PONSONBY SCHOOL COMMITTEE

Auckland Star, Volume XXVII, Issue 158, 7 July 1896, Page 5

PONSONBY SCHOOL COMMITTEE

THE RECENT ELECTION.

VALIDATED BY THE BOARD OF

EDUCATION.

A special meeting of the Auckland Board of Education was held this forenoon in order to coneidor the protests entered against; the validity of the recent election of a School Committee for Ponaonby. The members ot the Board present were .Messrs Muir (Chairman), S. Lake, W. J. Lanabe, A. E. Harris, R. Ody, Wright, and Woodward. There were also in attendance Messrs VV. Leys (Chairman Ponsooby School Gonrmibtoe), J. Adams, W. J; Kees, J. Becroft, W. 8. Leyland, Rev. Collins, Messrs D. B. McDonald, Clarke, Patterson, S. Hughes, Hadrill, and Maxwell.

The Chairman eaid thab the basinets they had met for to-day was to consider the dispute raised concerning the recent election of a School Committee for the Poneonby district. He asked the Secretary to read the various communications which had bees received by the Board on the subject. These have already been summarised in our columns, having been read at the last meeting of the Board.

Mr W. Leys, Chairman of the Committee, was. aaked by the Chairman if be had any statement) to make, but he said that he had nothing to add to the remarks he had made at -'the last meeting of the Board. He would like to ask the Board to hear a statement from the Chairman of the householders' masting.

Mr D. B. McDonald, who wan the Chairman of the meeting, then stated that be waa perfectly convinced that there was ■ nothing in the ballotbox before the voting commenced. He was perfectly well awaro that it was necessary to open the ballot-box before the voting began, but the reason why it was not opened was that there was such a rush for the platform and euch a crowd around the table struggling to get their papers into the ballot-box, that it was absolutely impossible to do so before three or four papers were foreibfy placed in the box. He did his best to prevents this, but could not do so, and he know it would be useless to examine the box after tome papers had been placed in it.' The .great crush and crowd ot people making a rush to pub ballot-papers into the box quite put the examination of the box out ot tho question. He had no interests in the matter either one way or the other. Everything was done thab could be dose under the circumstances to conduct/ the business of the meeting satisfactorily. He considered there was nothing to consider in tho matter bub the failure to open the ballot-box, which was the unavoidable result of the crowded mooting. There were oighb scrutineers appointed, and they did their- best to conduct things properly. Ho (Mr McDonald), as a precaution, marked the ballot papers with hie initial with a blue pencil. Mr W. J. Lambe a»ked Mr McDonald, "Did you initial any of the papers previous to the time of the meeting ?"

Mr McDonald replied not." ■

" Certainly

Mr VVrighbstated fchafa a secret circular bad been issued asking the friends of .Mr Leys'party to elect Mr. McDonald as (^airman of the meeting. He asked Mr McDonald if he wa» aware of this circular. jvJjr McDonald: I was awara of the eX j a tence of such a gircular, but J fail to gee yrlier© the secret it, or what impropriety there ia in ife. Mr Wright: 1 on see notning nndernoath the surface ? Mr Mcßonald : No, certainly nob.' Mr Lambe: When did you examine thete papors after having marked them ? Mr McDonald: 1 examined them on taking them out of the box to pass them to the scrutineers. Mr Muir complimented Mr McDonald on the fearless manner in which he had given his evidence, which bore every appearance of truth, and on the manner in ! which be bad pub before them both the i favourable and the unfavourable side. He was aure that the Board would join with him in Baying that the statement made by Mr McDonald was most trustworthy and reliable in every respect. Mr Leyland asked if the " A McGuire" trbo nent ip a protest against the election h-ad ever been found, or was that parson on { v a myth ? j^r Adams went to the door and inquired if •' $,\r McGuire " were there, bus no one appealed. * Mr Peterson stated that he objected to the election because a previous arrangemenb bad- been made to close the doors of bhe hall, in consequence of which hundreds of people were turned away unable to vote. Mr MacDovald denied that there was any arrawgemeab or suggestion made beforehand as to the closing of the doors. No one suggested that to him ; he ordered the doors clos«d entirely of his own volition, because ib was necessary. - Mr W. J. Rees said that there was only I one man who had come forward and stated that ho could not get into the hall because the doors were • closed. However, he came back afterwards »nd voted, and he was Mr George French. Mr Rees considered that everything was done as regularly as circumstances would > permit at the meeting, and the great majority of the Ponsonby people were satisfied with the present committee. '■„'■'. Mr Becroffc knew of only one man who could not gefein feo vote because of the doors being closed, and he went away because he could nob wait tilKtbe doors were opened. He could have voted, as others went in by bhe aide door subsequently and recorded their votes. Mr Hadrill said he saw Mr Leys hand Mr McDosald the key of the ballob box after the voting was over. 1 He did nob think tjbie was legral. ■ . Mr McDonald said Mr Leys gave him the key after »he battob was closed, in order to open the box; t&ere was no secret about) thab. • The.Rev. Mr Collins supported the statement made by Mr McDonald, and said he thoughb bho meeting was fairly conducted. Mr Wright ; If you were aware of any underhand work in connection wibh bhe late election, would you be a party to it?

