Education Business.

Manawatu Herald, 9 March 1897, Page 2

Education Business.

We have pointed out how much the success of working any local govern ing body depends chiefly on the class of men elected as chairman. A good business training is of the utmost value and where this is not to hand we frequently notice disinclination to do things which would be of advantage to the Board as well as the committees appointed under t^hem. We have an instance of the wonderful way of how not to do things in our Wanganui Education Board. The Act demands that the commit teen shall summon parents of children absenting themselves from school. The local committee has had a great experience in this matter, aod have arrived at the conclu^ pion that as things are the game is I nut worth the candle, but have ma^e [ r presentations to the Board whi h have not. as yet succeeded in securing I any attention. Yet the suggi stinn ' is busineßolike and economical. The

method of summonsing is thus, first an information is laid which necessitates much writing in of partiou* lars, and then a summons and a duplicate have to be prepared, making in all three documents in connection with one summona. Multiply this with the number ot defaulters each Vreek, in the lotsal bommittte's ease it was eighteen, the honorary clerk would have been called upon to fill up in writing 54 forms, no holiday task, to be all dotie for nothing. The committed considered the Question pf having them printed, bat the number required locally would be so few in proportion to the cost of setting up that thay determined to propose to the Board to -do this work and supply them to every committee, free, but if not free then at a pro portion to the co9t to the number taken. This is business, and the local committee endorsed these recommendations by proving the fact that thia is just what the Auckland Education Board does-, and yet the Matter is held over, pending, we presume, the Board being called upon to consider so grave an outlay. This is just one instance out of many which could be brought into pub* licity where the committees are handicapped unnecessarily from the want of attention on the part of the Board.