Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-03

she had been induced to believe that
lie had some influence Ia the matter
Of raising or lowering salaries, though
she knew that the saiary question is
supposed to be handled by the board
lof school commissioners.
Attorney Lightfoot asserted taat
Miss Davis contract. given when she
came to the Territory from the main
| land to teach, did not GILL for work
/ in the grades, for which she certainly
| was not fitted and which she did not
Intend doing. He declared iier definite
understanding with the Fiske agency.
through whom she was employed, was
that she was to teach mathematics or
the higher work.
Attorney General Lindsay. called
upon by Commissioner w. HI. Smith
| for an opinion concerning the contract
that inasmuch as the document did
rot defiitely specify the nature of the
work she was to have. and she had
accepted the grade work without pro-
| test and tried to do II for one entire
year, she could not compel the Depart
ment to give her the higher work she
desires.
Miss Davis shorteoming, 1t appears
from the evidence against her, is that
she was unable to control the children
over whom she had charge and as a
result could not give them the neces-
sary education. The accusation
against Miss Dawson Is of a much diff
ferent nature. She is charged with
failure TO cooperate with the principal
and of insistence in doing things In
her own way
She came here two years ago with
Eer sister. Miss Eva Dawson, and on
similar charge the sister was let out
last year. Attorney Lightfoot said the
sister wanted to stay to present her
case before the commissioners, but
stated that "she was unable TO stand
the pressure the last few months and
was compelled to leave the country.
Miss Maud Dawson's present hear
ing is an appeal to the commission
from its former rulings in falling 10
reappoint her. She Is teacher OF
nature study; graduating from the
University of Michigan in 1868 re-
ceiying the A. B. degree, having
taught three years at Frankfort,
Mich. before going to the university,
and taught one year at the Birming-
ham high school before coming TO
Honolulu.
She has been at the Normal school
two and one-third years, explained
Lightfoot, and during the first year
served with satisfaction. The present
trouble. he said, grew out of a small
incident during the summer school
in 1911, when Prof. Wood, %ho was
not principal of that school, one day
ordered her to go to her room. She
was in the hall waiting to hold a
conference with Prof. Smith, the sum
mer school principal, and refused TO
obey Prof Wood. ~
Later, without her knowledge, Prof.
Wood opposed her reappointment,
making charges to which she was CIV
en- no opportunity to reply. She was
not reapDointed by the commission
ers, and Superintendent Pope did not
notify her until eleven days after the
action had been taken, when she re-
ceived the communication notifying
her that she had been dropped from
the faculty and from the public school
department of the Territory. "for the
good of the department" ~
Attorney Lightfoot deemed this
conspiracy and manifestly unfair, re-
marking:
= why, We don't even convict cat
of stealing cream without first look
ing at its whiskeRs!" He said her
first intimation that she was not re-