SCHOOL CONFERENCE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume VII, Issue 1911, 10 February 1885, Page 2

SCHOOL CONFERENCE.

At two p.m. yesterday afternoon Messrs Beetham, Paterson, and Bunny, the Commissioners appointed by tho Education Board' to visit Mastorton, met the local Committee at the Institute, all the membcrr of the "latter body being present. • •'

■ Mr Boddington- proposed that. Mr Paterson take tlie chair. . . • ,

It m suggested that Mr Boddington as Chairman of the Committee should preside,. Mr Bunny pointing out that the representatives of-the- Board didnot desire to take pai;t in the business of-the .meeting beyond-lioaring the : views of the Committee..

Mr Boddington-having taken the chair, said they were all aware of the occasion of the present meeting. For some time past applications had been made for certain additions to the school for which tenders had recently been called, Sincethen a petition in favor of a second schoolhad been forwarded to the Board, and throe members of that body were there that day to determine what course should bo adopted. The first business he considered would be for the advocates of the petition to lay their views before the meeting. The Rev Mi 1 Paterson expressed :on bshalf of the Board the position in which he and the colleagues appeared. An application had been made for additions, to the present school onthegroundthatthe schoolwas overcrowded, and withafurther increase of pupils would be inconveniently so. This representation was corroborated by the Inspector and the architect of the Board-was instructed to draw up plans for the necessary additions and as soon as funds were available the Board voted -£6OO to cover the ■ cost of them. At the last meeting of the Board they thought it well to pause as the -community In Masterton and the Committee appeared to be divided as to the expediency of proceeding .with the additions. - It was their duty to -judge for themselves- as- to the existing state of the school, The Board had always worked in harmony with local Committees and they were • anxious on this occasion .to avoid any clashing. Mr Beetham said he thought Mr Paterson put the question fairly as to the position of tho Board,

Mr Patcrson added that he had visited the school in the forenoon and had no doubt in his own mind that the infant department was overcrowded.

Mr Bunny said it seemed to him that tho strongest argument in favor of a second school was the overcrowded state of tho present building. Mr Rceso asked if any explanation had been received of the report of the Committee which was posted to the Board not reaching it in due course. Mr Bunny said the report arrived at the Board office just after their meeting broke up,

Mr Reese thought this strange as a telegram had been sent down announcing that the letter was posted, and no notice' appeared to have been taken of either.

Mr Hogg said he wrote a semi-official letter to the Board conveying the resolution passed at the committee meeting. Mr Bunny: We had several letters and also a newspaper extract, but they were not. of a character that could be brought before the meeting, Mr Lowes moved that the commissioners be requested to take note of the fact of the letter being duly posted.—Carried. It was then suggested that the meeting should go down to the school. Mr Lowes thought this unnecessary as the overcrowding was beyond dispute. There were 542 children on the roll and the school was only built for the accommodation of 412. At present children sat three instead of two on one seat, Two standards had to be taught in one room. Mr Reese thought they' were perfectly safe m saying that the Lower Standards were very much crowded, Mr Girdwood thought it would be allowed on all hands that increased accommodation was necessaay, At the late election it was seen that the opinion of Masterton tended in the direction of a second school Instead of increasing the first (No), . In his own neighborhood a considerable number of children did not go to school on account of the distance to the present building.

The Chairman: What is the distance ? Mr Girdwood: About a mile and a quarter. The Chairman: Can you give me the numbers who do not attend ?

Mr Girdwood: About forty or fifty, children: Even the people at the south end of the town sympathise with the proposal of a second school at the north end. The residents themselves have decided the question, We should be allowed to start on a small scale at this end, and any improvements made subsequently should be added to the second building, The Chairman: Are you advocating an infant school or a competitive school 1 Mr Girdwood: I am advocating a second school.

Mr Bunny; There must bo a school for all standards at that end of the town!

Mr Lowes thought it unfair for one of the commissioners to expresß an opinion at this stage. If one or other of them were pledged to either side what was the use of proceeding with the enquiry, Mr Bunny replied that lie had expressed no opinion, He would ask was there any site that could be provided 1 Mr Woodroofe considered that they had a claim on the Trust lands but did not know whether any of them were suitable. The Town Lands Trust would contribute to the cost of'a site if they .had no suitable land to -'give. Mr Paterson said the Board would reply on the local parties to provide a site,

Mr Woodroofe-said that a former committee had been, hostile to a second school, and had disposed of the old school site. He had signed a petition some years ago against this ; 'transfer. The report made by this committee on his petition was false.

