Special Informal Meeting of Interested Britons in Cathedral School Hall: Legal Difficulties HE object of this meeting is to clear the air, and if possible to meet the various criticisms which have been aired in the Press," said Mr.
A. E, Seddon when he took the chair at a well attended special informal meeting which was held in the main hall of the Cathedral School for Boys on June 4 in connection with the "North-China Daily News'
Coronation Memorial Fund.
The fund, which at the time the meeting opened stood at $01,539.54, has as its object the raising of a sum of $150,000 to help provide the school new site and playing fields, and the School Management, Cathedral Trustees and Lester Trustees were seated on the proscenium ready to answer the barrage of questions, criticisms and suggestions that were fired at them from the body of the hall, The meeting ended with an unanimous burst of ap) cause and the general feeling was that most, if not all, of the difficulties had been cleared up.
Supporting Mr. Seddon were Messrs. W..S, King, P.W. Massey, in the school," he went on, "but T F.C, Master. the Rev. P. C. do not think I have seen any sugges Matthews (headmaster). Di, B, L. tion as to how the expenses incurred Marsh, Messrs, CE, Parsons, by. an Increased number are to be S.C. Young, the' Dean, Mr. met, Tt is true that if we had a "imornton' and Mr.
Targer number of boys, the difference Liddell, Before the meeting' was between fees and expenditure would thrown open for discussion, Mr. work out less per boy, but there King. presented a stirvey of the would still be a difference, The origin of the school and of the Tate Targer the school the more endowment Mr. 'Lester's bequests, Mr, Seddon need." discussed the Tegal side of the be 'The Cathedral "Trustees, who were quests, and the Rev, Matthews, in also" the endowment' "trustees, Nis capacity of headmaster, present were very anxious that the school ed his plea for the removal of the should be moved, and had received school to another site. the Court's authority to do so, "pro-When the meeting terminated, Mr. vided a satisfactory scheme can be Seddon said that he would like to produced." 'This was not easy, as mention that at the earliest possible the only' asset the school moment after the fund had reached was its equity in the present build its desired proportions, application ing and the unspent building fund, would be made (o H. Mf, Supreme and it was necessary to exchange Court for permission to uso a bale the equity in some way for other ance of $117,000 that was left over accommodation. Practical sugges for the present school was con~ tions would be welcome. structed towards whatever scheme Mr. Seddon, speaking for the mo-might be evolved, (The Lester Trusment as chairman of the school's {ees had already given their consent committee of management, said he to that, he concluded amid applaud: would Ike to deal shortly with what he considered were the main eritie-'Mr, King's Survey isms made, The first was that a The Cathedral School, began Mr.
Coronation Memorial should be for King, was started some thirty years the benoft of all British boys, re-ago-and was actually a choir school, gardies of creed and extraction. AS at Lis foundation, being started in erced, there was no. restriction some. buildings on its present site boys of non-conformist, Roman and ultimately extending to the low-Catholic, Jewish and other creeds er floor of the Church House. Since being as eligible as boys of the these buildings were the property of Church of England. The extraction the Cathedral, the school paid it an question was more dificult, as under annual vent. The late Mr. Lester the terms upon which the bequest. took considerable interest in "both was accepted, the school war to be the Cathedral and the School and open to boys of "respectable Euro-when he died in May, 1926, lott Tis. pean parentage" only. {600,000 in his will, all of which was The sponsors of the fund, after a to be used to build the Deanery, great deal of hesitation, ultimately Church House and school and equip: felt justified in putting forth the ment, obviously intending a close appeal as one for connection between Cathedral and 'School for boys in Shanghai.' cal dimeutties in the way of He also left property for the en-participation of other British boys dowment of the school, which was proved insuperable. It would only to be open to British boys Irrespee~ be possible, in his opinion, to apply tive of ereed, and "shall be open to to the Court for permission to throw boys, being natural born British sub-open the school to boys who did not jects, who shall be not loss than 7 qualify under the terms of the will years of age and of respectable Euro-provided they could satisfy the can parentage. here was no option Court there were insuMicient -quali-inthe will which stipulated that the fied boys to maintain the schools. old. buildings were to be demolished "the Court cannot sanction a and new. ones erected on their breach of trust and cannot permit ite, Which, since this site belong-Tegatees, whether trustees or not, ed to the Cathedral, was in, effect who have accepted legacies saying that the Cathedral was to part definite conditions to depart from with a portion of its assets to the those conditions. If the Cathedral school, " The Cathedral subscribers Trustees were to do so the legacy Fetused the bequest unless they could would have to be repaid." receive some consideration for this The second suggestion was that expropriation of their own tand, the management of the school should "Rent Question" he widened to give the general the administrators of the will public more voice. Three of the plied to the Court for permission for Committee of Management were {he school to pay rent for the usc appointed by the Cathedral Trustees: of the ground, and this wax granted, and four by the Lester Trustees. the rent being Axed at $21,000 y year, There was nothing to prevent either for 41s per cent. of the assessed. from appointing nominees of any fof the sile, This rent had now been creed, and there was no restriction Yeéuced to $12,000 which as {0 the parentage of the committee, swered the question "why the school 'The third criticism was that it was built on' the present site and was hot clear whether the object of also the rent question." the scheme was to provide playingflekls or for the removal of the The new school wax built to acschool, The answer was, both. commodate 235 boys, with arranxe-He was glad to say that already the ments and money for an increase (o laying fields were assured, whether Mr, Lester's specification of 300 boys fu the basis of purchase or renting. ig necessary. "A maximum of 175 boys He would like to mention that the was reached soon afler the school Cathedral Trustees, Lester Trustees. opened and this number had since and the Committee of Management Awindled, for various causes about were entirely in harmony in urging which there were different opinions, the appeal for the school's removal. {0 110, Now, every pupil in one way end "all give the appeal their unghother added to expenses; it cost reserved blessing." $1200 a year for the education of each boy, of which sum parents paid 'The last speaker, the Rev. Mat~ £240, 'This expensive basis of opera thews, said he wished to put forward tion was due to the fact that at home three' points in support of the re-boys of 9 to 13 would be in a prep. moval of the school. Firstly, it was school and boys of 13 {0 18 in a not desirable that small boys should secondary. school, whereas here the have to rush up and down three ges ranged from 7 to 18 in the one fights of stairs, with the ever pres-school. By enlarging the classes, out danger that some day some one however, it was possible that about would fall and get hurt, Secondly. 40 more boys could be accommodated there was the noise question, and without any audition: rather wished that the meeting had "There "has been discussion about Leen held at 1130 oan. and not 5 considerably enlarging. the numbers pan, so that those present could
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.