EDUGATIONAL INSTITUTE.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXIX, Issue 3201, 24 April 1911, Page 3

EDUGATIONAL INSTITUTE.

GISBORNE BRANCH.

ANNUAL MEETING.

The Gisborne branch of the New Zealand Educational -Institute held its annual meeting at. the Gisborne School on Saturday morning; " There was >a fair attendance, and Mr. J* H. Bull, president, occupied the chair. On behalf of the committee Mr. D. E. Leslie, the secretary, read the annual report, which was as follows :■ — “Fifty teachers of the Hawke’s Bay Education District, extending northwards from Frasertown, are members of our branch, but there are still a few who-, we regret, do-not associate themselves with any branch. Our institute has had a successful year. Four very well-attended general meetings have been held, and one formal committee meeting. Most of the committee work was referred by, the general meeting to special sub-committees that met on several occasions and transacted the business entrusted to them. On Mr. Hill’s departure for England your institute presented him with a travelling rug and a pair of military hair brushes at a social function; and also collected from children, friends, and teachers the sum of £46 12s Sd, of which £45 was forwarded to Napier as our district’s contribution to a presentation purse of sovereigns. The small balance was spent as detailed in the appended balance-sheet. The principal business of the year was the drafting of a promotion scheme for Hawke’s Bay. teachers. The matter was introduced at a general meeting held on August 6th last. Correspondence was read from the secretaries of the Southland and Wanganui Institutes, explaining the position of promotion schemes there, and our Mr. Marshall, of Matawhero, presented a scheme subsequently. The matter was referred to a sub-commit-tee. who presented an amended scheme and alternative scheme from Mr. Marshall. The general meeting eventually adopted one on behalf of the, Gisborne branch. The Education Board is prepared to favorably consider a promotion scheme submitted from the central body, of our institute, and the management is now analysing the opinions of several branches with a view to the recommendation of a promotion scheme that will’meet with our unanimous approval. We have consistently pressed for the appointment of attendance officers by tlie Board, and in this we have had the hearty co-operation of the Napier and Dannevirke branches, but the Board has not yet been persuaded to take action. Your institute is aware that there are many children of school age who are not attending any school, and these can bei reached only by the visits of attendance officers. Two of our teachers were elected as delegates to the Hokitika conference held last January, but neither was present. Through stress of weather Miss Faubert arrived in Hokitika just as the conference closed, and Mr. J. Williamson, 8.A.. of Taradale. attended in the place of Mr. Leslie, who had notified his inability to be present. The full report of the conference > has already been sent to the members of the institute. Your committee believes that a new syllabus of work for schools is in course of preparation by the Education Department, but nothing very definite is vet known as to the nature of the alterations. Our roll strength is 50; 'of this 43 teachers are financial. The subscriptions in arrears total £3 6s. The balance-sheet shows a credit balance of £l6 10s 4d, which under bylaw 5 must be forwarded (less 6s 4d) immediately to the district secretary, Mr. It. B. Holmes, Havelock North. The retiring officers are :—President, Mr. J. H. Bull; vice-president, Mr. J. Marshall; committee, Misses Faubert and Craighead, and Messrs. Rowley, Wauchop. Woodward, Cole (treasurer), and Leslie (secretary). Representatives on the committee of the central body who retire are Messrs. Woodward, Marshall, and Rowley (vice-pre-sident). —For the committee, F. E. Leslie.”

Mi’. Rowley moved, and Mr. Woodward seconded, that the annual report and balance-sheet be adopted, and the motion was carried unanimously. Mr. F. J. Rowley, reporting on behalf of the sub-committee set up to discuss the geography scheme, statdd the scheme had been fully considered, and they recommended that the syllabus which was drawn up some years ago was quite satisfactory, and would be effective for some time. On the motion of Mr. Rowley, seconded by Mr. Woodward, it was decided to urge that the' geography scheme as drafted by the central body should be brought into operation this year. 'After som'e disciissidn ‘.Mr.. Rowley moved that' the teachers’ promotion scheme, when received, should be referred to the general comrhittee at the annual meeting. This was seconded by Mr.. Woodward and agreed to. ri.lt was resolved, on the • motion of Mi\ Woodward, that the attention of the committee be drawn to the matter of arrears in the subscriptions of members.

The following was the result of the election of ' officers for the ensuing year :—President, Mr J. McLeod; vicepresident, Mr. R. Cole; secretary, Mr. D. E. Leslie (re-elected); committee, Misses Faubert and Morgan, Messrs J. H. Bull, J. Wauchop, F. J. Rowley, Fred.' Far am,’ and- J. Marshall; representatives on tho management committee, Messrs. Frank Faram and J. Marshall. Mr.-F.; J. Rowley was nominated as president of the central body. Mr. Leslie moved, “That this branch is nleased with the manner .with which Mr". Holmes has kept it in touch during the year with the working of the District Institute. The motion was carried by acclamation. On the motion of Mr. Bull, it was decided to express sympathy with the Inspector (Mr. A. Smith) in his recent accident, and the meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the retiring officer's of the branch.