The Chairman: "Are you accusing the former committee of telling falsehoods? Mr Woodroofe: "I am accusing the report." Mr Beetham: "We have then to understand that you have no site to indicate ?"

Mr Woodroofe; 11 We have none."

The Chairman said the Town Lands Trust had but one site available, and that was the half-acre on which the public pound was erected, He did not believe that the Town Lands Trust would be willing to give a site as alleged. Mr Bunny: If the people of Masterton are unwilling to give a site they must not expect the Board to erect a school. Mr Hogg considered the Town Lands Trustees were the servants of the public, and that as such they would be obliged to give a site. He denied that the present school was central, and contended that the requirements of the children demanded a new school. The will of the people went for nothing unless a second school were obtained. The attendance at the present school was like a barometer, it fluctuated with the weather, On a wet day there was a hundred children less than on a fine day. This showed that the school was too remote. He would stake his reputation that the attendances would be increased by fifty to a hundred children if a new school were erected. The education of many children was being neglected in Masterton through the present' school being too remote. Mr - Payton said their school returns proved that in proportion to the population they had a large attendance ofchil-

dren at school, and that they made satisfactory passes. Mr Reese pointed out that the average attendance was greater for ten months in rIBB3 than for 1884, showing that there was a greater necessity for additions to the school then. than now. From the north' end of the town he found that there were 192 .children who attended the present school. Out of that number 134 were in thelowqr standards, He advocated the establishment pf a school for these 134 children. He believed there were' another fifty not attending school now .who could be added to the 134, He. would like to hear Mr Beetham give'some explanation of the position he took at the Board. He remembered that Mr Beetham pledged himself to represent all classes in the community. Mr Payton considered that it was out of order for them to challenge the action'; of 1 their members at the Board, If itwere in order ho should challenge the action of other Commissioners beside Mr Beetham, Mr Beetham said he would like to explain to those who questioned the 'action of Mr Blair and himself, that if they went at all from their duty it was in referring the matter back to the people. When the committee met to decide tenders the secretary brought before them the petition from Masterton. This document ought not strictly speaking to have come before them. Mr Blair felt that as the point was a contested one they would .only accept the tender provisionally. Mr Blair and himself had then the power absolutely to accept a tender. Mr Reese: You are reported to have said at the Board meeting "We are willing to take a poll."

Mr Beetham: Ido not care what I was reported to say—l never said so !

Mr Lowes considered the Board was not only pledged then to accept a tender, but were still pledged. (No!) He also held that an undesirable feeling had been imported' into the question. None of them objected to a school site at the northern end of the town, His position was simply that no action should be taken by the Board to injure the present school. Under the present proposal the attendances at it would be deviated, and the teachers as a. necessary consequence disrated and transferred to other schools. The standard of excellence would drop several degrees even during the first year. He stated too as a positive fact that without the children from the northern end of the town thero was not room for the standards in the present building. What they lvanted to see was that no action should be taken detrimental to the existing school, If the Government liked to find nurseries for the children at the northern end of the town let them do so. He objected, however, to a competitive school being established, If further accommodation was necessary he had no objection to it being supplied. He was only alarmed' lest 'the present school should be deteriorated, He should be glad if the Board saw its way to give both parties what they wanted. Mr Bunny desired' to remove the impression that he had taken up a decided stand on the question. He considered that the funds of the Board were limited. Sooner or later they must have a second school in Masterton and they would have to look to the benefit of the whole comihunity. Mr Lowes claimed that the three members of the Masterton school, Messrs Boddington, Payton, and himself represented a large number of householders in the town.

Mr Payton said they were willing to do all in their power to satisfy the claims of the nothern part of the town providing the existing school was not injured. Mr Beetham asked if temporary premises for infants would meet the views of the petitioners as an interim arrangement (No!) He pointed out that if the £SOO be put on one side for a second school the district must suffer during tho current year, the school would be left overcrowded and there would be no accomodation at the northern end of the town.

Mr Hogg argued that the existing accommodation sufficed, The infant room accommodation was equal to M) children. The Chairman: "Mr Turnbull, the architect, estimates it at 100; does Mr Hogg put his opinion against that of the architect ?"

Mr Hogg said the total accommodation of the school was 454 while the average attendance was about 418.

