HAITI SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2676, 4 December 1909, Page 3

HAITI SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

MONTHLY MEETING

The adjourned monthly meeting of the Ivaiti School Committee was ,held last night, the following members being present: Messrs A. J. Fyson (chairman), K. Humphreys, E. F. Sullivan, T. 11. Jones, J. C. E. Turner, and H. E. Hill (secretary). A letter was received from the Secretary' of the Gisborne High School Board of Governors (Air. AY. 1 .Morgan) inviting the members of the Committee to the function of laying the foundation stone of the new High School. —The Chairman stated that he had attended the affair as the Committee’s representative.—His action was approved and the letter received. Tbe Headmaster (Air. J. H. Bull) submitted the following report for the past month: “The attendance has been somewhat spoiled bv the wet weather, we have experienced, but may lie considered very good under the circumstances. being only a fraction under 90 per cent. The month’s-average is 163, and the present roll is 182. On one day the boys made an attendance of 100 per cent. A concert in aid of the school funds took place on November 18th, and passed off successfully. The secretary will be able to inform you as to the nett financial result. Thanks are due for cheerfully rendered assistance given by the various performers On AVednesday hist Mr. J. R. Kirk ad dressed the children with the object of enlisting their sympathies for dumb animals. -Mo was attentively listened to, and his remarks will doubtless have the effect desired. Tlio synchronous examination of Standard A T I. will shortly be held.”

The Secretary reported that the: school concert was very successful, an amount of £8 14s being obtained tlierefi‘om. The following notice of motion, given by Mr. Turner at the previous meeting, was seconded by Mr. Hill: “That a levy of 3d per quarter for pupils in Standards 1., 11., and 111. be made bv the Committee, and that a levy of 6d per quarter for pupils be made in Standards IV. V., and VI, the ariumnts so levied to provide for pens, ink, paper, etc., such levy to take effect from the first quarter of 1910.” In tabling the motion, the mover! stated that a- similar levy is mode at the Gisborne school, and that there it was a success. It was necessary that parents should share to a certain extent the expense of oduca ting their children, which at present caused the Committee a great deal of worrv in regard to finance'. It was a small amount for the benefits received Mr. Hill stated that- a similar levy was in force in Napier, and there proved of great- assistance to the Committees in financing their liabilities. The motion was carried unanimously, and the secretary was instructed to write to the headmaster to that effect. Mr. Turner moved the following:—“That- this Committee is of opinion that the time is ripe when the district should be separated from the Hawke’s Bay Education Board, and he constituted under the direction of a Board of its own ; that- the secretary of this Committee he instructed t-o send a circular letter to all School Committees in the Counties of Cook, W-aikohu, Waiapu, and Wairoa containing the above state ment, and asking them to appoint delegates to attend a conference to he held at a convenient date during January to discuss the matter and devise ways and means to brijig the matter before the Minister of Education.” In speaking to the motion. Mr. Turner stated, that such a Board would ho of great advantage to the district in many ways. The Hawke’s Bnv people cannot understand the requirements of our districts, being out'of touch with us. The district as at present constituted is too scattered and needs concentration, which.can only be obtained by a, division. In answer to the argument that the district would bo too small to be run without financial loss, lie stated that there were iriucih smaller districts in the Dominion which were run without loss pYT the capitation granted by the 'Government. Grey was. a, case n point-.' Although in close touch with ■Westland, much closer than we were with Napier, they were two separate education districts. In fact, Grey and .Westland combined would not make, n district containing as manv schools and •pupils as Hawke’s Bay. He submitted tiho following figures, explaining the number of schools and pupils in the smaller districts of the Dominion: — Hawke’s Bay, 101 schools, 9363 pupils;

Grey, 32 schools, 14(38 pupils; AVestland, 35 schools, iOl9 pupils; Taranaki, 81 schools, 5096 pupils; Nelson. 108 schools, 55'!2 pupils; South. Canterbury, 7(3 schools, 5285 pupils. Thoso figures are for the year 1907, taken from the Education Department’s annual report for that year. The district was growing rapidly, the Gisborne High. School was an accomplished fact, all going to prove that the educational needs of Poverty Bay must bo governed from within and not from a district! many miles away. Both tlio Hawke’s Bay Education Board and the Auckland Board had- endowments in this district from which they wore obtaining the. benefit, which under the proposed scheme would accrue to Poverty Bay itself.

Air. Hill seconded the motion pro forma, and said that though in favor of local government whore possible he rather inclined! to the idea that the expense of having a local Board would be more than the district could afford. He stated that it would be; a very difficult matter to take away the endowments in this district from Auckland and Hawke’s Bay. and would possibly cause a lot of dissension. Mr. Humphreys stated that four years ago the matter had been gone into, and a decision come to that the nlan was not feasible. He was still of that opinion. The matter was discussed very fully bv other members of the Committee, alter which the following amendment was proposed by Mr. Hill and seconded by Mr. Fyson, “That nothing be done at present concerning the formation of a separate education board for the Gisborne d. 1 strict until further data Imarine on the matter has been collected.

On being put to f lic meeting the amendment. was carried.

The visiting committee for December are Messrs Sullivan and Turner. Accounts to the amount of £9 9s 6d .were passed for payment.