THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1881. THE ERRATIC BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2369, 5 November 1881, Page 2

THE GLOBE. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1881. THE ERRATIC BOARD OF EDUCATION.

Of all the public bodies with which Canterbury abounds there is none abont the proceedings of which the public are allowed to know so little as the Board of Education. In fact, two-thirds of its business is, so far as the general public is concerned, a sealed book, and the other kind consists of petty details such ae the erection of fences, &c., which interests nobody. Added to this too the Board is most erratic in its decisions, and rejoices in the possession of a chairman in whom is supposed to centre all the wisdom of the district, and a little more, but who is also exceedingly erratic in' his method of dealing with school teachers. So long as no inconvenience was experienced, the action of the Board in reference to those under them was amatter of individual concern. But the erratic propensities of the Board has in an instance to which we desire to call attention, carried them in the direction of interfering very considerably with the convenience of the public. We allude to a resolution passed at the last meeting of the Board as to the impropriety of schoolmasters acting as deputy returning officers at elections. We must confess to being greatly surprised at the action of the Board, and more so at the course adopted by a member of it who has worthily earned the reputation of being “unco canny” in the matter of steering his way so as to catch the breeze of popular favor, more especially at election times. We allude to the “ People’s William,” as he is affectionately called by his simple-minded and arcadian constituents—Mr. William Montgomery. That gentleman, when he expressed his opinion as to the undesirability of schoolmasters undertaking this work, must have mistaken the state of our circumstances, and must have been labouring under the delusion that the Board was in its normal condition—viz., in committee—otherwise we feel sure he would have taken time to consider the line which it would be the best policy under the circumstances for him to adopt. However, the dead is done ; and no doubt if public inconvenience results —as we feel sure it will from the action thus taken—the People’s William will have to fight it out with his constituents. But we shall contend that the action of the Board in this matter was not only unnecessary, but also mischievous. What possible harm can the conducting of an election do to the schoolmaster ? As a rule, in country districts, elections are usually held in the school; who so fitted, therefore, to conduct the business as the schoolmaster ? Again, in nine cases out of ten, the schoolmaster is the only person in the district at all capable to do so. It is therefore for the public convenience that the system has prevailed for many years, only now to be discovered to be dangerous. Is Mr. Montgomery afraid that the effect of the schoolmaster taking part in the conduct of an election will re-act upon his scholars, and imbue them with Hall or Greyite views ? Is he afraid that the great liberal programme of political education for all will not be imparted by the schoolmaster, who may unhappily be contaminated by sitting for a few hours to supervise the receipt of voting papers. If so, let his heart be comforted. There is not likely to occur anything half so dreadful as he appears to have conjured up. No sensible person could for one instant see the slightest harm in the schoolmaster’s acting as deputy returning officer and taking the votes. The office is one which does not bring with it any feeling of partisanship in the slightest, and, therefore, we cannot but think that in this respect the Board have strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel, and have stretched their authority somewhat too far. It may be on calmly reconsidering the matter, and on out assurance to the People’s William that the evils he looks forward to exist only in his own imagination, that the Board will rescind what cannot but bo regarded as a very foolish resolution. The public in the remoter country districts will ba inconvenienced, and it may be elections rendered null and void, through tha gnoranco of the official appointed. It nay also be noted that in some cases ichoohnastera have acted in the capacity »f returning officers for nine or tea

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