Mr Collins : Certainly not;. Mr Maxwell said Mr S. E. Hughes obtained two signatures to the petition in favour ot the Committee from men who were not preset? at the election, Mr Hughes explained fehab with respect to ene man mentioned, he did nob sign the petition, while: two others signed with a reservation as to clause 1, as,they were not at the meeting, although householders. The Chairman asked members of the Board whether they had any further questions to -pub (so the deputation. There being ,no further questions, the chairman said he bhftughb the Board might relieve the deputation from further attendasce, as it wai no doubt inconveaienb for some of them bo absent themselves from business. The deputation then retired and the Board adjourned for lunch. ■ . Ob reassembling Mr S.-Luke spoke in favour of the validation of the election. At the same time he thoughb with Mr J. W. Carr thab the Bonsonby school diatricb was too large and should be divided into two. He considered that the case againsb the election had completely Mien through, and that it had been proved thab the meeting was properly and legally conducted. The matter of the ballot-b-BX had been fully cleared tap, and ib was of very small moment. As to locking the doors, if these people had beaa prevented from voting, as was alleged, it> would nob hare affected the result of tie election. Ib appeared to him that in the interests of education in Ponsonby they would have to validate this election. Ho. morsel accord-

ingly, "Thab not sufficient reason has been adduced to this Board {to invalidate the election of the Ponsonby School Committee on June 20feh, 1896."

Mr W. J. Lambe also spoke in favour nf the present committee, and of the election, and expressed the opinion that they were fortunate in having,euch a firm and strong Chairman to preside over the meeting a& the election. la the face of tho expression of opinion of the great bulk of the householders in Ponsonby they could not) upset the election. The evidence brought forward was not strong enou&h to upset) the election. They had unlimited evidence, that there was no wilful irregularity in connection with the election, and eves if the allegations made wor« true, they eonld not affect tho election. He pointed otic that the 13th section of the Act gave tb« Board power to validate ,an election is spite of any trifling informalities, a»d ns moved as an amendment, " That although the proceedings at the recent election weir* not in strict conformity with the Act, tho informality was not wilful and did bob materially effect fche result ot the election, and taking into consideration the whole of the circumstances attending the election the Board declare it valid." ■

Mr J. H. Wright said ho must strongly oppose the validation of the election. He proceeded to refer to the election of 1895, which he said waa the " key," the essence of this .election. Therawas no doubt th'aft the present election wa'a fought on thaaame lines as thab of 1895, when he believed1 the Comwibtee gained their position by anmanly tactics. He /said that on this occasion the Act was aot carried out on on« important) point,/ bho opening of the ballot box. He »aid that thia informality should alone invalidate the elecbion, as: it was in direct contravention of the Act. -Ha moved " Thar the Board invalidate tho election." M> considered that if the Board upset the previous election oa very similar grounds to these, how could they do etherwise than pursue the same course in thii case. Ho also suggested that the Ponsonby Sobool district should bo divided into three districts. •>; :

Mr A. R. Harris thought U would be very wrong of the Board to prolong this business. Ho did nob think that ftnr irregularity that happened could in any way affect the election. There was an informality in connection with the ballot box, bnt he did not place .much dependence on that objection. There were little technical mistakes that could hardly be avoided, aad he did nob think anything had occurred thab was sufficient to upset the election. He would support Mr Lambe's motion'if he would add to ib the words, 11 under the power given to fchia Board by section 13 of the School Committees Election Act." . ■ •

Ib waa pointed out that the sense of this proposed addition was already included i» Mr Lamba's motion. .' ~

Mr R. Udy considered thab soma informalities were inseparable from- every election of this sort, . Speaking in support of the proposals to validate the electiou, he pointed out thab the members of • the present Committee had 19 children at tba Ponsonby Schools, and 19 pawed through, while the defeated candidates had three in bhe schools and four passed through; The petitioners in favour of the validation of the Committee represented over 509 children' now in the schools,-while tba petitioners againsb the Committee represented 25 children in the school*. ';' •

After some further discussion, Mr Muir moved, "Thab the election be declared invalid, and thab the following Conamiti* eioners be appointed for the bcuoo! district, viz.; Messrs Ley lend, C. J. Parr; and A.- Eft Devore." ; '■',

This atnandnaenb was lest, only the mover and Mr Wright ?btln'g! Kf it.^Mr VVright's amendment ' Itu^lltf^liie ifchs oloctioa was also lost.

The motions of Messrs Lamba and Luke were then amalgjs^^?^ cob»b»'6 as follows :—'^That although'^ch« procoedings of the election have nob been in ettlct conformity with the Act, the informalities were not wilful, and did nob materially affect the result of the election, end baking into account ehe whole of the circumstance! attending the election the Board considers that no sufficient reason has been skowa to invalidate it." ' ■

' This motion was carried, Motors VTrighfc and Muir voting against it.1 ' ;■ ■■ The Chairman then declared that th« Fonaonby School Committee Electioa hid, been validated by the Board.