EDUCATION RESERVES QUESTION.

Patea Mail, Volume I, Issue 67, 1 December 1875, Page 2

EDUCATION RESERVES QUESTION.

A public meeting was held in the Court House-,on Monday evening last, for (be \p.ufpose of giving public expression to the feeling :existing in this portion of the district, in relation to the decision of the Education Board, to lease the reserves at their command, by tender instead of by auction.

M Taplin was unanimously voted to the chair, .and, having taken his seat, read the advertisement calling the meeting, and asked for any gentlemen present to bring forward resolutions. Mr Ivess moved the first resolution as follows —"‘That in the opinion of this meeting, the course that the Education Hoard has taken in offering the Educational Reserves for lease hy tender instead of by public auction, lias been a grave error of judgment, inasmuch as hy the latter system the probability of a far greater income would be secured. That, as the proposed leases are for terms of fourteen and twenty-one years respectively, there will be no chance of any amendment during those prolonged periods, and that therefore the greatest care should be exercised hy any public body before finally disposing of public lamia for so long a term, and that everything should he done to realise the highest price possible.” In doing so, he said it was with reluctance that he came forward to appeal against the action of one of a duly constituted body, in reference to the disposal of the reserves, for at the tipie when the members passed the resolution ho had no doubt they had the good of the community at heart. When, however, this was questioned in the manner it had been, they should have paused, and should have homo iu mind the old Latin proverb that refers to the wax papuli being the vox Dei, the voice of the people being the voice of (tod. On the contrary, four of the gentlemen composing the Hoard refused to listen to reason, and said that the public, in wishing the reserves let hy auction instead of by tender, were wrong, and that they were right in the course they had taken. The first act that the promoters of that meeting had done was to sign a petition to the Chairman of the Board, praying' hint to call a special meeting of th'c'EFoa’rd td reconsider the question. It WaS most respectfully worded, and was signed by nearly all the settlers in Manutahi, Kakaramca, and Carlyle. A great many more signatures could have been obtained, but the Chairman said he would accept tho’se as sufficient, and promised that tiie the memorial should promptly receive his" must earnest consideration. The result was, however, that that gentleman eventually refused to call the meeting, on the grotnid that a majority would still adhere to the tender system. The speaker referred to' the arguments used by the advocates of the tender system, to the effect that auction would create undue excitement,- reckless speculation, and that tlie Board would not have power to choose their tenants, lie pointed out that equal c'onditioiVs could be made binding on those who leased hy tender or by auction, and, sii’ch 5 being the case the Hoard had no right to select their tenants, but were hound in justice to the public to lease to the' highest bidder, and take (behest means to obtain'the highest hid. lie illustrated the injustice that might be carried out under the' proposed system, and showed hb\v much more conducive, alike to the public interests and the principles of fairplay, it was to'bring competitors face to face at public auction, where all proceedings wore open and above hoard. He urged that competition would bo limited hy the tender system, and that it would not answer the declared ends of its advocates. As an example, a man might want a single section of land, hut not having any idea as to what it would fetch, lie might very probably tender for throe, in the hope that at least he would secure one. The whole three might be allotted him, and he not able to take them all up, so they might bo again thrown on the Board’s hands. The obstinacy of the Hoard in this respect, strongly reminded him of the following ([notation —

“ Fools are stubborn in their way. As coins are hardened by the allay; And obstinacy’s ne’er so stiff A's when 1 ’t is in a wrong belief.” He proceeded to depfebate the action that the four members had persisted in, thus openly ignoring public opinion, in a manner that, had never been attempted by public todies of a very much more important hat if re. Even Parliament was not callous to public opinion, and it w;Df rath'er extrofdihary that a small Board like this should follow out a course in' positive defiance of the ratepayers, their constituents. They might do so, through their dull comprehension of what Was right, but their position in that case would not be an enviable one. He regarded the auction system as the most popular and honest mode of dealing with public property, especially as it was very probable that some of the members of the Board were likely to compote for some of the sections to be disposed of. Auction would place them all on an equality, and as to the talked-of increase of expense, that would merely be the auctioneer’s commission. He again read the motion, expressing a hope that the meeting would carry it.

