The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1881.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 3, Issue 684, 4 February 1881, Page 2

The Wairarapa Daily. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1881.

Recently a proposal was submitted to the Education Board for an exchange of school sites, and the erection of new school buildings at Masterton. The parties interested in the proposal were the Masterton School Committee, the Masterton Town Lands Trust, and the Education Board. It is not too much to say that all three bodies were animated with but one wish—viz., a desire to promote the catiso of education in Masterton. The proposal was, that the Masterton Town Lands Trust should give £4OO and a pieco of land containing nearly three acres opposite the Boman Catholic Church for the present school acre and improvements, provided that the Board erected new buildings to the extent of £I2OO. At tho Inst meeting of the Board Mr O, Pharazyn moved that the proposal be agreed to, and the matter would have been settled then and there had not Mr H, Bunny intervened in such a way as to throw a doubt on the minds of other members of the Board 'as- to whether the Masterton Trustees had not some axe to grind in the matter. The Wairarapa may well cry "Save us from our friends." Had it been another representative than our own who dealt us this blow we would have been prepared to meet it. Coming, as it did, from the senior representative of this district, it was doubly injurious. The result has been that a deputation consisting of Messrs Hutchison and Blair was dispatched to Masterton to report upon the proposed transfer, and a number of forms of a trifling but vexatious character must now be gone through before the wishes of the public at Masterton can be realised. The Masterton Town Lands Trust is an educational trust which has displayed its goodwill towards tho Masterton Public School by an annual grant of £3O, and an occasional further donation when its funds' permitted. There was not the slightest reason for questioning the good faith of such a body—more especially when it is remembered that it gavo the present school acre tor school purposes. There was really no ground for any suspicion in connection with the arrangement, and it is a a matter for deep regret that such an idea should havo been suggested. Mr Bunny, however, is not the only one who has proved inimical to the undertaking. Mr Woodroffe, we understand, is coming forward to oppose it, Mr Woodroffe had, we thought, retired from public life—greatly to the satisfaction of both himself and his fellow citizens. He no longer represents the ratepayers in any public capacity, and why he should interfere is a mystery, unless it is for the reason that a certain venerable person, who is not half so black as ho is painted, finds mischief still for idle hands to do, or because ho regards

himself as a local pantaloon, and endeavors to re-appear in an unexpected manner with a solemn " Hero we are again/' Mr Woodvoofe's oppositionridiculous though it may be—renders a public meeting necessary in the/ Town Hall this evening, at which the consent of the residents in Masterton will be formally asked to the proposed exchange of sites. All this fuss and worry might have been avoided if, as we suggested before, we could be saved from oiu' friends. All those persons in Masterton who take an interest in the conduct of the school have accepted the proposed arrangement, and the futile opposition now offered can serve no good end. In alluding to Mv Bunny's action at this Board we are quite prepared to admit that lie was quite justified in protecting the Board's interests as against those of Masterton in every possible way. The disappointment which has been experienced arose from the fact that he was understood, prior to the meeting of the Board, to be satisfied that the proposal was a fair ono, and that he would support it. Where a friendly witness was .expected a hostile one appeared. • '