AUCKLAND CITY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXII, Issue 95, 23 April 1901, Page 3

AUCKLAND CITY.

The meeting was held in St. James' Hall, and was more largely attended than usual. .Mr John Gordon was elected chairman on the motion of Mr R. Farrell. He expressed gratification at, seeing such a large attendance, taking it as evidence that householders were taking- greater interest in the matter of the education of their chilcl-

Annual Report.—Mr G. Squirrell read the annual report as already published. The school fund account was as follows:—Receipt;-;: balance in bank, 31st March, £58 4/0; receipts from Education Board, £55:1 1/; extra cleaning, elc. £10 15/*, from truancy fines, £10 1/; for gas (Robinson), £2 10/; total, £041 !/!>. Expenditure: Cleaning school buildings, £277 10/4; fuel, £14 3/10; repairs, £«JG 1/10; pvlntintr. £5 10/3: advertising,£2 2/6; Stationery. X 5 1/9; secretary, £20; water rates. £39 18/8; gas, £13 3/6; rent of hali, £1 W; >toweTl,img jt'op schools, £2 19/7; school stationery, £101 S/7; bank commission, 10/; science appliances. £16/; credit balance, 02 14/11. The Chairman moved the adoption of the report, which was seconded by Mr'V. J- Sorenson and carried without discussion. Board Elections.—Mr A. Oldham moved. "That this meeting of householders respectfully draws the attention of the Hon. Minister for Education to the defects of the present method of electing members of the Board of Education, and respectfully requests him to bring in an •amendment that each committee be given voting power in proportion to the average attendance of the schools in its district, and suggests as a basis that every committee shall have one vote for every 100, or fraction of 100, Of the average attendance of schools in each district." Mr Oldham drew attention to the unfairness of the present system of electing members of the Boards. While the Auckland committee had several large schools with about 3000 children attending them yet the committee had no more voting' power in electing a member of the Board than a small country school where the children attending numbered a dozen o r two. Coromandel for instance, with one school and en average attendance of 215, had the same voting power as the City Schools Committee, with over 3000 children. What the resolution asked was that in Auckland one vote should be given for every 100 children. Mr A- Rosser, in seconding the motion, said under the recent amendment to the Act voting by ballot was practically done away with because X member had to send in the paper to the Board and sign his name to it. He objected entirely, even m such a matter, to go back upon the system of voting by ballot. He did not wish to Seed dissension between town and country, but he thought tne city wa entitled to more voting power than at pr Mr QR Farrell said he could.not support the resolution. He considered that if the system suggested by Mr Oldham was in force a country school would have one vote and the city schools about 30. The city and suburbs could simply elect their own Board and swamp the country schqols altogether. Country members weie very useful on the Board to look after the interest of the schools in the out districts. The city already got the nick of the teachers because they had the ear of the Board, being near at hand He trusted the meeting would -show its liberality by negativing the motion. . ~„ Mr J. R. Lundon said supposing Mr Oldham's resolution was carried and there were say 59 schools, the city schools would have 30 votes and the remaining 29 one vote each. The amendment to the Act had the advantage that every committeeman had a vote He considered the resolution ought not to be carried. Mr Oldham said the most votes tne city could obtain under his proposal was 25, out of the present 2.79 committees. The vote was then taken and the motion negatived. Mr J. Derrick raised the question as to whether the meeting was in favour of the Drill Hall being erected on its former site. Mr Squirrell explained that the ground belonged to the Government, and of course the Committee could not prevent the hall being erected. Mr R. Farrell said he was very glad the question had been raised. He moved, "That this meeting of householders desires to intimate to the Defence Department the inadvisability of erecting the Drill Hall on the old site, as the whole of the ground is required for the children attending Wellesleystreet school. Mr Farrell said the site was too small for a drill hall. It should be erected at one corner of the Victoria Park, and the ground left for educational purposes. Dr. King maintained that the Drill Hall should be erected on the old site, as its removal to Victoria Park would be against the interests of volunteering in Auckland. He moved as an amendment that the incoming committee ask the Defence Department to, if possible, allow the Drill Hall to be re-erected on its present site. Mr Maekay said the Drill Hall had been a °reat boon to the scholars during the winter weather for the purpose of drilling the children. Another thing was that 98 per cent, of the volunteers voted in favour of the present site. , Mr A. Rosser supported the amendment. The Drill Hall had been at the service of the schools at all times. Upon the question being put to the meeting, the amendment was carried. On the motion of Mr Farrell, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded the outgoing committee for services rendered during th' 2 past year. This was duly acknowledged by Mr Squirrell. Election of Committee.-The following gentlemen were nominated as candidates for election on the Committee: -Messrs G. Squirrell, Dr. Walker, Dr. Kino* L. H. Holloway, J. McLeod, A. Rosser, A. Oldham, P. M. Maekay, P. Crowe. R. Finlay and E. H. Montgomery. A ballot was taken, the scrutineers being Messrs A. Newburn, A. Thorne, G. Hume, and W. Carlaw. ' At 20 minutes to 11 o'clock the restilt was announced as follows:— Squirrell 173, King ITO, McLeod 155, Crowe 155, Maekay 152,- Holloway 147, Oldham 144, and Rosser 124. The old •ommittee were therefore declared re-

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elected. The other votes were. Finlay JOS. and Montgomery 100. At a meeting , of the newly elected Committee, Mr Squirrel! was reappointetl chairman, and Mr John McLcod treasurer.