The Hawera Star. MONDAY, MAY 4, 1925. HOUSEHOLDERS’ MEETINGS

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 4 May 1925, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

MONDAY, MAY 4, 1925. HOUSEHOLDERS’ MEETINGS

Delivered every evening by 5 o'clock -n Hawern, Manaia. Normanby, Okaiawa, filtham, Mangatoki, Kaponga, Alton. Iturleyville, Patea, Waverlej’, Mokoia. Woakamarn, Ohangai. Meremere, Fraber Road, and Ararata.

The way to political fame in England is to be born of one of the ancient ruling families, to be schooled at Eton, to go up to Oxford and there become president of the Union. A Blue, or a good pass in the Honours. School, may help a little; but for the most part it is plain sailing once a man has been president of the Oxford Union. In this country the route is not yet so clearly marked; but it is coming more and more to be the accepted thing that one must be able to trace his rise back to his* first election to a school committee. Without doubt there are scores of members of school committees who never get. an}' further, but the fact that so many of our public men have worked their way upward from such a beginning suggests that the place of the school committee in our national life may in some respects rival that of the school itself. There can be no disputing that the ideal of making the

immediate oversight of the affairs of -every primary school the particular concern of the householders in the district is thoroughly in keeping with the democratic spirit of our education system. By how far we may have fallen short of that ideal is another matter. Every now and then bitter complaints are heard that the education boards are usurping the functions of committees, and that the latter are left with no sphere of usefulness. At most that is only partially true, for some school committees are able to make their presence felt very materially —in the manner in which they set about improving their grounds, to name only one avenue of work. As a’ matter of fact, the whole position boils down to this: A school committee, in common with every other similar body whose duties are not set down in black and white, can be exceedingly useful or utterly useless according to the calibre of its members. In those circumstances it is a real tribute to the ability of the men and women who give themselves to this type of public service, and to the painstaking attention which they bring to bear upon it, that in the great majority of eases, parents, teachers and children are all alike indebted to the committees for help received. Except for the possible stepping-stone which it may afford towards distinction in higher polities, service on a school committee is largely thankless. Indeed, if there were not those in every community to whom the ‘satisfaction of work well done is of itself sufficient reward, it is doubtful if committees could be filled. ' Every year parents have the opportunity of calling upon a retiring committee to account for its stewardship, and to express their confidence or want of confidence in voting for the election of the new ; committee. How many bother to go along with a word of thanks and appreciation? In too many districts the only explanation of a really representative gathering at the annual householders ’ meeting is ‘‘ a row.” When, there is a poor attendance the retiring committee is left to assume that it has done nothing to which objection has been taken; when there is a full meeting it may have to face the music. Surely if a parent is well satisfied with the work which the committee is doing for his child—by ventilating the school in summer and warming it in winter, by beautifying the grounds and buying cheerful pic-' tures for the walls—surely the least that parent can. do is to turn out tothe annual meeting and express his thanks, if only by re-electing some members of the old committee. It is wonderful how far a little encouragement goes in private life. Might it not be worth trying in this, the beginning of public life? The indications as these lines are being written, are that this will be a night for the home .fireside rather than for a cold and wet walk or drive down to the. school. But the householders’ meetings will be held 1 to-night whatever the weather; and good attendances on ah unfavourable night will be the more welcome to those who have been turning out to committee meetings all year. Is it worth considering?