ELECTION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

Evening Star, Issue 8553, 27 June 1891, Page 4

ELECTION OF SCHOOL COMMITTEES.

The Bill which it is understood that the Minister of Education has introduced, at the instance of Major Steward, for the purpose of curing the defects of the Act which the member for "Waimate was successful in placing on the Statute Book in the session of 1890, will doubtless receive careful consideration from the City and Suburban Schools' Conference, who are to discuss its provisions on Tuesday. The alterations are not very material, except that the absurdly complicated machinery that was employed last April for taking the votes has been swept away. The definition of " householder '" remains untouched —to wit: " Every adult male or "female person who resides in any *' dwelling-house within the school '•district, as owner thereof, or, if " there I>g no such resident owner, '*' then th« resident tenant of any such " dwelling-house, and, if not qualified " under the previous subsection, "includes the father, v:herever resident) "or if he be dead or absent from "the colony, the guardian or other '■' person, wherever resident, who has " the actual custody of any child at- " tending any State school situated " within such district." This clause, if it passes into law, should set at rest once and for ever the doubt which we are aware has been entertained in some quarters, though we could never understand how it could have arisen, as to who are qualified to vote. So long as the State allows the freest choice of school to which a child shall be sent for education and there are good reasons why that choice should not be restricted in any way—it follows that the parent of every child in a State school should have the right of selecting the men who are to administer the affairs of that particular school. This has been the declared policy of the Legislature from the passing of the original Act down to date ; and it has astonished us to find some Boards interpreting the Act otherwise. However, all uncertainty on the point is now to be removed. Though the " householder's " doublebarrelled qualification as a voter is retained—that is to say, he can vote either as a resident householder or as the parent or guardian of a scholar—it is only the ,: resident householder " who can serve on the Committee. This, again, is intended to clear up a doubtful point of qualification. There are at this moment men illegally serving on committees in this and neighboring districts, because since election they have parted with their qualification through not residing in the district. The new clause reads: "Every resident householder in a "district, and no other person, is " qualified to be elected a member of " the school committee for such dis " trict," excepting always the paid officer of any branch of the education service. As was to be expected, the " one-man-one-vote " principle has been adopted in this Bill, and in future "no person shall be entitled to " vote in respect to more qualifications " than one, although he possess them.'' Prior nomination is continued, but we hope to see the committees in the cities and large towns authorised to incur reasonable expense in advertising the nominations. The proceedings at elections are to be conducted on the plan suggested by the Conference when they discussed the Bill in 1890. If only seven candidates have been nominated, they shall be declared elected ; if more than seven, there will be a ballot in the usual way ; if less than seven have been nominated, the meeting shall fill up the vacancies; and if there have been no nominations the meeting will take a ballot for the seats requiring to be filled up. In case of failure to elect, the Education Board of the district are empowered to appoint "such resident householders as they " think fit to supply the vacancies in " the committee." The election is to be held in the schoolhouse or, other appointed place, on the fourth Monday in April. The ballot box is to be kept open for one hour after the commencement of the proceedings ; but the chairman will, it seems, have the option of keeping the poll open till every voter present at the meeting has recorded his or her vote. There are obvious objections to this course, which is calculated to materially hinder the conduct of the business of the meeting. Far better to take the poll in the cities and large boroughs during the day, and in the manner provided by the Regulation of Elections Act, or in some similar way. There are hundreds of persons, deeply interested in the welfare of our schools, who are often unable to attend the "householders'" meeting, and these persons are entitled to some consideration.