CORRESPONDENCE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 3769, 24 August 1907, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE.

'We do n6t'hold''oupaetves ; 'responsible for 1 . opJnibna expressed by oup correspondents. - Textile Editor, Sir, —I have no desired© stir up ■strife in school matters, but pub- - lie - men ip seeking offjeev ;as. I thipk you very rightly explained, .should at least have a knowledge ,/ .of their powers, and then a lot of i haggling would be saved. It ap- * pears to me the first thing a number of well-meaning men do is to - rush into public life without a .. knowledge of their duties. Stip- . „p.ose; they had to appear* before a Magistrate ,as witnesses on a School Committee affair, what very sorry figures they would cut unless .they knew what powers they possessed? I,don’t blame a man for having a desire to serve his fellows in public life, hut I dp think, sir, that he should lie fully qualified as to his duties. Well, sir, my excuse in rushing into print is to ask you to be good enough to answer two questions, in order to * settle a difference of opinion, the result, I might tell you, of a rather long, and at times, heated debate, which I cannot give you for publication. First, 'can'the local School ' Committee hire the old school to the public without first obtaining “ license from the Borough Coun--I'' “dil? Second, does the Education allow its buildings to be used for dancing, etc. When there are other public halls in the town ? I might say, sir, I can enjoy a dance with any man, and my object in asking these questions is entirely without a feeling to get a stab at any one. Thanking you in anticipation, and apologising for errors. —I am; etc., Curious. [ln answer to the first query; Our - opinion is that the Committee - cannot hire the old school for. public gatherings without first obtaining a license from the Borough Council. Section 362 of the Municipal Corporations Act 1900 says : “It shall not be , .lawful to use any building or enclosure within a borough . . as a dancing hall . • • • \\rketlier a charge is made for .admission thereto or not, except upon the conditions set out in / the thirteenth schedule hereto, d The thirteenth schedule sets \out that the owner or occupier of the building shall apply for a license and must give particulars as to situation of building, etc. Section 367 reads; — “If any owner or occupier, or person' having the. control of any such building, uses it, or allows it to be used fbr any of the purposes above mentioned, not having a license for the same . . . • shall be liable to a penalty of not more than £2O for every such offence.” The Wanganui Edu- ■ cation 'Board’s Regulations, Section 92, states that; 11 In regard to the use of school buildings for other than school purposes, Committees should not allow the buildings to be so used, when tffere is another building - in the district available-” Sec-; tion 94- states /‘That school rooms are . not to be used for dancing.” All anonymous correspondence on school matters must now cease for tfie present. ■ : —ed-h.] ! ' •