SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1829, 1 May 1888, Page 2

SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

The " Napier Telegraph " of the 24, h Inistant writea ;— The annual rldioulons farco of eloctlou of Bohool oommltteea by ao-oilied householders, took plooe last night m the various districts of Hawko'i Bay. At these elections any one can vote, and, by prior arrangement, a few frleuda of a candidate can plump him on to a committee In defianoe of householdera' wiahea. What with plural voting, and no . definition of the term " householder," the eleotion degenerates generally Into a noisy gathering that too often shows Itg unfitness to have anything \o do with aohool matters by celebrating tho occasion by getting drank. Year after year Major Steward has introduced Bills into Parliament to regulate these eleotlono, bat it Is felt that the whole Education Aot rests on eucli a cranky foundation that to lick It into shape would be. to tumble tha rickety and extravagant structure to tho ground. However, the oountry h«s had to balld the schools, establish a department, and keep the Aot going, and we do not ace why some maohlnery coald not be employed to regulate, with some degree of decency, theie annually reourrlog ootu mltteo oleotious. There Uno reaion'wby ' they should not be brought under Local Elections Aot, and then many who refrain now from taking part m them would be enabled to exc-rotae the'r prlvllogea. ; [Our contemporaty la quite right at to all but one point/ The bringing of (heße olectiona under the operation of ff The Local Eleclionn Act 1876" would ba altogethar to exponalveaproooßß.— Ep.]