THE Thames Advertiser. TUESDAY, DEC, 8, 1874.

Thames Advertiser, Volume VII, Issue 1913, 8 December 1874, Page 2

THE Thames Advertiser. TUESDAY, DEC, 8, 1874.

The information contained in tlio rereport of the last meeting of the Board of Education as to the intentions of the Board with respect to the Thames was not very clear, but we have since received a communication from which we gather precisely what is to be done. The Board have resolved to put the whole of the Thames uader one committee, in order to avoid disputes as to masters changing, and to facilitate the formation of a high school or superior school for the district. When the Inspector was last here, lie met a number of gentlemen with reference to a high school or a superior school, and at that meeting the members of school committees present expressed opinions in favour of the consolidation of the districts. On the wholp, we think it better that all the districts should be put into one, although there is something to be said on both sides. By the Act the members of the committee are limited to five, and the five elected for this district will have to work well if they are to visit aud look after the schools as ought to be. done. The one committee, however, will have the whole district in their hands, and we have no doubt that in a very few weeks they will have superior schools in operation, both for boys and girls. The manner in which the cbauge will be effected will be as follows The whole of the Thames will be gazetted as one educational district, and a meeting ordered to elect a committee on the ]Bth instant. That committee will be in office till January next, when the annual election will take place for the next year. There is one important element now in the voting not in previous elections. Formerly any householder could vote whether he had paid his rate or not j now no one can vote unless he has paid all rates due by him. The 16th clause of the Amendment Act is as follows No person rate-1 under tho provisions of the siid Act or of this Act sliall'be entitled to take part in any meetings, or to be elected a member of any school comiuittce as in tho last preceding section mentioned, unless he shall have previously paid all rates due by him. This is a. very salutary provision, although it will unquestionably limit

!spsa®ss?! the numbers of those taking parb ia the business of the meetings. While on the subject of the rate we may state that the Amendment Act provides that any person making any'false representation to the Board or to any District School Committee for the purpose of being relieved from the payment of the rate is liable to a penalty not exceeding £10.

A memorial is being got up by a number of men holdiug ground in the Waiotahi Creek, asking the Provincial Government to extend the road in that creek up to Puriga Flat. We are afraid that a great number of persons will be disinclined to look at this request, as the impression has got abroad that the Waiotahi Creek has had more than its fair share of the public money, and that it has been favoured at the cost of other parts of the goldfield. The Provincial Executive have got more ill-will, and have excited more anger, on account of their attentions to the Waiotahi Creek, than for any other sin—if this is a sin—they have committed. A great deal of the auger has been caused, not so much on account of any action.the Provincial Government have taken as on account of the way they havegoneabout it. We believe that uo person would have objected to the road now being made up the creek, if the Board had been content with a road of the minimum breadth, which would have given the accommodation. If that had been done the ioad might have reached much higher up than it now does for the same money that it has cost. However, we suppose that this part of the road having been made, it must be utilized, and that •it cannot be except it is continued both at top and bottom. The men holding ground towards the top: of the Waiotahi affirm that the construction of a road by which they could get their quartz to mill, would suable a large amount of ground to be profitably worked, which is now lying waste, and their statements seem worthy of attention. The construction .of a road is somewhat of an experiment, as to the success of which we are not quite convinced, but we do not hink there will be any doubt that it should be carried through, if done in the most economical, manuer. The ■sine qua non for a claim on the field seems to be that it shall be in such a position that it can get its quartz easily to a mill. But for that convenience none of the Waio-Karaka claims would now have been in existence. We should be most ready to urge the spending of money .if there is a fair prospect that a new district will be opened, or rather that the increased facilities for getting quartz to the mills will enable reefs to be profitably worked which are now lying idle, and the statements made by those who are interested go to show that this would be the case.