Masterton School Committee.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume X, Issue 3154, 15 March 1889, Page 2

Masterton School Committee.

A special lueoting of the School Committee was bold on Thursday night, Present—Messrs E,. Feist (chairman), A. W. lionall, H, M. Galloway, E, McEwen, W. Prangnell, and A, W. Hogg,: Mr Jackson, the Head-nuster, also attended by request, ■ The Chairman stated the business of the' meeting and the Secretary read tho following letter: Sm,—l am directed by the Chairman ,to acknowledge the receipt of the resolution of tlie Comraitteo requesting tlie Board to advertise tho vacancy caused by the promotion of Mr Erskin, This viow of the eitua* tion was considered by the Board beforo proceeding to submit Mr Hopklrk's namo and qualifications, but as he was known to be fully qualified (having a full certificate), it seemed only fair and right nceing that he has boon trained in tho service, and has a good record that he should obtain the promotion he looked for and deserves, I note for your information tbatinresponso to the advertisement we had a great number of opplicatioiu submitted at tho last meeting, and that not one of the outside applications was, in nil rospects, to that of Mr Hopkiri's, It,will further bo in yout own recollection that wo have always had the greatest diffio'nlty in satisfactorily filling tho position now vacant in your school at a salary of £IOO, lam furtherto oall your attention to the fact that you are mora liberally placed: wltli regard to teaching power than any other school in the district, and, that if tho question is to raised the Board may feel that .it must deal impartially in the matter, in which case you will only ba entitled to a fomalo assistant at a salary of sixty pounds,

•. A, Domkt, Secretary, The Chairman said possibly if they rejected the proposal of the Board they might have to put up with a female teaoher, as it appeared by the Board's letter. He had invited Mr Jackson to bo present that ho might inform them as to what the regulations were in regard to the teaching staff.

. Mr Jackson said under the new regulation schools with an average attendance of 461 to 500 were entitled to ono male assistant teaoher at £220, one at £l5O, and another at £IOO. With regard to the latter it appeared to be optional with the Board to substitute a female teacher at £6O, and that was what was being done at the present time with other schools, and that was . what the Secretary must have meant when lie referred to showing partiality to the Sohool in offering theni the teacher they. did. Mr Hogg said it was a question of very serious importanco wbotW the system whioh had been in vogue of allowing the Committee'to select a candidate should be continued, or the new system attempted by the Board of. appointing .teachers independent of-the Committees should be allowed, to he substituted, 'This.new system' allowed of the ; iulroduotjon of a vast amount' of patronage on the part of the Board, aiid would do away with competition. The. appointments njight be conferred upon favorites and friends of the members. He was very much astonished' at .the tone of the letter, It reflected most strongly upon the. administration of tbo Board the lact that' they wero paying more for the teaohers than the" regulation's entitled- them to. It showed they were extravagant "and not working in unison with' the Dfepartmfent'. : Because • the: Committee • insifited upon the . vacancy ' in; tlie; teacbing: staff being properly, advertised,. they fere coerced andthi'eatenedwitha reduction ;in the staff. He- did not know any other public Board that would so degrade' itself by such a threat; The .Board had : grossly aspersed its privileges, 'and their aotion wont far to show the Wellington Board was a stumbling block in the way. of the Department. -'As- to tbe Board laying there was" no. competition that tyas:downright 'nonsense. ,: Ha had recently road i.14 Cirlsfcliurch paper

of -the tremendous-.number of? young people who.were qualified foe teachers; more than enough to fill. theoffices.Apart : from any other view of the question it to tlie duty of the Committee. to • see. that a'good' teacher should not be removed and one of inferior teaoliing capacity substituted, i They had- no ' right to. be asked to i accept anyone, the Board r chose to hand •• over, hot even -if the: Board stated the teacher was qualified. Tlift Board', should invite applicationa, and when they were received should allow (lie Committee,'in conjunction] with . themselves to■: make the seleo-1 tion. The very fact of their using i a/threat showed.the -weakness ofi

tbeir position. The Board bad lately beeu'-removiug. l teacliers from the Masterton Sohool without referduco to the ;Coramittee, and weediug out the tqacliera.: He said the Board ; had asked the i Committee to', consent to'commit a breach of the Act. The ComMtee were being treated :„by the B oar da 3 mer eoipb oi'3, and were called upon to act in a .maiiiier contrary to the spirit of the law.; v U Mr Benall asked; if the.letfer stated tliat, if applications were; iuvited by advertisement the Board's nomination .was not likely to;be; improved. r said the" Secretary stated that Mr Hopkirk was the only suitable. candidate; amongst - those whose applications - hadbeen considered; fit the last meeting -of the Board. • ; ; v .

