Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1897. Education Board Representation.

Manawatu Herald, 13 March 1897, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1897. Education Board Representation.

Under the above heading our contemporary the Wanganui Vhronicle makes a very pleasant reference to Mr Sansou'a long services, and in mentioning the fact that he has consented to be nominated for a seat on the Board in the room of Mr Carson, resign d, does its best to dissuade him from standing against Mr Spurdle, who is the other candidate, by prognosticating another defeat for him if he does. "We very much regret to notice this desire on the part of the leading men of Wauganui to grab everything. Tho fact •that tho southern portion of the Education District has lost one representative by Mr Sanson and Mr Hurley being di-feated, *hows that even with the grudging division of representation admitted by the Wan ganni influence, we are in a worse plight than we were before, and our candidates were defeati d by the voting of the northern Committees. It seems bub reasonable that we should, at the first opportunity, do our besfc to remedy our position Quite lately we pointed out the awkivard position tho Education Board might be in for a chairman, supposing that one of tho gentlem^D who was a candidate, was not elected. We showed how careless the Wanganui people appeared about the position, and remarked that they should have taken the Committees into their confidence and asked especially for support for this one candidate. It was of course their own fault that they did not do so, but luckily he baa been elected. This b ing the case the question whether Mr Bpurdle or Mr Sanson should be eiecttd becomes one of choice between two men, and the pleading of the Chronicle is not at all to the purpose. If the Board is to have the confidence of the committees, the Board should exhibit a desire to see a fair representation of the district upon it, and this can never be the case when an effort is made to get as members persons wbo live adjacent to Wanganui. If, as we have understood it has been openly stated, Mr Bridge will reside in Wangnnui if elected chairman, the whole difficulty raised hy the Chronicle is knocked on the head, and wo who reside south ot that pleasant town have a right and a duty to 6end Mr Sanson back to the Board if we can. Mr SansoD has had a continuous seat on the Board since its formation, and must therefore be presumed to be of more value to the district than a gentle man who has never been on the Board. W« do not hold that any member has a prior right to b^ returned in preference to an outsider, as we hold a change is sometimes of an advantage, but we distinctly hold that it would be to the advantage to the southern portion of this district, to return a candidate residing in this southern por ion to voting for a candidate residing in Wnnganui. Mr Sanaon probably understands the situation as we do, and will give us the opportunity of voting for him. We might also add one more word, partly as a warning, and that is, it would be better for the Board to do irs best to secure the fairer adjußt ment of its representation, by. the return of Mr banson, than by push ing a victory it might perhaps accomplish. The southern com mittpes have before now shown very plainly that our representation, even as we were, was cot just, taking, not the committees, but the number of scholars into consideration. At present, we know, any committee, no matter how many children they supervise, has as great a voting power as the larger schools, and the pushing of this advantage may lead to an agitation for the division of the district.