The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1886. EDUCATIONAL FRANCHISE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume V, Issue 1255, 4 June 1886, Page 2

The Ashburton Guardian. Magna Est Veritas et Prevalebit. FRIDAY, JUNE 1, 1886. EDUCATIONAL FRANCHISE.

Major Steward, the member for Waimate, has introduced a Bill to the House of Representatives intituled “ The Educational Franchise Act 1886,” which promises to amend a very prominent defect in the Education Act, 1877. At almost every meeting held for the election of school committees under the existing law the chairmen, respectively, have been asked for a definition of the term “ householder.” As might have been expected, a variety of conflicting definitions have been supplied by gentlemen presiding at meetings of householders. In this district the Education Board deemed it.necessary to interfere in two cases, and rule that the elections having been improperly held—others than householders voting—were null and void. Major Steward proposes to | obviate this difficulty by supplying the I following official definition of the | present ambiguous term ; —“ The definition of the word ‘ householder,’ as given in section four of the said Act, is hereby repealed, and, for the purposes of the said Act and Amendment Act and of this Act, the word ‘householder’ shall mean and include every male or female person of the age of twenty-one years and upwards who is the resident owner, lessee, or tenant of any dwelling situate within the school district, and every lodger who has resided in such district for the space of not less than six months next before any election of a School Committee or of members of a School Committee, or next before the date of any memorial praying for the constitution of a school district, and every parent or guardian who is liable to maintain or has the actual custody of any child attending the school.” The Bill also deals with the cumulative vote. It proposes to provide ;—“ At any election held in accordance with the provisions of the said Act and Amendment Act, every householder may exercise as many votes as there arc persons required to be elected, or any less number of votes; but no householder shall be entitled to record more than one vote for any one candidate.” We trust Major Steward may succeed in passing into law the concise and well-considered Bill he has intro duced