Correspondence

Feilding Star, Volume XI, Issue 134, 6 May 1890, Page 3

Correspondence

I. We ere not responsible for the opinions of cur correspondents.]

NEW EDUCATION BOARD.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE STAR. Sm,— ln these days of reform and in provement, myself with ma^y othen think .that some alteration for the bette might be. made iri regard to the admisif "tration of educational matters in this an the surrounding districts by the formfttio ■of a new education district. ; Your oon temporary the Daily Times etPalmerato: North, had an excellent article-relating t this subject on April 30th, audit is in con sequence of reading that article that '. "venture, to trouble. you : with this epistle I think' the time Jims arrived when thi district should have a Bbaird of Educatio) ■of its ow»i Jahd ; if 7 a* new district wai |l formed, say from the Rangitikei river oi the north to Paikakariki on the south, it would be the. means of haying our educa tional -affairs conducted equally as cheaply as at present and possibly prevent a great deal of heartburning and ill feeling, whicl the ,. highhandedness of the Wanganui Board of Education so often engenders As to the question of expense, whicl naturally is a vital consideration, it is evident that as the - Wellington Board hai lately* appointed ah Assistant Inspector at .£BSO per annum and £1 Is per day travelling allowances (see Daily Times of May Ist) and. as the Wanganui Board's Inspector seems to be overworked and obliged to have a secretary at £85 per annum when not travelling, but I dare say more when he is. I think if the district were divided, as I suggest, the amount saved by the ■discontinuance of the two. officials mentioned above would go a long way towards providing fpr the salaries of both Secretary and Inspector in the new district, and, as the clerical work would be much less at the offices of each Board, no doubt the secretaries would not require so much assistance. Ido 'not for a moment suppose there would be any saying to the ■colony, but I. do not think fche expenditure would be mone* than at present, and it would certainly be more satisfactory. As to the treatment meted out. by the Wanganui Board to committees and teachers, perhaps the least said the better. In Palmerston the Board took no notice of the protest offered by the householders re school site but it appears have quietly sold the old school site some month past with- . out acquainting the local committee of its proceedings. Then again, note the evident -antipathy the Wanganui Board has to the establishment of a high school in this district. Such are some of tbe principal reasons, among many otherß, I could give for our. getting a new education district formed, sind I think it- is high time that •(taking into consideration the rapid settlement on land' which is taking place around Feilding and : Palmerston) educational matters, as well asother local work, should be directed from a centre nearer hand than Wanganui. ' Schools are likely to increase, in fact arp increasing, iri the country far back; and could be much better directed from here' than frorri Wanganui. And as a last reason • for my suggestion, is the fact that the present Wanganui Board is partly composed of men whoJKhowever .good their intentions, are "ineir of a--groove " and .they are most strongly op- " posed .to the incorporation among them of men of modern ideas and liberal views.' Therefore, I shy, let us separate and have a Board of Education composed of thoroughly practical men, of whom there are many m. this district ; and not allow us to be -dictated to by what I call, iri the most xespectfdl manner possible, a board of fCßeils. Perhaps the time may come when all boards will be discontinued and the -direction of educational, matters controlled by a central department, this with peripatetics inspectors would be the bpst soheme of all but till ihat time .arrives- let us have the privilege of managing our own ■educational 'affairs. — lam,&c., ... . : E. Colibr.