THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE TEACHERS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXI, Issue 1737, 23 August 1883, Page 2

THE BOARD OF EDUCATION AND THE TEACHERS.

TU TIIK tDITOK. Sm, — I trust I may be pei'inittecl to evpiess mjsrlf, as being in peifect accord with the gentleman who, under the iiom deplume of " Pollox " has wtitteu so able an aiticle as that contained in the 4th paragraph of the llcxdrl\ Calamo Cut rente for the past week. I have always been of opinion, and given that opinion forcible expression, in my correspondence with the board that teachers, by the Education Act, and being commissioned under the sign manual of the Minister of Education, and paid fiom the Parliamentary grant, are not "servants" of the members of the Auckland or any other Board of Education, but officers on the teaching staff of the colony. The real servants of the board are their own nominees, namely, the inspectois, secretary, and architect, also the small army of clerks, who owe their position to the will and possibly caprice of the membeis for the time being. I know no body of public men and gentlewomen who possess so fully the qualifications of intelligence, moiality, honesty, sobriety, and oneness of purpose as the teachcis of the Province of Auckland, and now that the bigamist, and a few others of the same kind (who were personal friends of, and owed their appointments to the influence of an official), have left the province, or are in gaol serving out their sentences, I think indi\ idually, or as a body they can scarcely be surpassed. Let the teacheis remember that "Union is strength," and combine, not for the purpose of offering contumacious lesistance to their immediate official superiois, the committees, and to the members of the board, but to protest against being, in colonial parlance, "sat upon" and bullied. The idea of a naughty little boy like Laishley trying to come commanding officer over the teacher is amusing. I have observed that since his \ advent to the chair there has been a perfect boulceei cement of the conventional rules of office, and I trust that ou the return of Mr Moss — who put him there — he will be made to resign. The position of a teacher has in all ages and countries beeu an honourable one. " Socrates docuit Xcncphou tern ct Platoncm" the greatest genet al and philosopher of ancient times, and the famous Dr. Busby, of Westminister, turned out from his school many statesmen, geuerals and 16 bishops, who made their marks in Charles the Second's days, ami Dr Arnold, of Rugby, has done the same, as far as distinguished men go in the present time. Now, in attempting to snub the teachers of this province, the board has insulted the "manes" of these iutellectual heroes, who, I hope, will invoke the aid of some Nemesis to avenge them, either in Parliament or, \i hich is better, in the pages of a liberal and enlightened Press, of which The Waikato Times is au example. If there is any truth that coming events cast their shadows before — judging from the temper of the Assembly, I should say that the days of boards are numbered. Their establishment costs the colony nearly £20,000 a year ! A lot of sack to very little bread.— l am, &c, Akmigeb.

Mr Thomas Macffarlane has been appointed creditors' trustee in the bankrupt estate of William Sanderson, labourer, HamiltonThe well-known entire pony Nutmeg is advertised to stand this season at Gorton. •The annual meeting' of the' Hamilton Lawn Tennis Club will be held on the club ground on Tuesday the 28th inst. at 4 p.m. /All claims against' the*, jGortgn, estate prioVto* January Isistmust be sent to ttiamanager, iS^Ai>tenJbion^i3<{(lii^cctgCMssO* ths'-a^vertiss- *