Meeting of School Committees.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2962, 13 August 1878, Page 2

Meeting of School Committees.

A meeting of members of School Committees for the purpose of considering the circular received from the Auckland School Committees was held last night. There were present—The Mayor; Messrs Eenshaw, Speight, T G. Comes, Steedman, Patterson, Lawlor, Davies, Farrell and Grigg, Hon. Secretary.. The Chairman remarked that it was necessary for them to do something in the way of legislative reform in the Act. He considered tbat the opinions arrived at by the conference of the Thames Committees had been correct, but Mr Eenshaw and others thought differently. They were met together to consider the circular of the Auckland Committees.

Mr J. Grigg, hon. secretary, said that knowing the time for their meeting would be limited, he had drafted a letter to the Auckland Committees. He read the draft he referred to, which gave an account of the step^ taken by the Thames School Committees re the amendments in the Education Act.

Mr Davies said that he was of opinion that the Auckland Committees were calling this meeting to expose the working of the Board of Education with reference to the powers of the Board in the appointment of teachers, which they did without the least communication with the local Committees.

Mr Benshaw pointed out that the Act ordained that committees were to be consulted in the appointment of school teachers. He thought that-it would be well to. send the letter Mr Grigg had drafted instead of a representative, as from the letters he had seen by that Mr Steedman, he would say he was a regular firebrand, and calculated to stir up strife between Board, Committees and everybody else. The Chairman moved that Mr Benshaw be requested to represent the conference at the meeting of Auckland Committees. Mr Renshaw declined the honor, and after some little conversation, Mr Hunter moved that the letter be forwarded to the conference.

Some further conversation then "took place, after which it was decided to send Mr Speight us the Thames representative, and also the letter. The meeting then separated.