EDUCATION BOARD ELECTION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 19 August 1926, Page 5

EDUCATION BOARD ELECTION.

LOSS OF AN ADVERTISEMENT. COMMITTEEMEN’S REMARKS RESENTED. Exception was taken at yesterday’s meeting of the Taranaki Education Board to remarks made at the recent quarterly meeting of the South Taranaki School Committees’ Association during the discussion concerning the election of members of the Education Board. It will be remembered that as a result of an unfortunate .occurrence an advertisement which was believed to have been forwarded to The Star, calling for nominations to the board, failed to reach its destination, and nominations closed without the candidate being supported by the School Committees’ Association being put forward.

The chairman (Mr. S. G. Smith) — with a clipping of the report of the discussion be tore, him—said ne was extremely sorry that the position had arisen, hut he felt that the association should, have accepted the explanation of the board, instead of insinuating that the advertisement was withheld in view of the fact that the association was .supporting a candidate. Relations between the association and the board had been of the best, and he was positive that the latter body had always done its best in the interests of the association. He had a high regard for Mr. J. AY. Harding, wlioijn he felt had done a great deal in the interests of education in South Taranaki, but that gentleman’s remarks cast a. grave reflection upon the board and contained a .serious inuendo regarding the policy of the board, and he felt that such a statement was uncalled for. He was positive that the accident was entirely unintentional, and regretted it deeply. He would have preferred to have seen every vacancy on the hoard contested, for it excited interest in the board’s activities, and he knew that other members felt likewise; and the suggestion that the vaeanev was not advertised in order to avoid a change in the personnel of the board was incorrect It- was decided to take no action, the letter covering the clipping of the report being “received.”