WHO IS ASLEEP.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 153, 4 December 1914, Page 4

WHO IS ASLEEP.

'lt ia truly delightful to hear the member for Taranaki chiding tho New Plymouth High School Board and the Taranaki Education Board with being asleep, and insensible to their duties and responsibilities. The public, knowing him, will bo inolined to put tho boot upon the other foot, and say that the most somnolent of all is tho member for Taranaki. Who but a lethargio or somnolent member would, for instance, appear bofora the electors and tell them that he had received a grant in aid of the rebuilding of ,tho Girls' High School, when, as a matter of fact, no money at all liaa been voted? A grant that has to be voted in another financial year is no grarft at all—a fact which must be obvious to any wide-awake, intelligent person. Mr. Okey, however, fondly hugs the delusion, and proudly proclaims that he has "pulled off" this magnificent grant! Some men are easily deluded. At the public meeting on Wednesday he stated: "There Are people in this town, aye, and men on the High School Board, too, who would rather that 'New Plymouth should not have its Girls' High School than that it should come through him (Mr. Okey).'' This is an uncalledfor and utterly untrue statement, and one which Mr. Okey should justify, or withdraw at once. The members of the High School Board are all honorable men,, and we are sure nothing would please them more, or the townspeople as a whole, than the knowledge that the Government was at last going to recognise the urgent claims of the school. But who will blame them for viewing with indifference—not to say suspicion—the intangible grant offered by the Government, and about which Mr. Okey is so enthusiastic? He mentioned that the Board has obtained authority to borrow £9OOO, with which the Board could start building the boarding establishments, but this £9OOO, it is necessary to explain, is no grant, being merely a loan raised by the Board in the ordinary \\py from a Government Department upon the security of the Board's endowments. It, is not a bit of good for the Board to commenco the building of a boarding establishment for girls until they know for certain the Government will provide the money for the school. The Board has had some experience of Ministerial promises over tho new gymnasium for the Boys' School, and are not likely now to place any reliance on further promises that may or may not bo honored. As for the Education Board, it ill becomes Mr. Okey to accuse it of being asleep. A live member would" 1 never have allowed the educational interests of his district to be seriously endangered,- as they were in the Government's first proposals, which included tho wiping out of our educational district altogether. At the present iiine, indeed, : those interests are still in jeopardy, and they will continue to be whilst reliance ; has to be placed in Mr. Okey's activity. Mr. Okey Baid the Taranaki Education Hoard wanted to be brought up-to-date. 1 Let Mr. Okey be more specific, and show 1 in wha't way. the Board can improve its methods. We all desire to see education in our province flourish, and all would be grateful, we feel sure, to our member ; if he could give a lead in educational improvement. Tlie town and district, as we have said before, require a lead—are indeed clamoring for a lead—from its first public man, but up to now it has been waiting in vain for a lead from Mr. Okey. Several public departments have been slipping from their natural headquarters—New Plymouth under Mr. Okey's very nose. Probably the member has protested—after the transferences were accomplished. But the district expects its member to be at least awake, and to protect its interests. There is another point in connection with Mr. Okey's speech that, to say the least, was uufortunate. We hope it was just a lapse. In reply to an interjection, he said he would "like to-know how much wheat Sir Joseph Ward was holding at the present time." The inference, whether intentional or not, was obvious. The ' least Mr. Okey can do, to preserve his reputation for a "square deal," is to either express his regret for what was probably a slip of the tongue, or formulate a charge if he has one single tittle of evidence to support his insinuation. Just afterwards Mr. Okey unctuously condemned the habit of mud-throwing, and said, he preferred to go out of politics to indulging in this objectionable form of political tactics. A little more example and less precept on his part would stamp this admirable sentiment with sincerity.