Mr'MoEiveh said; it .appeared. to him. that the Chairman and tho Secretary-had been the' Board itsolf ever since l he bad been- connected with the .Committee.; :

Mr Galloway said it . appeared by the regulations that they were not entitled to demand the' appointment of a male: teacher, at £IOO a year; It was: a 'question ' for theni : to conwder whether it would not be better, for the sake; of tbe school,;: to.aCcept the nominee of the Board than to insist upon applications being iiivited by advertisement. Under the new regulations the Board would' oall for applications for a female teaoher, and the sohool be injured in consequence. Mr Hogg said there was no danger of the Board doing that. The Committee never asked the Board for any partiality, arid that body had no right to be in a position to use threats. Mr .Hopkirk had applied for a position at £l5O and the Board had coolly handed him over a place at £IOO, Did lie'accept that appoint' mcnt it would only be for a most limited space of time until a better was available. That would necessi. tate a further change,, aud such frequent changes wore most detrimental to a school and altogether unfair to the Headmaster,

Mr Galloway was strongly of opinion that the Committee should get the best teacher they could for the school, and for that reason it would be wise to consider their position carefully and make no false steps. He held that the Committee were right it tlia last meeting in affirming the principle 'that applications should be publicly oalledj at the same time, if those applications were only to be for a female teacher they should hesitate before insisting upon'it. The Committee were certainly not treated with, consideration and should resign.in.a body as they had fio power or authority left. . Mr- Eenall did not.believe in the Committee resigning ; they were quite able to fight for their rights, and a new Committee might prove weaker.. A great deal of what his friend Mr Hogg had said would have sounded well from a member of the House in dealing with Education Boards' as a whole, but • was not altogether applicable to' tho Committeo in their present 1 predicament, seeing they had no. power to alter the status of the Board.

Mr Hogg said his object was not to traverse the position of the Board, but to call attention to the inconsisteuoies of the letter, which contained a childish threat. The Board might haye friends amongst the teachers in W ellingt'on and up-country applicants woiild have 110 chance of bettering their position. They-should certainly

not'resign as a committee.. They bad been elected by tbe people to represent them and they would be baoked up by all in. their action, He bad no hesitation' in applying a strong term to the throat used by the Board. It was cowardly. He never took notico of a threat, which, was but a cowardly resort, He did not believe the. Education Board would

carry out what they had threatened, for tho simple reason that they would mako themselves look low aud moan throughout Wellington and the colony. They would not- send them a female teacher,. as, if they had meant doing so thoy would neverhave suggested it in their letter, If they carried out their threat they would be looked upon as a meanspirited, poor, and despicable set, not fit to carry out the functions of their office..

, In reply to a question Mr Jaoltson said , the Board had a precedent in appointing a female tocher for that class. They had done so in the Quay School, Mr Benall pointod out that the vacanoy in the Masterton Sohool was created -by the Board, and they were in a different position from Clyde Quay, which was a new school, and the appointments to whioh would be under the now regulations. -They had removed a teachor from Masterton, and wanted to replace him with a weaker 0110. Consequently if - the reputation of tho: School- was' not kept' up tho, head master would suffer. ■, ;

Mr Jackson said if changes did not occur there' would' be do rscope - for ambition. He would rather have a pupil teacher . -who was anxious to rise, than a man satisfied to remain stationary, and did not look forward to advancement. •

■' The Chairman said in taking the stand they proposed to take if the Board persisted m appointing a female toacher would thoy not bo 'standing- in the way of the efficiency of tho School. " ; • Mr Benall did not think tho Board would take such a course. ■

■ Mr Hogg said the Board did not i study the schools. They wanted to promoto a teacher, and thoy romoved i him and appointed who they choso in Ins placo, using threats 111 doing so like a highwayman with a bludgeon demanding " Your money or vour life." ; ; ;r : :, ;>

•Mr Renall suggested- to Mr Hogg to draft a resplution, .but to J'draw it mild", (laughter.) They would then have something tangible before them, Mr Hogg's motion would reverso the whole decision of the fioard. (laughter.) : ■ Mr Hogg moved, and Mr MoEwen i seconded Having considered the i letter received from the Secretary. to i i tbo.Boardr-the Committee adheres to I the - request tliat applications- should be publicly .'invited : by advertisement i for the tilled mastership." : ' : After sorno considerable discussion Iha-gotiqn wiut and canied,

PUBLIC HOLIDAY. - -The ? agreed-itbat the Public School be;; closed; on ; Monday, March 18th. St. Patrick's Day.