, 1876-02-23

End Crownmember W7UemoesI The School.
Inspector is Member of the Towns School Com.
missions, but not of the Country School Com
missions. But the Inspector is the only person
who can exercise any control, as he keeps the
lists and knows all about the school attendance
in the Country still, he not being a Member
of the Country School Commissions, no respon-
sibility will devolve on him under this s. He
would recommend that s 3 remains in this
respect as it is, without adding the clause
proposed in the amendment.
1st Member for Frederikstel Sarauwl:
According to the new School Ordinance for
st. Thomas the Inspector is Chairman of the
Commissions, in which also 2 Members ap-
pointed by the Governments and two appointed
by the Colonial Council have seats. If the
expected Ordinance on schools here be framed
10 the same way, there would be but one
Member who ex oficio sits as Member, namely
The Inspector.
Tue President supposed that the meaning of
the honorable Member, when proposing the
amendment NJ, 8, was that the Members who
ez oticio S t in the Commission should be those
who have the responsibility, and that those
persons who are nominated Members should
lot besides giving their services also be ex.
posed to the risk of being fined, although those
s. 20 are paid y the Community and are In the
ny Ftt-1O Y luGiF OlACB SDOutu Dc
responsible. Taken in that view he could but
agree to it.
5th Crownm mber (Jars) had understood
as referring not only to children who receive
instruction at home, but also to those not at
tending q public school. On the whole the
exercise Of this contro. viii be very troublesome
10 The School Commission, who would have to
hunt up the children TO bring Them to vacci.
~ ion. But the du'y will mostly devolvo on
tie P0licem lster, aud although it will be attend
q with difficulty, it can be overcome blanks
ay be sent round to obtain information and
control may be kept through list5.-When he
voted against the amendments to reduce the
amounts Of The fines, it was not because he was
opposed to them, but because he did rot think
itright to make more alterations th1n absolute.
ly necessary, as the ordinance refers also to
st. Thomas.
The President Tho Law proseribes that
ell children not receiving satisfactory instruc.
ton ia some other way shall attend the public
schools. Of course it is always attended with
dthcu'ty for the Commission to decide whether
satisfactory instruction is given, but that will
not become more difficult because the Commits
sion has to keep control with the vaccination of
children. The main difficulty arises. as already
limited by the honorable Members, from the fact
otcompulsory chool-attendance not being enf5r-
ced, so that we have to discuss a law at a time
when one ofthe fundamental principles on which
The carr ying out Of it is based does not exist.
But be hoped this difficulty would soon be
removed, for he was able to say that the mat
ter of a new school organization will soon be intro.
duced in fact it has only been detained on
account Of the existing financial difficulties.
The Chairman explained that the present
draft is no doubt framed with the future school
regulation in view, after which there could be
bQt2 classes Of children, namely those receiv-
ing instruction at home and those receiving it
IN school the third class now existing, viz
those receiving no instruction at all, will then
not be in existence any more. Childrens' at
tendance to school is compulsory, also accord
Ing to the present School Regulations, but
It IS not enforced and cannot at present be enforc-
ed, owing to the abseuce of the requisite room to
aaaat the number of children. Taking then the
Law as 1t exists on paper and comparing it with
the provisions of the Draft, they will be found to
be IN full harmony but with the actual state OF
things the draft is not in good harmony, and from
thla reason there will be required a great deal
Of good will on all sides to carry out the
provisions. After the honorable End Crown
member bad proposed the amendment No. 81,
be, the Chairman, had had a conference with him
and he had then introduced the amendment No.
20 I%eaving it in the hands of the Government
when the Ordinance is to be put in force, and
although he must confess he did not much like
the arrangement, still it was the only Way to