The Chairman asked on whose authority those figures were given. Mr Hogg declined to givo his authority for them but maintained that it was a reliable one.

The Chairman said Mr Hogg's authority was in error, the school accommodated 412 not 454 children. Mr Paterson said ho did not wish to indicate his final opinion, but would submit one or two points to them. He knew nothing of parties in the community, and assumed that all were interested in tho promotion of education, There were differences of opinion, but all agreed that the prosent school was strained to its utmost limit by its present attendances. Anyone looking at tho growth of Masterton must come to the conclusion that tho question of a second school was a question of time only, and not a vory distant time (hear!), All of them were interested in the present school of which they were justly proud. He did not think that anyone sitting at tho Board would like to see it injured. He asked whether, as £SOO was granted by the Board for the enlargement of the present school, they had not better avail ourselves of tho money voted, and afterwards consider the question of a second school. £SOO would not go far in putting up a second school. The erection of a little paltry building would not suffice. They must have room in it for all their standards. To go to the expense of a site and the expense of a school would involve a considerable outlay. He had no doubt the £SOO could be held in reserve for a new school, but then they would get nothing that year, no side school and no additions to the present school. It was tho differences among the Committee only which hampered the Board. Ho thought that when they approached the Board with an application for a second school the Board would consider it liberally, He hoped the Board would not have to deal with a divided Committee. It seemed to him that if they got tho present_ school thoroughly equipped in the first instance they could all join unanimously in promoting a second one. Mr Woodroofe was sony that he could not agree with Mr Paterson who was scabbing the parents at the north end of the town in the back (nonsense! rubbish!) Mr Reese stated that during the past year there had been average accommodation for 406 children and an average attendance of 400.

Mr Paterson : Do you contemplate reducing very materially the attendances at the present school ?

Mr Reese: No! Mr Bunny: The main thing for those who want a school is to find a site.

The chairman was very much surprised that the advocates of a second school were not prepared to report that they could secure a suitable site or to furnish a list of children wta were not attending the present school. He should be very much surprised to find that there were many not doing so. The present school was in the centre of the borough, if not in the centre of the populous part of it. The falling off during the past year was due to the fact that a large number of children now attended the new Catholic

school. However, sixty-seven now names since the beginning of the year had been placed on their rolls, He felt' this matter very strongly, having assisted to worktho school up to its present stage. They had never heard of the wais .% the petitioners till very recently, and had the. people not been inspired on the question they'would not have discovered theirwant. Many of them, indeed, were surprised,and amusedatthe matter being made so serious. They had not to provide for the 'average attendance but for the maximum attendance at a school... At Nelson the people formerly had one good school and an agitation was got up which resulted-in several being established. Now they were endeavoring to amalgamate the schools again, the result of splitting up having been found to have had a bad effect. If the Board'agreed to build in the north-west part •of the town,.how ;were they to know that.another school would not be wanted in the northeast end, ■ They might then have three weak schools instead of one strong one. He considered that temporary provision should be made in the first instance for the infants at the northern end of the town to enable the Board to ascertain what really were the requirements there. If the attendances at]the present school were reduced as estimated by Mr Reese by 150 children, the salaries ,of their prosent staff would be also reduced, , and the staff would be disorganised. .The distance children had to travel was only a mile and a quarter, and he maintained that it was | not excessive. He was pleased to hear the suggestion thrown out by Mr Paterson for the solution of the difficulty. If the Committee were unanimous on this point they would be unanimous in appealing to the Board for a solution of the difficulty. Mr Bunny said there was a strong feeling throughout the colony against the sums spent in education. He advised setting the £SOO on one side for a new school, as they could not rely upon future votes, .'

Mr Girdwood said'they could riot coincide with the view that the £SOO Bhould be spent upon the present school.

Mr Paterson: Would the Committee prefer the £SOO to be set apart for the erection of a new school. His own was to consult the interests of children 1

Mr Bcetham said they could establish a second school ina leased building. If there then proves to be an extension of attendances thoy could then proceed with asecond building. He believed that if they carried out the wishes of tlio five members of the Committee representing the petitioners they might lose the £SOO. Mr Hogg: It is not our wishes but the wishes of the majority of the householders. (No!) Mr Woodroofe expressed himself at this stage prepared to make a speech, of five hours in length. At this declaration the meeting rose simultaneously and dispersed after a hurried vote of thanks to the Chairman.