RANGITATA SOUTH SCHOOL.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1563, 2 April 1887, Page 2

RANGITATA SOUTH SCHOOL.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, — \ 8 a member of the above'' School Committee, I wish to contradict & statement in yonr foot-ncte to Mr D. Browne’s letter. Yon alter a statement in that gentleman’s letter on purpose , to clear a rev. gentleman’s shoulders, which I know to be incorrect. I die- , linclly state that the Rev. U. Barclay v

did not distribute the school prizes at the ti-qnest of the School Committee, for it was never brongbt before the Committee m any shape or form. So I hope you wi. l publish this to contradict your statement. I may also say that having read Mr D. Browne’s letter, I sea notliingin it but what is perfectly correct, —I am, etc., John Aihay. Rangitata, March 31, 1887. TO THE EDITOR. ' Sir,—l am afraid that your remarka appended to my letter about school prizes, which appeared in your issue of Tuesday last, will cause your readers to misunderstand the particular object about which I wrote to you, I‘ beg to remind you that the giving of the prizes was not a School Oomrrittee busines® at all, though the money had been cojJ lected by one or more members of the Committee. If the Committee as a body had bad the management of the prize fond I am very sure that I should have had nothing to complain about.— I am, etc,,

Dominick Browne. South Rangita'.j School, March 31.

[lf Mr Browne had said in his first letter that the Committee bad nothing to do with giving the prizes the necessity for reminding us of it would not have arisen. But be did not. He told us that “ the Inspector bad consented to send a list of the best children in each standard,” and that *• he (Mr Browne), was asked to famish returns, such m the number, in each class, the best sfl

tend ant, the best writer, and the be* conducted.” We naturally conclude* that neither Mr Browne nor the Inspector would have complied with such requests if not made by the School Committee, but it would appear now that they did. Mr Browne’s second letter adds to the complexity of the matter, It appears that some outsiders gave some prizes to the children out of money raised by means of a concert, but did not distribute them with even-handed justice. Even so wo think the rer. gentleman who distributed the prizes ought to be held free from blame. Somebody bought the prizes, made out a list of the names of the children to whom they were to be distributed, and asked the rev. gentleman to distribute them according to that list. Mr Browne told him the lim was wrong, the givers of the prizes told him it was right. As became his calling, he was a man of peace, and the most peaceable course to adopt was to fol ! ow the lift. If he had not done so probably he would h»ve hoard more of it. It is to be very much regretted that anybody inside or outside ihe Committee should have set such a bad example before the childrefi as that which has been exhibited in this trans* acion, but the rev. gentleman who distributed the prizes ought not to be blamed for it.— -The Editor.]