WELLINGTON CATHOLIC EDUCATION BOARD

New Zealand Tablet, 23 August 1917, Page 13

WELLINGTON CATHOLIC EDUCATION BOARD

The fifth annual meeting of the Wellington Catholic Education Board took place on Friday evening, August 10. There was a large attendance of members, also members of the four parish school committees, who were present by invitation. His Grace Archbishop O’Shea presided. The balance sheet and report for the year, which disclosed a most successful result, was adopted. Votes of thanks were passed to the officers of the board, and motions respecting the institution of an education Sunday for the purpose of taking up a special collection for the education fund, the setting up of a finance subcommittee, and consideration of scheme to liquidate the mortgages on school propertiesthereby saving £3OO per annum—were referred to the incoming board for action. The annual meeting of each parish school committee will be held shortly, and members to represent them will be elected to the board, which will again meet as soon as the new members are appointed. The following is (in part) the report and balance sheet: The board has very much pleasure in presenting its fifth annual report and balance sheet, which discloses very satisfactory results. The accumulated fund, which at the beginning of the year stood at ,£1348 2s Id, now stands at £2273 13s lid. thereby adding the handsome sum of £925 11s lOd as a result of the year's working. The principal source of this splendid balance is due to the generous and handsome donation of £SOO made by Mr. Maurice O’Connor, aided by the strenuous efforts of the committee responsible for the organisation of the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, Boxing Day picnic, Thomas Moore anniversary festival, and the annual Schools social, which added the satisfactory sum of £435 7s to the fund. It is most satisfactory to lie able to report that the insignificant copper coin contributed by each of the members of the congregations attending the Catholic churches of the city and commonly known as the Penny Collection, practically covered the year’s expenditure, which totalled £679 3s 6d, yet there are many people attending the different churches who Sunday after Sunday never dream of placing a penny in the box. This particularly applies to young people. If all contributed regularly every Sunday not only would the annual charges be met, but money would be available for the accumulating fund so necessary to enable the board to realise the purpose for which it was established. Since the establishment of the board, some five years ago, no less than the sum of £3OOO has been derived from the Sunday penny collection. The principal items of expenditure this year were as follows:—lnterest on mortgages on school property, £330 9s sd; payment of school fees for pupils whose parents are unable to contribute, £194 5s 2d ; insurance premiums, £2l 16s; rates and water, £l4 16s 2d; repairs, etc., to school buildings and furniture, and general maintenance, £66 13s 3d; and cleaning, £sl 3s 6d. The accumulated fund is well invested in freehold security. To the amount invested at the beginning of the year, there has been added during the year the sum of £865, making a total of £2115 now invested earning on an average the sum of £125 in interest. In the last report of the board it was mentioned that St. Joseph’s parish had reduced the mortgage on the Marist Brothers’ residence in that parish. This year the board is pleased to report that the whole of the mortgage has now been paid off, thereby effecting a saving of £52 per annum to the board. The Sacred Heart parish, Thorndon, has also paid off during the year the mortgage on the Brothers’ residence in that parish, effecting another saving of £ls per annum to the board. This is most encouraging, and if the large mortgages at present on the school buildings were paid off the board could undertake the responsibility of abolishing the collection of school fees immediately. The Boulcott street educational trustees appointed to administer the moneys donated by Messrs. Martin Kennedy, Maurice O’Connor, and Felix Campbell for the erection of a Catholic hall and diverted by those gentlemen from that object to Catholic educational purposes, donated the sum of £450 towards the renovation

of the Boulcott Street School. This work, which has made the school cosy and comfortable for both teachers and pupils, was carried out by day labor under the direction of the Rev. Father Mahony. - It is interesting to note that the sum of £llOO of the total amount now standing to the credit of the fund represents donations made to the fund by Mrs. H. Sullivan and family, £500; Mr. Maurice O’Connor, £500; and the late Mr. Martin Kennedy, £100; the balance, £1173 13s lid, has been accumulated by the efforts of the board. By his will the late Mr. W. E. Keefe bequeathed his property in Grant road, subject to a life interest in it by his widow, to the board. This is an example well worthy of emulation, and it is to be hoped that those Catholics who can afford to do so will not forget the cause of Catholic education when preparing ther. wills. Through the generosity of Mr. J. J. L. Burke the board now holds 50 shares in the New Zealand Tablet Printing and Publishing Company, valued at £25. These shares, which were transferred by Mr. Burke to the board, brought in a dividend of £1 ss. The early calling up of the Second Division will cause a serious reduction in the fees contributed by the parents of pupils attending the schools under the jurisdiction of the board, and in this connection it is the duty of the Catholic Reservists affected to ensure the education of their children being continued in the Catholic schools by obtaining from the Government, through the Financial Assistance Board, the amount necessary to pay the fees of their children at Catholic Schools, be they primary or secondary. The board desires to thank the Sisters of Mercy, Sisters of the Sacred Heart, and the Marist Brothers for their splendid work during the past year, work that has brought the schools to a very high state of efficiency, making them second to none in the Dominion and a credit to the Catholic community. The board also desires to extend its grateful appreciation to all those ladies and gentlemen who assisted in organising functions for the fund and which considerably augmented it. Thanks is also due to those kind benefactors who so generously donated gifts to the board. The report was signed by his Grace Archbishop O’Shea (chairman), Messrs. J. J. L. Burke (vice-chair-man), B. Doherty (treasurer), and P. D. Hoskins (secretary).