen to that. Mr Bolton then explained that when he officiated as secretary to a former Committee it was part and; parcel of hia duties to see that any gentleman proposed as a member of the Board, and obtain their written consent, and he turned up the letter-book to prove that this had been done, clearly showing that the Secretary should have seen or written to Mr Talbot, and obtained hia necessary consent. The curious part of this, is that Dr Hayes was asked for his consent and Mr Talbot quietly sat upon, and in my opinion the apology tendered by Mr Mendelson to Mr Talbot was eminently due to. that gentleman. At the next meeting of the Committee Mr Hayhurst, as a matter of privilege, rose and called the attention of the- Committee to. the report which appeared in the Tim am Herald of the proceedings of the special meeting, called for the purpose stated, and in most unwarrantable terms said the report was a one-sided and incorrect one. This led to a lively discussion, Mr Mendelson charg-

ihg Mr Bolton with robbing the Com '•• • oifttee -of' ~whieh~b.a':.Tc?«;_-Secretary by receiving 'the* sumof i*loior writing two Jettera, and Mr Bolfoli charging Mr Mendelson;. with perverting the real facts, which were "that he certainly had only copied two letters, on account of having no press, but that duplicate copies of all hiu letter* to the Board were in the hands. Of the Chairman. Mr Mendelson replied, reiterating hia charges against Mr Bolton and against the former Committee—of which I was a member—saying, that they were always at loggerheads with the Board. This I denied, pointing out to Mr Mendelson that it was impossible to be on unpleasant terms with the Board if his statement of only two letters haying been written daring the tenure of Mr Bolton's office was correct, and. acting on behalf of the late members of the Committee—with whom I worked on the moat amic" able terms—l hurled back the insinuation with all the scorn and contempt it deserved. On order being restored, Mr Maekay moved— from the chair be it noted —"That the report of the proceedings of last meeting in the Timaru Herald is a one-sided and biased report, and does not meet with the approval of the Committee." On this being seconded by Mr Hayhurst, I moved as an amendment—- " That the report as furnished by Mr Bolton to the Timaru Heald is a correct record of the proceedings of the last meeting ;" adding that the report was a correct one so far as it went, meaning that if the discussion, which was carried on in a conversational manner, had been reported in extenso, it would have been more damaging to the individuals concerned. This was seconded by Mr Davis, and on being put to the meeting resulted in a tie, Mr Maekay, as Chairman, expressing his right to a deliberative as well as a casting vote, deciding the question in favor of his motion, Mr Russell being neutral. What weight chis will ca.try I leave your readers to judge, but eridently the Herald has full confidence in his capacity as correspondent, not having as yet given bim the necessary notice dispensing with his services. At a later stage of the meeting, on no other provocation thaa Mr Bolton stating that surely reporters had common sense enough to know what to put in the papers und what to leave out. Mr Mendelson rose and made use of language, to use a mild term, altogether uncalled for. Knowing Mr MeudeJson's excitable temperament and from the fact of his having admitted his sorrow for the occurrence, I may safely leave him in the hands of Mr Bolton. Shortly after this a special meeting of the Committee wns held to consider Mr Macintosh's reply to the Inspectors report on the atate of the school. On the members being seated, the Chairman read a long statement to the effect "That he intended, in future, that nothing should appear in the papers but what had the sanction of the Committee" and moved from the chair—" The public be excluded frcm the meetings of the Committee," he had no objections to the meetings being reported, but he " should insist upon their notes being submitted to him, or the Committee being published." After a long discussion, every member giving his eppinion on the'matter at issue, I moved as an amendment—" That the fullest publicity be given to the 'business' of the Committee." This being seconded and put to the vote was declared lost, and the motion of the Chairman declared carried, for the Chairman's motion the Chairman and Messrs Hayhurst, Mendel, son and Russell. For the amendment myself, and Messrs Bolton and Davis. One of my reasons for moving the amendment was in order to see what the movers in the matter really meant, and the fact of their allowing my amendment to be put, and accepting it as. such—showed their desire to suppress the reports of the "actual business" of the Committee. What they do mean Heaven only knows. Clearly seeing that the Committee as then constituted was not workable, and feeling myself gagged as it were by our own meetings being held in the Chairman's private residence, at the close of the meetting I tendered my resignation as a member of the Committee. This being a special meeting it could neither be accepted or considered, and the Chairman knowing this, should have deferred his own motion as I maintain that having met for a specific purpose, foreign matters could not be ".introduced, and the action of the Committee in this particular matter is ultra vires. When, it became known that I had resigned I was waited upon by gentleman who approve of my action wishing me to reconsider my resignation. After consultation with my supporters, and solely at their request I was induced to comply, duly forwarding my withdrawl to the Chairman. This it appaars was considered at the meeting held on Tuesday the 15th, and my resignation in spite of my withdrawal was accepted. Now, Sir, whilst not having had any ambition to serve on the Committee as ifr was constituted. I deny the right of the Committee to consider my resignation—in the faco of my withdrawal, nnd moreover, that body have not insulted me, but the gentlemetx. who requested me to withdraw my resignation. The meeting being held iiJ: Mr Hayhurst's residence prevented me from going personally to demand the return of ruy written resignation, otherwise they will find me no coward. At the termination of the meeting Messrs Maekay, Mendelson, Hayhurst, and Russell ten-

dered their resignation as members of ihe Committee, and handed the pap r over to Mr Davis to sign, but ho politely declined "vimtesifit" could bemhown him that by so doing tho Board of Education would allow another election to laVe place. Thew now remains only Meesrs Bolton and Davis on the Committee, and these genmen have the power—the contrary fiat from Mr Mendelson notwithstanding—to elect a sufficient number to fill up the vacancies as a subsectien of Clause 64 of the Education Act shows.—" Every Committee so appointed shall hold office until the appointmen tof its successors, and if any vacancy shall occur by death or otherwise than by effluxion of time in any Committee, the remaining members of the Committee shall elect a qualified person or persons to fill such vacancy or vacancies." Clause 70, in my opinion not overriding this which states " that three members shall form a quorum" and on which the members who resigned placed their hope? of getting some of their number appointed Commissioners. It needs not a keen observer to see why my resignation was not allowed to be withdrawn. These gentlemen imagine they have done a good thing by excluding me and then resigning, but unless I am mistaken the public will support Messrs Bolton and Davis in electing qualified persons to fill the vaciimies. At any rate the sooner the unseemly scenes that have taken place are put an end to the better will it be for the school and the status of the town. Thanking you for the opportunity of placing the whole matter before the public.—lam, sir, yours, etc. J. Hakrop. March 29th, 1882.