THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1892. ANNUAL ELECTION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2346, 21 April 1892, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. THURSDAY, APRIL 21, 1892. ANNUAL ELECTION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

On Monday next the annual election of School Committeess takes place. The election is governed by the new Act, and as the Act is probably unfamiliar to most we think it advisable to indicate the leading provision dealing with the election, so that our readers, at least, will on Monday night be armed for the fray. The new Act defines dwelling-house, and removes the difficulty of interpreting the word “ householder.” A “ dwellinghouse ” means a permanent structure, not a tent or other temporary shelter. A “householder” means and includes (1) every adult male or female who has resided in a dwelling-house within the school district either as owner or tenant for three months preceding the day of election ; or (2) the father, or guardian, or person having the custody of any children attending a public school in the district. The first class of householder is termed a resident householder. No one but a resident householder can be a member of Committee. In schools whose annual average attendance is under 26, five members are to be elected; when the average attendance is over 26, but under 200, seven members are to be elected; and when the average \is over2oo, the householders are to elect rime members of Committee. The Temuka Committee will therefore consist of nine members; Geraldine, Winchester, Pleasant Point, and most of the other schools in this district will return seven members of Committee, while a few only will return 5. Candidates can be nominated in two ways : —lst; Any householder can nominate any resident householder as a candidate by lodging the prescribed nomination form, duly filled up, with the Chairman of Committee not later than a week before the day of election ; 2nd: Any householder who is present at the meeting can nominate any resident householder, who, however, must signify his assent or dissent to the chairman. It will thus be seen that those who cannot attend the annual meeting have power by the first provision to nominate a candidate, and that by the second provision the chairman cannot accept any nomination unless he first receives the consent of the candidate, either by word of mouth or in writing. If the number of duly nominated candidates is the number required for the Committee the Committee is duly constituted. If there are more candidates than the required number a ballot is taken ; if there are fewer candidates than the required number the Board has power to appoint the remainder. If there are more candidates than vacancies a ballot is taken under the supervision of the chairman. For this reason we think the Act contemplates that an intending candidate should not be chairman of the meeting. Every elector may vote for any number of candidates not exceeding the number required, but he can only give one vote to each candidate. For instance, in Temuka an elector can vote for nine candidates, giving one vote each; or he can vote for five, or four, or two, or one, giving one vote to each. As voting is by ballot, in no case need an elector sign his name to a ballot paper as, is sometimes done. In fact the addition of the name of a person not nominated would make the paper invalid. Where two candidates have an equal number of votes the chairman has a casting vote. As these are the principal points dealing with the election itself, we need not deal with the rest of the Act.