THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1912. THE TRUST ELECTION.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10647, 31 May 1912, Page 4

THE Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. FRIDAY, MAY 31, 1912. THE TRUST ELECTION.

She election of sl,r H.,,0. Robinson at the top cif the pall at the Trust election in Masterton yesterday may be taken as am indication that the electors desire some clear-cut policy for the .future administration of the revenues from ttdiis important endowment. For Goame. time past we have been urging upon the Tr-uistee>s the necessity ler defining a policy, which would give a hope of some specific edu\catiouial* wivit'itutioii. ha the district, which would 'be a benefit,|tp : .the present generation j as .well as to posterity. Although Mr Robinson offered no such .policy., he certainly disapproved of the drib-drab policy which is being pursued, and he deserves hearty congratuil'ationi for ihe interest he has aroused in Trust -.matters. We cannot agree .with Mr C, E. Daniell that the Press cf the town hais-.been backward in criticising the operations of the Trust. So far as this paper is concerned, it bus on several occasions drawn attention to the,lack . of objective which characterises the business of .the Trust.. If the Trustees a.re wiell-advised,, they wiill eet to work to prepare a scheme which will commend itself to the general body of ■ it'h'e electors. The '.building operations are now completed, iand the revenues should, in the course of a year or two, permit of a substantial sum being-put aside if or a definite abject. So far as Wi? cam discover, there is no institution' which -would produce better" results tian an agricultural college, or high ischool. If the Trustees

got to work in earnest,. they would luwe.nb .difficulty in convincing the Government that Masterton is specially adapted ■ior such an institution, the educational value of which canirot be over-estimated. 'The present Trustees? have, no doubt, had their hands pretty full during the last year or two, and have relieved tlnemselveis of certain ftinmoial, obligations whieli will render the outlining of a policy ifor the future Icrvs difficult. The time has e'ome, however, when something definite is asked in the way «f educational advantage. If the Trustees devote themselves in earnest to this aspect of the question, they will have no difficulty in evolving a schemse which will prove satisfa,oiory. Mr Robinson may

not, on his own initiative, be able to supply the scheme required. Indeed, he liiranldy admitted' last evening that alone 'ho was incapable of framiing a policy. The combined intellect of the Trust, however, should produce something which will 1)0 of permanent value to the town, and we look with confidence to the future for a definite prqposaL iSo far as the election is concerned, it w»as fought in the best of spirit, and the closeness • f the votes elf the three retiring Trusteas is evidence .that policy rather than individuality was at stake. The defeat of the chairman of the Trust (Mr E. G. Eton) will 'be "regretted by many, for this gcntlehum has given freely iotf his time a'nd energy in the interest of the public. However, lie has no reason te feel aggrieved at the relative position he occupied on the poll. As the policy of the Trust was at stake, it was perhaps right that the Chairman ©hould have been imade th« martyr. At some ifuture time we hope to' see Mr Eton again offering his services to the public.