The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER SATURDAY, JULY 1, 1916. EDUCATION BOARD ELECTION.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 75, 1 July 1916, Page 4

The Stratford Evening Post WITH WHICH IS INCORPORATED THE EGMONT SETTLER SATURDAY, JULY 1, 1916. EDUCATION BOARD ELECTION.

It is very desirable that every member of every School Committee in the Taranaki Education District should realise the great importance of the coming election of members of the new Board, nominations for which were published in our columns yesterday. The election, which takes place on July 19th, provides for the return of two members to each of the three Wards into which the new district is divided—the North, Central, and South! wards—and some of the members nowj elected may remain undisturbed in j their seats for four consecutive years.! There can not be another general elec-j tion of members after the present one,' without, of course, some legislative change, a ballot deciding the first annual retirement and thenceforward members retiring by rotation, one from each ward each year. The work in front of the new Board will be very

heavy, because, with the extended area and the much larger number of schools under its control, considerable re-organisation will be necessary. 1 Technical education especially will rc-j quire the closest attention, for the new Board will have, in addition to the Technical Schools at New Plymouth J Stratford and Inglewood (which the old Board had the control and direc-' tion of) important Technical Schools at Hawera, Eltham and Manaia to ad- 1 minister and maintain. It is possible that the wider area provided by the extension of boundaries may, to someextent, simplify the difficulties which! have hitherto faced the Board in pro-, viding training in agricultural subjects, by enabling more specialised teaching. For our own part, we are, sanguine enough to hope and believe, that, in agricultural and dairying in-j structiou, the time is not far distant when Taranaki will take a leading place in the Dominion. Though there were some heartburnings in parts oi the district when the new educational boundaries were first announced, it is good to know that they are rapidly disappearing, and that there are signs that the whole of Taranaki will work together in amity to further education-, al interests on the broadest and best lines.* But to make such • a desirable end possible it is proper to say that there was never a tinie in the histoij of educational administration in this district when men of energy, ability, and progressive ideas were more sary on the Board of Education. The nominations provide excellent material for a strong Board, In the North Ward, from what we can gather, Messrs Arthur Morton and A. B. Chappell are likely to find most favor, and in the South, Messrs C. A. Wil-| kinson and Edwin Dixon will most probably be returned, and in each case the . Union would ho highly satisfac-

tory. In tlio Central Ward no less than five candidates contest the two seats, and if the School Committees’ nominations are any guide, it is not difficult to guage the chances of the candidates. Very properly, Mr Robert Masters is being universally supported, for his ungrudging work has been

of great service to the district and to the whole of Taranaki. It has to he remembered that the Board came very near being abolished in the, first place, and that its retention and extension as the wiser and better course, was only decided upon after a great deal of, effort, the fullest share of which was undertaken by Mr Masters at his own' cost. He has ever been an indefati-* gable worker in any cause with which he lias been associated, and he mav be ! looked to for further worthy doings. His return as one of the Central Ward candidates ought to be assured. Of the other four candidates the expres-j siou of opinion so far given by School Committees make it highly probable, that the real contest for the remaining! seat will be between Messrs Frank] Mackay and Edward Marfell, both of, whom represented this district on the old Board. Both also are esteemed

settlers and possess the confidence of, those who know them. Mr Mackay is a young man of ability and education, and the son of one of the most ardent; well-wishers and workers for educational progress that Taranaki lias ever, known . Those who know him best arcl convinced of his capacity, and if we cannot have all the good men offering we should at least like to see Mr Maekay gain a place.