HAMILTON EAST SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTION.

Waikato Times, Volume X, Issue 721, 30 January 1877, Page 2

HAMILTON EAST SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTION.

About a dozen ratepayers met on Saturday afternoon to take part in the election of a School Committee for East Hamilton. Captain McPh«rson was voted into the chair, and the chairman of the ontgoing Committee, Mr T S beddon, made an explanatory statenent of the position of the school and of the cause of its having been closed for the last six months. He said that on the decease of the late master Mr Helm, the Committee determined, on the advice of the Inspector, to defer the ap.poiniment of a master and mistress until a suitable school house and residence had been provided. The Committee set to work and collected £6l out of the £75 required by the Central Board, and called for tenders. Having decided to erect the new building on the Governmeut reserve of 3 asres they made application for the same, bnt though applied for in July last it had only within the last few days been granted. Meantime the Committee had accepted the tender of Mr Stewavt of £272 for the erection of

the school house. When, however, ap,jK« cation was made to the Bjard to approve the acceptance of Mr Stewarts tendw furth-r delay was caused by the Oentral board, although cbe grant of the reserve had besn gazette, alleging that th*y had no offln.il notion tint the grant had hfeu made. That, difflcu ty cleared away the Board avt.sed a further delay by refusing to advanoo their share of. the cost ol t'le building until the whole of the £75 had been raised by tho inhabitants. This obstruction was entirely due to Mr Moss of the Central Board. The speaker said it would be quite impossible to raise the difference and he thought th*b tho school having been closed some 6 months aud the mast r's salary saved to the " Board for that period, the district had a | olaim upon the Board to forgo the balance uncollected of the £75. Ha, the speaker had written some rather Btiff letters to the board and in one oase had got the better of them for they had been unable t answer his arguments. He then read a letter granting the use for two months of two of the immigrants cottages as a school house and one as a master's residence, but there were no funds in hand, he said, to render them available, either as a school or residence, unless the £6l raised its tho district's share of the cost of the sehoolhouse was drawn upon. Meantime a master and mistress, had bqen engaged and would be there prepared to open sohojl on Thursday next. This time they had secured an efficient master, Mr A O Eeld, 26 years of age, a native of England, one year in the colony, daring which period he has beea acting as clerk at Messrs Nathan's of Auckland. Mr (Field hat three c.ri.ificates from learned men in London, and Mr O'Sullivan had congratulated them on ;>aving obtained one of the most efficient masters in the 0010/iy. . Mr Potter testified to Mr O'dullivari's to assist in getting the schwl opened. Mr O'Sullivan had told him . th it it even £6O was collected there would ] . be no ilitiiciilly madeon.ihe part of tha Board to the election of a schojl home ' and that the work should be commenced, I but when tenders had been accepted ib ► took the Board three weeks to consider , the matter and then they came down on '. them for the whole £75.

Mr J XL McDonald thought the outcommittee should prepare a resume of the account of the obstructions offarel by thd Central Board to the education.il interests of Hamilton East, and give it the widest circulation. Tue district had been made to suffer to gratify the .-pleja of the .Board, which had been piqued because applications - for the reserve and for the immigrant cottages had been nude direct to the Colonial Government by the School Committee instead ol through the Education Board. Tliey had beea six months without a school and doubt* less if tho Board ould manage it they would be kept another six months in the same position. In answer to a question from Mr McDonald, it was staled that £IOO had beea collecb.-d in Education rates in the Uamd* ton East district. Mr McDonald then moved "That the outgoing Committee prepare a paper showing the educational grievances of the district, and that'it be supported by the signatures of the ratepayers and published. This was seconded by Mr Primrose and carried unanimously. On thj motion of Mr McDonild the outgoing Committee were re-olected, and a vote of thauks to the Chairman concluded the business.