REPRESENTATION ON EDUCATION BOARDS.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 September 1916, Page 2

REPRESENTATION ON EDUCATION BOARDS.

AMENDMK.VT OF ACT PROPOSED. By Telegraph—Press Association. Wellington, September 8. The General Council it Education had under consideration to-daj the question of amending- the constitution of education boards with a view to removing, as far as possible, some of the inequalities of representation. Under the. present provisions of the Education Act education districts are divided into urban and rural areas, for the purpose of electing members of boards, and it is found that smaller urban areas are over-represent-ed on boards, and that rural areas in large- districts are not adequately represented. On the Wellington Board, as at present constituted, a member of one of the rural areas represents a population of 15,000, while a member of one of the urban areas represents only GOOO. On the Canterbury Board each of the members for rural area? represents 22,000, while a member for jne of the urban areas represents only 7000. The Council referred the matter to a committee and adopted the report of the committee recommending that the Act be amended in the following directions: "That for urban areas the number of members be as follows: Population, 8000 to 10,000, one member; 18,000 to 32,000, two members; 32,000 to 04,000, three members; ovei 04,000, four members. That for rural areas the number of wards be as follows: Under 40,000, two wards; 40,000 to 80,0OC, three -wards; over 80,000, four wards. H the proposed change is adopted and the Act amended accordingly, the number of members elected by the school committees of smaller boroughs will be reduced from two to one. and the number of members for rural areas in Auckland and Canterbury will be increased from six to eight.