AUCKLAND SCHOOL COMMITTEE

Hokitika Guardian, 26 April 1918, Page 4

AUCKLAND SCHOOL COMMITTEE

A GILBERTIAN JANGLE

TWO ,SEPARATE BODIES ELECTED. (

Auckland, April 25,

An extraordinary situation of quite a Gilbertian character has arisen in connection with the election of the city schools’ committee. It has been the custom for about 30 years past to hold the annual meetings of city householders in St James’ Hall. This year the Education Board, on the suggestion of Mr Ernest Lilly (secretary of the retiring committee) appointed the gun room at the Drill Hall (a larger building) as the place of meeting. When, however, the advertisement appeared, the othess'eight members of the committee- repudiated the action of the secretary, which they asserted, had not been taken with their consent, and requested that the meeting should be held as heretofore iti St James’ Hall. The Board consented to do this, and

accordingly inserted a second advertisement in the newspapers, fixing St James’ Hall as the place' of meeting. Those in favour of holding the meeting in the Drill Flail challenged the right of the Board to change the place of meeting, on the ground that the statutory 21 days' notice liad.not been given. The Board, however, stuck to its decision that the meeting should be held s at St James’ Hall. 4 remark: able situation thus arose, there being two distinct parties- one in favour of each of two meeting- places. Interest in the quarrel was quickened by the fact that the Protestant “ ticket ” was being run at the Drill Hall meeting, and that the retiring committee ran a “ ticket ” composed of all the old members of the committee. <*ln connection with the St James’ meeting this “ ticket ” was asserted in some quarters to be the Roman Catholic “ticket,” but this was officially denied. As' neither side would give way to the other, two separate meetings were held last' night, one at each building. Both were well attended, but that at the Drill Hall was by far the larger. Dr Reekie, local president of the Protestant Political Association, presided at this meeting, which returned th& Protestant <• ticket ” by a large majority, Mr Lilly being at the head of the poll. At the St Janies’ meeting the retiring committee (including Mr Lilly) was* re-elected. 'The latter, who retained possession of the committee’s books,' was thus elected a member of both committees. He was subsequently elected chairman of the Protestant “ticket” committee,. Pnor to the election he had been dismissed from the position of secretary by the old committee. So'far it is uncertain what will happen, but the matter will come before the Education Board which will meet to-morrow. It is considered inevitable that, a, new election will have to.be held.

A later message stated that th e Education Board has declared both elections void. ) .