Powers of Committees.

Waimate Daily Advertiser, Volume IV, Issue 228, 12 July 1902, Page 3

Powers of Committees.

Tho Rev. L. Car?ley Brady, Anglican vicar, St. Andrews, wrote on July 7lb to Bring under tho notice of the South Ctntorbury education Board that he hul applied to St. Andrews School Committee for the use of the schoolroom on Sunday afternoons, at 2.30 (when the school is not in use), for the purpose of holding a Church of England Sunday school, and that (he application had been pointedly refused. The school, he stated, had been us -d for ail sorts of pm poses, a travelling show, a smoke concert, regular meetings ot Foresters, regular drill of tho Mounted Rides, other meetings, and fora fortnightly service by the Roman Catholics. Tho refusal of tho room was viewed by a large majority of the householders of the district as most unreasonable. He therefore asked tho Board's permission to use their building for the purposes stated. Mr Brady enclosed a copy of his application to the Committee, and their reply —a resolution “ 'That this Committee agree not to grant tho use of the school.”

The chairman said the question was whether the Board ceil’d interfere; they c)u Id do so if the Committee acted unreasonably, Mr Barclay sai I there were on’y two sections in the Ivlncition A;t which bear upon this subject at ad. Snb-seotiou 15 of S 1 is : ” The sch ml buildings may he use I on d lys and at hours other than I hose used ior school purposes upo i such term* as the Committee in iy from time to time proscribe.” The Hoard had on several occasions overriden this power, when commit toes have allowed the schoolrooms to be used in such a way as to cause damage. The other section was 71 : ” Subject to the genera! supervision and control of the Board, a id to inspection by an inspector, as heroin provided, the Committee shall have the management of eductthmal matters within the school district.’' It had been contended that this section referred only to the teaching in the school, not to the use of the bui.ldings. Th--.se wore the only provisions that had any bearing on the case.

The chairman said he did not like interfering with committees unnecessarily. The committees all over the country complained of the little power they have, one result being that they can hardly get decant people to sit on them, because they have little else to do than see that the charwoman does her work properly. The Rev. L. C. Brady was called in and heard. He slated that the chairman of the committee did not sympathise with their resolution, and had strongly condemned it. He was prepared to pay for the cleaning of the school or to make arrangements for leaving it as he found it. He appealed to the Board as owners of the building, the committee, being but custodians for twelve months ; he looked to the Board for redress as the superior body. He had had the use of the school for two afternoons on a verbal request to the schoolmaster and a verbal reply pending the meeting of the committee, and then he made a written application. The reason he wanted, the use of the school was that the church had been repainted* and so on, and the children, with knives and pias and pencils, scratched names and infantile drawings on the paint of The furniture. They would nob do that in the school, because they were accustomed not tp do it there. Mr Brady having retired, the Boaid discussed the matter. Mr Barclay said it was a pity

t'. i he cum u' tee hid put itself in '• irprasfc \vi:h so many other committees in South (.’.interim ry, whose schools fire freely given for Sunday school purposes. The Board, however, had no business to speculate on their reasons. They could not coerce the Committee in any way. Mr Campbell thought theyshculd have been courteous enough to give some reason for refusing, 1 It mas moved by Messrs McCaskill and Maslin, and carried—- “ That the Board expresses its. regret that the Committee have refused the application of Mr Brady for the use of the school at ‘St. Andrews on Sunday afternoons, and hones they will reconsider their decision.” —Herald.