Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1902. Wanganui Education Board.

Manawatu Herald, 29 April 1902, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. TUESDAY, APRIL 29, 1902. Wanganui Education Board.

Year by year we have been compelled to point out how, in various ways the Education Boards have endeavoured to undermine the power and position of school committees. The Boards evidently consider committees unnecessary and look upon them as being a check to the friendlyarrangements the Board likes to make for the advancement of education from their point of view. That committees should have much choice in the selection of a teacher has now been reduced almost to nothing; it is not very many years ago since the proposal to appoint any teacher to the school was always subject to the approval of the local committee, but now it is reduced to the nominal -election of a head master. Wo say nominal, for the tactics of the Board to get what would be their nominee chosen was by the adoption of tricks which only the heathen Chinee have been credited with. On one occasion a head teacher was wanted at the local school, and the Board made their first effort by sending only the name of one teacher; on the committee claiming their right of selection the Board forwarded their pet teacher’s name with those of two ether teachers, the. other two being known to some members of the committee as unfit for the position. To prevent the school being damaged the committee refrained from making any selection, (and as the result turned out it was satisfactory that they did not as the career of the Board’s selected teacher ended abruptly and unexpectedly) and informed the Board of the reasons and mentioning they believed the selection was made to force the committee to select a person of whom they knew nothing. Of course this sandwiching of the man intended for the school with two others the Board knew would not be satisfactory was merely a farce and only attempted owing to the small opinion the Board held of school committees. We have now come to a further illustration of the carelessness and neglect of the Board with regard to the election of a school committee for the ensuing year. The householders meeting by 1 ‘ The School Committees Election Act 1891 ” directs it shall be held on the fourth Monday in April. The formal meeting should therefore have been held last night. The public generally have had no notice, as required by the Act, for no advertisement was sent to this paper. Putting aside the fact that though every year an advertisement has always been sent to us, it appears, in a most glaring manner that from oversight, no paper has received an advertisement in proper form or proper time. The “ Manawatu Times ” and the “Advocate” received advertisements, but only much too late, as the date, under the Secretary's signature is given as the 22nd April, and at the earliest could not have had its first insertion until the 23rd or 24fch April. Thus -cbools away from the towns in which these papers arc published would practically receive no notice for the Householders meeting on the 28th. We can pass that bye, as the Act above referred to says “ on or before the first Monday in April in each year the Board shall publicly notify that a meeting of householders in each district will be held on the fourth Monday in that month.” No tretch of imagination can make the dating of !>n advertisement as the .. -.Vi-.-u sue need there was

for issuing it on or before tbe first Monday in the month. The omission of advertising in proper time, or not advertising as in some cases, prevents clause 6 of the above Act being complied with, and householders have therefore been debarred from the right't. y enjoy of sending nominations tot later than the third Monday in Aj il, as the advertisement was no* sent from the Board’s office until a day after the nominations should have been in the bauds of the school committees. As ic is not necessary for any candidate for the purpose of committee man being present at the householders’ meeting, the want of longer notice, if he got any, or the want of notice, has {prevented his giving his proposer authority to do so and thus prevents his being able to stand for a seat. An injustice has been done to this school district, intentionally or otherwise which will make the smooth working of school matters a difficulty, as a committee chosen in such a peculiar hole and corner manner cannot command the respect of the parents, however good men they may individually hs. The Board has blundered and thus adds one more reason for its discontinuance,- and thus make room for the more representative school committees.