THE Manawatu Herald. FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1879. THE EDUCATION BOARD ELECTION.

Manawatu Herald, Volume I, Issue 57, 14 March 1879, Page 2

THE Manawatu Herald. FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1879. THE EDUCATION BOARD ELECTION.

In a few days the various Local School Committees in the Education District will be called upon to exercise one of their most important functions, viz ; to elect three members to the Central Board. Ky a singular anomaly in the Education Act, the whole of the Committees in each district are required to vote for any candidates who stand for the office. The disadvantages of this method will be at, once apparent. When a vacancy occurs, each portion of the district desires to return a man who will watch its particular interests, and although he is professedly returned by the whole of the Committees in the Education District, local wants naturally take precedence wich him over the general good of the whole. Some seven gentleman have been proposed for the three vacant seats, and it is almost certain each section of the district will stick to its own particular man. For in stance, Maiiawatu will most probably vote en bloc- for Mr Sanson ; Rangitikei for Messrs Fox and Doull ; and Fatea for the gentleman who has^ been nominated at that end of the* district ; whilst Wanganui, seeing a chance of obtaining another vote, is almost certain to move earth and heavento obtain the return ofka local man. This is perfectly t natural, as in every case a representative from the district is certain to know more intimately than a stranger its especial requirements. But what we desire to point out is this. That under the present system, it would be quite possible for two districts to band together, and by a block vote gain between them the whole of the representatives. For example, it is almost certain that were Manawatu and Uangitikei to unite with a view to the return of thiee local men, it would be possible to outnumber Patea, and leave that district yeat after year totally unrepresented. We say unhesitatingly that any system which leaves the representation of a large district to so uncertain a contigency as the unselfishness of another district is rotten to the core. Instead of this method, the Act should - be amended so that every member sits on the Board as the representative of a particular constituency, elected b> it to work for the good of the -whole Education District,

but especially to guard and watch its own local wants. To sho w. how absurd the Act is now, we mayi .point out that should Mv Sarisou bp u'nreturnod, and should Mr Dairy in-" pie's promised resignation result in the return o"f another AVanganui man, the whole Manawatti would be un represented "We might certainly bring forward a suitable candidate and, say, to the whole of the Committees. ' ' "We are unrepresented ; we Have no one to watch our interests seeing you are in a different position, we beg of you to return a man who resides at this end of the district." Any such appeal wonld probably gain nothing more than ridicule. In such cases " Might is right." On the other hand, by a fortuity of circumstances, Manawatu might be largely over. rGpresen red, and we might have a majority of the members of the Board residents of thi9 district, whiuh would be f qually unjust 10 some other section. Mv Fox was not a Eangitikei representative, nor is Mr Dalrymp'e a member for Manawatu. Owing to the fact that they reside in the respective districts mentioned, .We naturally expect them to exercise a special watch over their wants, but even if they were to s'onlly oppose the execution of much-needed local works, and were upbraided for doing so, they might at once reply, " We did so and so in the interests of Fatea, or some other distant portion of our large constituency." We repeat such a stato of things is in ihe highest degree unsatisfactory. We know of no analogous case in any local governing body. The essence of local self-government is in the distinct and definite representation of districts, for reasons that are self-evident. What we propose is, that the Education Districts be sub-divided into sections, similar to the Hidings, and that the School > Committees in each section have the opportunity of returning a particular representative, "who should be responsible to his constituents for the manner in which he fulfilled the duties of his stewardship. By this means local wants would be more thoroughly ventilated, every portion of the district would be fairly represented and the present uncertain and unsatisfactory method of election of members of the Board would be relegated to well-deserved obscurity. Whatever may be the result of the election, the feature of the Act we have discussed is well worthy of the serious attention of the various Local Committees. A resolution on the subject from them would probably bring the matter under notice of the Go- ' vernment. It is quite possible an Education Act Amendment Bill will be introduced during nextsession, and if so, the alteration we suggest might be incorporated