MASTERTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4875, 13 November 1894, Page 2

MASTERTON SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Monthly Meeting, The regular monthly, meeting of tlio Mnstbi'ton' School- Committee was held last evening. r . Present, ' Messrs E. Feist (Chairman),Daniell, Easthope, Dixon, Hoar, T. Wagg, - Morris and Pragnell, ,' .-m''JIIXCTKS, •. - , Tho minutes of tlie last meeting wore rend and . '> . j, . TREASUKKU'.S .HKI'OIIT. . - The Transuror reported a ci'edit I balance at dato of £ll lis lid, with, j £so' still to come from tho Town; Lands Trustees. ' . .-■Tho Secretary of tho Education Boai'di.wTote that tho Board's carpenter would attend to the repairs 1 at the school liext month! or in Jan- : uary.- > ■' i- •/ •- -v- ---• From the same inclosing new regulations. Also notifying that 10 per cent, was added to'the capitation to styve application to the .Board for all small requirements.- ; ' v' ! - The report of tho lnspectoijji the last examination was: receive* i, ' ACCOUNTS. The following accounts ■, were • passed for.'payment : E, T. Holmes, £6 4s 2d; Z, M, Hoav, £1 Os Od, ; , ; ' iiUrOHTS. \ The Headmaster's report, showing-, the average attendances to. be 484, with 585 childnn on the roll, was read. Mr- Jackson also explained the provisions of the new School ■ attendance Bill " (already mentioned ! , " in our columns), and stated that at : : least twenty children ..on. the, roll, were being kept away fi-oin; school mure than three times every week, without any valid -excuse; On the other hand there wero fewer children" j attending so iiTcgularly as in the ! past, owing probably to the action taken ,by the Committee in applying, tlie old compulsory clauses, Miss Keeling reported; that t1i0.,, average attendance, at the Infant's.... School, during the past six weeks, to have been 82 with 104 on the roll. •

The Chairman, referring to the now compulsory clauses of tho Act, said that the alterations would pro-, bably have a good effect if a lirm stand were taken. He would propose that the compulsory clauses be enforced where necessary, j Mr Pragnell said a lot of; people I were under,the impression that after a child had passed the fourth standardj' the, parents were no longer compelled 'to send that child to school. 1 - "

Tlio.-Chairman said this was,an erroneous idea. The Act applied to.' all children from 7 to 13 years of age. " ' '. ."

The .absentee list, was'read over'-: by the Secretary. Mr Easthope moved that no chili be debarred from attending' school! for want of boots.' : , . .. M - Mr Jackson said this was so at: present. No child was debarred from attending' through not having boots;: Children, however, would not como if they had no boots. ■ , '.

Ml' Easthope said lie should liko tho resolution put so that parents might know tliat tho ivant of boots was no excuse for absence, Teal's ago in Otago he had seen in several schools half the scholars without boots.

Mi' Wagg seconded the motion,, whiolr was'' ctirrietl, 'the ■'Ckairmaifc.Vi remarking tlmt hi? hardly thought it •wasno'ctsssaiy. K • '•'•••• ' IXSI'KCTOIt's Itr.l'OKT. ' ' The Chairman moved the adoption,--? - of tlio Inspector's lieport. '''fr > MrWagg seconded the motiolv ' Mr Daniell thought that tho report be open to the press, to'' publish what they thought iit, ' ' 1 Mr Jackson,'by permission of the ', ' Chairman, pointed out that"': the '■ • ! figures in the report would not bo " : understood by the general public, ' He lmd personally no objection to: thq.publication of the details, but ho '• thought no good would, be done ■■ thereby. The Chairman said when tlioy had.'. ■ 11 Head Makter of Mr Jackson's. • standing, it was, ho thought, only* right to fall in with his wishes. Mr Daniell thought they shonE I keep nothing from the public. He would move that the report be. handed to the press. Mr Jackson said tho reason was* solely that the docuiucnt was a private one lo the .Committee, If the Inspectors knew t'wt tho reports • were to bo public they would not: speak so plainly if it becaiho iicccs-\ sary to do so,

Mr Easthope seconded Mr Daniell's motion. It seemed to him that there should have beon a reason given if tho roport was not so satisfactory as last year.

_ The motion was then put and carried Mbssrs Feist and Morris voting against it.

,- Mr Easthope said that lie had been • informed that instructions bad been given to' the Inspectors to .make tho sixth standard tiou very lmicli harden becr jMo 6.0 many children were pr.t;,,™ '' through the standard and ti iei , e ' %e qualifying for compef j(; ion f o |, _ Government billets "^tthc'niarkehrasoymtocW. W liatitmcflnl , was practically out poor pcoplo s children ber^ uso b the iai^nta - k 1 1110l 110 ,« ■to keep them at ' cliooanother r dai -if they did Imppen to fail. £o -would therefore - move ihat t ( l ie ] Mucation , Doftrd be asked stato who issued instructions to tho Inspectors, M • m reason to believe that it ml}. ■ 5 .1 bigher.'nuthority : tha|(||*(

Mr Basthope's resolution was not seconded, and therefore fell through. • 1, / : VISITING JlKiltlKß'. Mr Wagg was appointed visiting member and tho meeting closed.