The Bruce Herald. MILTON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1906

Bruce Herald, Volume XXXXII, Issue 63, 9 August 1906, Page 4

The Bruce Herald. MILTON, THURSDAY, AUGUST 9, 1906

EDUCATION BOARD ELECTION We have now the result of the Ward system of elections to the Education Board. The personnel of the Board is altered to the extent of the election of Messrs Israel and Scott for Dunedin. The former gentleman is a valuable addition ; he has for years taken an enlightened interest in the work. Of Mr Scott the same may also be said. The South Ward returned two old members and an ex-member in Messrs MacKenzie, Fraser, and Sim, and in this respect the committeemen may be said to have acted wisely. It is to be hoped that Mr Fraser will, with his larger experience, modify somewhat his tendency to unduly enlarge his arguments. That he can be a valued member his past experience shows. Mr T. MacKenzie has devoted attention to many reforms, and that, together with the fact that he has been returned so many times at the top of the poll (five, we think), with every year an increasing majority, "indicates that his work is approved by the school committees of Otago. It is impossible to close our eyes to the changed position of the Boafd. Dunedin now has special representation, and the Board, while it no doubt will in future continue to do its duty to the whole province, will have internal influences at work tending towards parochialism. The country districts will, therefore, require keen and capable men to meet this changed condition. Dunedin educationally occupies a position analagous to Wellington politically. The fact that each body carries out its functions in centres where the local influences are so strong renders special representation almost superflous. A study of the voting is not uninteresting, The three gentlemen who respectively top the polls in the various wards are: T. MacKenzie with 478 votes, E>. Borrie and T. Fergus with 92. Therefore_a2 committeemen have"'one member in. the city as agains* 4 78 in the country. We

are Dunedm has nearly as many pupils, but the fact remains that because of tile accessibility to committees of the Board's officers, in Dunedin is more than supplied, whereas so much yet requires doing in the country. It will be of interest to seewhois chosen as chairman. The position should be given to either Mr T. MacKenzie or the Hon. T. Fergus; Mr Borrie, the other gentleman who tops the poll, having already enjoyed that honor. It has been a subject q( surprise to country committeemen why Mr T. MacKenzie has. never had that honor conferred on him. No member of the Board has ever e'njoyed in a larger degree the uniced and continued support of country committeemen than that gentleman has, and yet year after year we have seen the honor conferred on members whose record, to say the least of it, could not' be placed side by side with Mr MacKenzie's. The changed condition in Wellington and the selection of Mr Fowids for Minister of Education will throw additional responsibility on Education Boaids, and they will require to be unceasingly vigilant in checking every tendency lowards centralising the work of education in Wellington.