The Manawatu Standard PUBLISHD DAILY. Survant la verites THURSDAY, JANUAY 25, 1883. ELCTION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 3, Issue 52, 25 January 1883, Page 2

Manawatu Standard PUBLISHD DAILY. Survant la verites THURSDAY, JANUAY 25, 1883. ELCTION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

. ■ •■ ■«, ■ • . . The Napier' Telegraph unreservedly condemns the system of voting ,to> members of school commit tees under the Act now m force', as indeed; every sensible or thinking person must do. Our contemporary points out that as each elector is entitled to a number of vote* equal to the number- of the committee tn be elected ,. a jndicious course of pluming by half-ar-dozen f i iends of.one can~ didate will usually secure the desired return. The papers are filled with the names of seven persons, or with a less number, as may suit the tacbics of the votor. Year after year attention has been called to the absurdity of the system, but the Legislatuie has not thought fit to amend it, and we presume the farce was repeated on Monday night throughout the school districts of the colony, with the unsatisfactory result that has almost invariably at" tended it. As a case m point we will take the Wanganui School Committee election, the analysis of which is given m the Herald, One oommittee man secured seven " plumpers," out of his ?2 votes, making up ' 49 of the fiumber obtained. We need scarcely say he was a minister of religion, whica clnss most unaccountably displays an astouiHhing eagerness for office as' members of School Committees. It will be v seen how unfair is this system of voting, and how discreditable to the wisdom of the Legislature which enacted it. The whole system is open to serious objection on many grounds, and should be. substituted by one more rational and practical. As a correspondent poin»s out elsewhere, the election ot a committee not having direct' peribpal interest m the successful working of the school is much to be condemned.