Mr A. Hunter seconded the motion, and in doing so said he was sorry that he had been called on to question the action of some members of the Board. It was, however, absolutely necessary for the welfare of the educational cause that the public should step in, and on that ground he had come forward on tlfe occasion. Mr Hirst was favorable to the resolution, but thought some of the remarks of the mover rather hard, in connection with the disposal of the sections. He would, however, support the motion. Mr Williams asked whether the meeting had lost confidence in the Board that they had so lately elected ? It was strange, if such was the case, for only very recently the ratepayers had thought them the fittest and best men. Some little confusion occurred here, it being submitted that Mr Williams was not in order in defending the Board generally, as the resolution only questioned their prudence in leasing by tender instead of auction. Eventually Mr Williams declined to say' more, and the motion was put and carried, twelve voting in favour and seven against it. At least half those in the room abstained from voting cither way.

Mr Cane moved the next resolution “ That, in proposing to lease the reserves I) 3' tender, a majority of the Education Board do not. express the let ling of the ratepayers, and are acting in a manner most diametrically opposed to their interests. Further that the action of the Chairman in refusing to call a special meeting of the Board for re-consideration of the question, was contrary to al! usage, and that this meeting records its strong feeling of dissatisfaction atsueh an unusual course. That should Messrs Middlemans, Milroy, Cnristie, and Coutts, persist in carrying out their resolution in the face of public opinion, they will no longer possess the confidence of their constituents, and will sacrifice the best interests of the public to their culpable obstinacy. -In such a case, this meeting wishes to declare that they no longer possess the confidence of the people of Patoa, and hope that they will at once resign the positions on the Board, that they at present hold.” it was a resolution that he thoroughly agreed with, and he never was more in earnest in the cause of education. Ho alluded to the grounds on which the Board had reso.ved to let by tender, and pointed out that all the feared combinations could be prevented by fixing a rcserse at auction. Ho denied that the Board had any rigid to choose tenants. All they had to do was to lay down conditions, and see that they were fulfilled. Mr Middlemas had quoted the system existent in the old counity', where farms were never let by auction, but he (the speaker), would point out that they were not in the old country now, and though it would be well for them to adopt all that was good from there, they should leave behind all that was bad. As far as letting farms went, he knew one largo landlord in England who would not have a Nonconformist on his property as a tenant, and another, a Nonconformist, who would not have any other denomination, and who, in a few years, had not a Catholic or a Protestant on his land. The cases were not parallel in letting lands at home and here. At homo private persons were owners, and could do what they liked with their own ; here the lands to be let were public property, and were theirs, the public of all classes. Letting by auction would not open the door to jobbery that might extend over twenty-one years. The mover of the first resolution had been warm in fearing that tenderers might not have fair-play, but there was nothing extraordinary in that. The Board threw down the gauntlet by saying that the tenderers wore rogues, and would combine

to got lands at a low price, but members forgot that the public might equally pay the same compliment to the Board, by insinuating that they too might combine, under the tender system, to do injustice. (Laughter.) Under this style people would tender for a dozen sections, only wanting one, which would not bo the case if they had successive chances at auction to get one of those they required. If two tenders were equal, who were to decide but members, and he who had most friends in the Board would gel the preference ; whereas, if the sa no lot was disposed of by open auction, a pound or two would settle the question, and thus everything would bo fair and straightforward. Mr Williams seemed to imply that the members of the Education Board, because they had been elected had all the brains. It was nothing of the kind. There were plenty more as good and better men, but many did not earn to go in for public honors, and many noodles were elected at various times. He proceeded to show that the fact of election was no proof of the intelligence of those who wore successful, or because members had been elected, that people were bound to he for ever satislied with them. No Board could he expected to be immaculate, but the public had a perfect right to call their attention to any mistakes they might make. If the public were wrong in electing them, members were equally wrong in being elected, (laughter), so that argument cut both ways, and there were few that did not. If the ratepayers elected a body to manage their educational aifaTs, the latter should properly represent their constituents ; in case of ninety out of every hundred being canvassed they won <1 declare themselves favorable to auction of the reserve leases. He agreed with the whole resolution, as he would not le ive any door open to jobbery, and had great pleasure in moving it.- (Applause). . A slight paum ensued, when Mr F. : McGuire, came forward, and sccohded 1 the resolution pro forma in order i to inVite discussion.

