CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXII, Issue 1864, 17 June 1884, Page 2

CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Vuk otdinary monthly meetincr of tliia body was lield ,it tlio Ci lterion Hotel on MoucUy e\enm« last at 7 30. Ficsent: \Fcssr3 G. F. J forking (cluiumaii), Howitt. .Saiycnt, .and Hougl\ton m... /t .„...,,., AT,,,,. M.. V uu n „r,, ,1

Tiih UiTMiTjjU'rvL von,.-.ur ntcwaiu, M H.tt. for Waimato, fon\ aided a copy oc Ins bill to bo laid before Paihament dining the present sosion, dealing with scscia! m.attcis of unpoi t.uice in u-gaid to the election ot school committees. Tliis made tin* pie->ent system ot cumulatncvotingoption.il. It also alteicd tho cliango of date of the elections, so that they might not hill duimg h.uvc&t, and proposed to make the financial jeai eoncuirent witli that of the colonial adtmms tiation ; the pu'beisation (if continuity of expeiiunci' l>y this ictircment of only a pait of the committee instead of the whole together, with other changes or" impoitance. In ca^e ot tho \ lews set ioith meeting with the appioval of the committee tho wiitei united the support ot the comnutoee )>y petitioning the Legislate o Council in its t.n 0111 . A ( opy of tne petition wai enclosed. — It w.io unaniinoa-ly agiced to sign tho petition, tho bill niLitiny the appio\al ot the committee.

Tiih Cilvirmw's Rwuxatiox. — The Ghaiunan, Mi Hoiking, icad the following lofctei to the meeting : — Olynn, 9th Juno, ISSi. To the membeis of the Oambiidge Disluct High School Committee. Gentlemen, — Aftei duly consideiing the iction of the Imio majoiity of the committee on Monday, 2l»th May, m vuting foi Air Stewait and against Mi Fiance, [ considei it my duty to lesign the chanmanship. In all representative bodies the axiom exists or should exist thai when the chairman 01 Icadei has lost the confidence of the niajonty of that body, it is cle uly Jus duty to make loom foi the coming man. It is with much leluctanoe that I ha\o been foi ced to take this eouiMj of action, being as I am deeply inteiested in the lesiiscitation and successful establish incut of the High School on a peimauent and satisfactory basis. And this leluctance is intei mingled with a shade of pam whim I contemplate the golden oppoitnnity the committee had of selecting a gent'eman posseting pie-eminently distinguished abilities for the position, not only as a finished sdiol.u <>f the hist water and m>>st highly s'lcce^sful teachoi, but also a methodical and painstaking oigamscr, bjing the man of all mi n a\ailable most .suitable to the situation of thocntic.il position of the High Hj!v)o1. This opp.ntumty the committee has dashed to the gumnd, and w i^.h its actio i 1 fo.u lias mng the death knoll of the High School, and indicted a telling blow to oui much tli»piessed di-tnct. This action of the committee is moie uuaccouutiblu to me as the individual ini'mbeis piotess an mteiest m tho .success of the High School, and lccoid their votes .so thoioughly antagonistic to the evidence befoie them, and to the uttei db-eomfituic of the best mtcicsts of thr> school. In leview ing the evidence ot the statn.s of the nominated gentlemen befoie the committee, the following mam points are most noticable : — Ln aeculeinieal attainments Mi Stewait possesses a plain I'i.A. dogice without distiiietion, whilst Mi Fiancis takes tlie Inghei degiec of M.A., with exceedingly high distinction, being exhibitioner of iiiatlir>inatiCi in 18(>3, exhibilioiin in classics and JCngbsh in 18i>"), and pii/u.uun of the Uiinei-^ity, as fust in Lli^ hi&t-class, at the honour examination, 0.T., 18ti"). Such a bi ilhantl) distinguished academical caieoi seldom falls to the lot of any scholar. Dr Moiiison, the principal of the Creelong College, with whom Mr Francis taught as viee-piincipil for over se\en ycais, gi>es it as his opinion that Mr Fiancn. is one of tl.c best general scholais in the Austiahan colonies. Teaching ability as shown by iebiilts. Socondaiv education : — Mi Stewait'b lestunonicils show he I){H touglit in secondary schools, but no lesults aie given. Mr Francis' secondaiy school teaching is full of lesults of the highest mci it. Whilst vice-pimapal of Geelong College seven yeais tie piepaied and passed at the Melbourne TJniveisity matriculation examination sixty pupiL. Whilbt he was headmaster of the Wanganui High School, out of 25 pupils taking secondary educition, his pupils won in the two years 13 out of 10 open scholaiships given by the Board of Education, and both of Sir Julius "Vogel's prizes. Elementary education. :— Mr Stewart is clashed E. 3., whilst Mr Francis is classed 8.2. Mr Stewait, out of a school of 209 on the register at Foxton, was successful in passing in the standards 82 pupils. Whilst Mr Francic, at Wanganui, in the elementary school of 200 on the roll, was successful in passing in the standards 1(53, bsing about two to one over Mr Stewarts good lesults. Results of this kind aye, both in secondary and primary education, without a parallel in the colony. Notwithstanding this evidence, the committee has, for some unaccountable reason, irretrievably thrown away the chance of getting the best man, and so much damaged the prospects of the success 1 of the school, that I feel it must pass into more competent hands than mine if it does not yield to the unfortunate blow given to it by the committee. — I am, Gentleman, your otddient servant, G. F. Hoskin t g, Chairman Cambridge District High School i Committee. With this letter he vacated the chair. i Had Mr Forrest been present he woulcl have proposed' him as chairman, consideri lg that it was upon the motion of that gentleman, Mr Stewart was elected. He regretted that -the other members who .voted for Mb Stewart were' not present. M r Sargent proposed that Mr Houghton should take ifche chair. ' | ,' Ml" Houghtpn, . declined, On. the!

motion of Mr Hough ton, ifc was agreed to defer consideration of the chairman's resignation for a special meeting on Monday evening next. Mr Hosking to oeo ipy the chair in tliu meantime. This was all the- business and the meeting teimiuntui.