EDUCATIONAL FRANCHISE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 1855, 31 May 1888, Page 4

EDUCATIONAL FRANCHISE.

It is sincerely to be hoped that the efforts which have been put forth during the past seven sessions to remedy the defects of " The Education Act, 1877," m respect to the Educational Franchise will, on this occasion, be crowned with success. Our readers do not need to be told — we have had examples enough m our own district — that great confusion has arisen m consequence of the ambiguous definition of " householder," under which indeed the most opposite rulings have been made, and diametrically antagonistic proceedings taken. For instance the Chairman of one householders' meeting has ruled that none but property-owners could vote, while the Chairman of an adjoining district has held that every adult resident was entitled to exerciso the franchise. Then, again, the fact that the nominations and elections take place at the same meeting, precludes any oareful choice of Committeemen — indeed it usually happens that only those householders present at the meetings stand any chance of nomination at all ; and all these evils are intensified by tbe Bystem of cumulative voting foisted into the Act m the Legislative Council. Major Steward's Bill which was passed through the House of Representatives remedies all this. It defines house holder to mean " any male or female person who as owner, lessee, or tenant resides m any dwellinghouse within the school district, or who is the parent or guardian or the person responsible for the maintenance of any child attending any State school within such district." It provides that nominations of candidates are to be 6ent to the Chairman of Committees a week before the date of election, and that a list of such nomina tions shall be displayed on the outer door of every schoolhouse, and arranges the details of the election m such a way that a lapsed election is an impossibility. Lastly it enacts that every householder may exercise as many votes as there are persons required to be elected, or any ess number of votes, but that no houseolder shall record more than ono ' vote or any one candidate. The principles of the Bill have been affirmed by the lower House seven successive times and the Bill has, on five occasions, survived all accidents and obstacles m the way of its reaching the Lords, having now been passed by the House of Representatives m three successive Parliaments. According to constitutional precedent the Upper House ought certainly now to give way ac it cannot be held that the country is taken by surprise, nor that there is any serious objection to the Bill m any quarter, more especially that no less than 67 petitions have been presented m its favor, and that not a single petition has ever been presented to either House against it.