i Mr Hirst was sorry t fiat no member of the Education Board was present, and have had a fair hearing, which he trusted every one else would have that evening. He deprecated any skylarking, in dealing with a matter'of so much importance, and was glad to’see such a number of respectable persons attend on the occasion. The resolution he, in the main, agreed with, though* if went a little, bit further than he liked. The Board had been elected by the people!-who had at that time general confidence in them, and the question of leasing liy tender or otherwise was not then ■ under discussion. They were, however, entitled to fair play, and, though lie coni' sidered they had' rnadd'a gross mistake, he wished the resolution was a little milder. He thought the chairman had acted ■wrobgly in refusing to hold the meeting asked, for he (the speaker) had been told \ that, out of all the people who had been asked to sign the memorial, only four declined to do so, indeed fully seven-tenths of the public were in favour of auction, and out of common courtesy the meeting should have been called. One of the members had, it was said, voted by mistake, and an opportunity for re-consideration should have been given. Such a protest , as had been entered by the public should have been treated with greater consideration than it had been. He considered that it was the duty of a representative, in a Board like this, to bo influenced by the wishes of his constituents, and, even though he was opposed to them, to bow to their decision and vote in accordance with their views. He concluded by saying that he had full confidence in the Board generally, and on all matters, excepting this one. Mr Williams moved as an amendment “that this meeting has every confidence in the' Education Board.” Mr Keys seconded the amendment. Mr Ivess regretted the amendment, if amendment it could be considered, hub been moved in silence, and had not beei supported by any remarks whatever. IK

remarked that Mr Christie had distinctly informed him that he had voted in error, and another of the Board, Mr Dale, who was in tavor of auction, had not tak<*n his scat. Therefore, even a majority’ of the Boaid were not favorable to the tender system. So fur had Mr Christie retracted that he said that he would oven sign the memorial asking the Chairman to call a special meeting. He referred to the long term that the leases would run, and, as an illustration of the difference between tender and auction, quoted the late sale of swamp ground, which brought fully four times as much as would have been the case by tender..

Mr Williams pointed out that though there were many present, the vote on the first resolution, showed that not half would v'ote. lie objected to putting persons in one day and kicking them out ilm next. He agreed in the opinion that the] tender system was the best, as being mhjJ*. likely to .secure a good tenant. had been a defeated candidate they' had elected men they thought best, and lie believed they' were good m mi. who would not truckle to what had been hinted of them that night. A long and somewhat desu’tory discussion followed, those supporting the resolution pointing out that the want of confidence only arose in ease of members persisting in a course which was directly contrary to pnblieopinion. Several amendments to the original resolution wire proposed, but n'timately it was agreed to curtail it by- the excision of the last sentence.

The Chairman put Mr Williams’ amendment, for which six hands were held up in favor, and 20 against.

The resolution, as amended, was then put, and twenty votes were recorded in its favor, against six, and the Chairman declared it carried.

Mr Maguire then moved—“ That the Chairman of this meeting be respectfully requested to forward the various resolutions passed by this meeting to the Chairman of the Baton Education Board, requesting him to convene a special meeting of the Board for the consideration of the same.”

Mr Hunter seconded, and it was carried unanimously. A cordial vote of thanks to the Chairman for the very' excellent manner in which he' had presided over a somewhat difficult meeting, brought the proceedings to a conclusion.