CORRESPONDENCE.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XV, Issue 63, 13 March 1880, Page 2

CORRESPONDENCE.

To the Editor op the ' Evening- Mail.' Sir, — I observe that the District Board of Education has notified that the election of three new members has resulted in favor of Messrs Barnicoat, Dencker, and Graham, who, I doubt not, are all good men. The number of Committees who voted for each is also given, but as this is purely public business and there were eight candidates to choose from, each of whom received some votes, yet the names of the unsuccessful candidates are not even mentioned. The school Committees will naturally feel interested in the relative positions obtained by the candidates whom each supported, and will seek the information from the same source whence they obtained it last year, namely, the newspapers. Ido not blame the reporters of the press for the omission on the present occasion, as I understand they have not hitherto exer cised their privilege of attending the meetings of the Board for the purpose of recording its proceedings, as is done in other parts of the colony. If the whole proceedings of so important a public body were fully reported and published so as to become known to the people, it would be beneficial and cause far greater interest to be taken in its business than can possibly be tbe case while we obtain the simple result of the proceedings (or so much thereof as is made public) in the form of resolutions frequently passed by a narrow majoiity, or sometimes by the chairman's casting vote, and often disapproved of by a large majority of their constituents. While this system continues the people cannot know which members of the Board are working for or against the public interest, and therefore cannot judge which of the existing members of the Board are worthy of confidence and most deserving of re-election. For the information of tbe Committees who voted for the various candidates, I append their names and the number of votes obtained by each : — Mr Barnicoat 23, Mr Dencker 19, Mr Graham 15, Mr Atkinson 10, Mr Hursthouse 8, Rev It. Bavin 5, Rev S. Poole 5, Rev J. Leighton 2. I am, &c, Pro Bono Publico.