HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL. Public Meeting.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2154, 29 April 1886, Page 2

HAMILTON HIGH SCHOOL. Public Meeting.

A public meeting, convened by His Worship the Mayor, was held in the Public Hull os.Tuesday evening at !) o'clock, "to consider the present portion of the District High Scho.il, with the view of taking steps to obviate tho closing of the •jchool .it the end of June, as mtvlitated by the Bou\l of Education." About thirty ratepayers, residents of Hamilton West and Kn«t, were present, and the chair, in the absence of the Mayor, was taken by Cr. Kno\. who< in opening the proceedings, deprecated any tcftsrence to the division of the borough. Hamilton was one, and should be rrjrarded as such. (Hear, hear.) Several gentlemen, notably the chairman of the Hamilton Went School Committee, had takeu steps to aveit the calamity involved in the closing of the school, and when it was born in mind that very prompt action was required, he hoped the action of these gentlemen would not be misconstrued. Ha then invited the meeting to discuss the question. Mr Searancke, as chairman of the Hamilton East Committee, said the members of his committee were fully aware of the difficulty in which the High School was placed, and were prepared to propose certain changes in its constitution, which would render it more useful and make it more successful. His idea, and that of the committee, was that the basis of the school should be wider, so that children of all classes who had attained to a certain dfgiee of proficiency might be able to attend. The committee were also not satisfied with the present teacher. If certain alterations were carried out, amongst others a reduction in the fees, he was sure the attendance would increase. After some further re marks, he said it was the duty of : the people of Hamilton to support the High School. , Mr George Edgecumbe desired to be put in possession of further particulars in regard to the scheme indicated by Mr Searancko. S-> far as he could see, the school had been established upon certain conditions, and unless these were adliered to it would be closed. No committee possessed the power to make alterations in the constitution of the school. Mr T. C. Hammond, one of the newlyelected memlwrs of the Hamilton East School Committee, wa» of opinion that the promoters of the meeting ought to put something before them. The Chairman said the mayor hud called the meeting because it was urgently necessary to do something. Some time ago, he (the chairman) had been obligad to give a guarantee for the payment of money then due on account of the school, and the mayor was therefore perfectly justified in making the matter a public one. It was now open for the meeting to discuss the matter fully and freely. After some further discussion MrT. (r. Sandes moved "That it is the opinion of this meeting that the High School be kept open." Mr Edgecumbe in seconding the motion took exception to the course pursued by Mr Searancke in asking the promoteis of the meeting to lay down a platform. Were the High School under the control of the Hamilton West Committee he did not hesitate to say that that body would have come forward with a proposition to meet the necessities of the case. Mr T. C. Hammond moved as an amendment "That this meeting request the Board of Education to defer any action re dosing the High School in Hamilton till such tiuia «« the newly-appointed committees have had time to consider the matter." The Chairman rule 1 that this was not an amendment, and the motion was put and carried. , . Mr Hammond then brought forward his amendment in the shape of a motion, which was seconded by Mr Searancke. _ Mr T. Cr. Sandes quite agreed with the motion, but thought the committees .should meet soon as possible in order to lay something betore the Board on Friday. Mr Searancke said the East committee would meet on the sth May. Mr Edgecumbe said the best resolution they could pass would be one containing the names of fourteen pupils. A proposal to alter the constitution of the school would in all probability be treated with contempt. Mr Barton said the position was perfectly clear. Unless the required number of pupils was made up the school would be closed, and it would not be easy to open it again. If they could manage to keep it open for a few months longer he believ ed it would be plain sailing afterwards. Though he had no children old enough to attend the school, he was quite willing to guarantee one uupil. (Hear, hear.) The motion was then put and carried. Mr T. G. Sandes moved, 'JThat the committees meet in conference in time t«i submit any projxisal to the board at their meeting on the 30th with regard to keeping open the High School in Hamilton.' Mr French would second the motion, but thought the committees would be best employed in canvassing far pupils, so that a guarantee of the required number might be sent to the Board. Mr Edgecumbe said he was one of those who took an active part in getting the school established. At that time a document was drawn up and signed by those who were willing to send children to the school. Some of those who signed that document did send their children to the High School for a time, but withdrew them on some trifling pretext or another. He would like to see the document referred to produced, as they would be the better enabled to judge of the value of any promises made id future by some of the signatories. The motion was put and carried, and the meeting closed with the usual compliment to the chair. It was subsequently arranged that the committees should meet in conference at LeQuesne'ri Hall last night. At a meeting of the East Hamilton School Comm.ttee held last evening it was unanimously resolved, "That in the present circumstances of the District High School the committee recommend, to the Board of Education thit the present system of conducting the High School, tiiod over a period of three years, having proved unsatisfactory, a change be adopted in the following direction : namely, that the head teacher of the Hamilton East primary school be also the teacher and master of the District High School, and that an efficient male assistant teacher be provided t»> assist him in the carrying out of the business of both schools. By doing this the committee considers that a considerable saving would be effected in the, management of the High School, which would render the latter selfsupporting with the fees and endowment funds for secondary education to which the institution is entitled. The committee believes that under such system the attendance would b« largely increased." There were present: Messrs Searancke, (Chairman), Dey, Le Quesne, Yon Stunner, and Hammond.

The meeting of the Joint committees wm held afterwards. There were present: Mews Searancke, Hammond, Le Quesne, and Yon Stunner, representing Hamilton East; and Mr G. Edgecumbe alone representing Hamilton West Mr Edeecumbe Rave it as his opinion that the Hamilton West committee would support any proposition that would tend to keep the High School in existence, and that the scheme proposed by the East committee, if affirmed by the board, would meet the ends aimed at.