SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXIII, Issue 13716, 5 April 1905, Page 9

SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—With all due respect to your correspondent, Sir TV. J. Steward, I fail to see how his solution of the diffi-culty-altering the date of election from Easter Monday to the day following Tuesday, April 25—will improve matters. Easter Tuesday is just as much a “ proclaimed or customary public holiday ” as Easter Monday. All the large places of business—banks, commercial warehouses, workshops, etc.—will bo closed on Easter Tuesday—in fact, all the people will be on holiday bent. Even your correspondent, with all his “ vast ” knowledge, has not, in my opinion, interpreted the Act correctly. Clause 11 of Part I. of the Act says: “ When the

day of which anything is by this Act required to he done falls on a Sunday, Good Friday, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, or any proclaimed or customary public holiday, then such thing shall bo done on the day following.” Therefore I contend that that part of the clause, “ then such thing shall be done on the day following,” applies to Easter Tuesday, being a “proclaimed or customary public holiday,” and that the elections should be held on Wednesday, April 26. Are people' 'expected, after’ returning home from thoir holiday on that day, to attend an uninteresting meeting of householders? No; in preference they will visit the numerous £ laces of amusement on that night. ast year, in this district alone, there wore a number of places who failed to elect committees; and this, mind you, under the ordinary circumstances. Now, one can have a very good idea what the elections will be when held on an Easter Tuesday night. I feel positive the result will be just'as you wrote on February 27:--“. . . and it seems to us that smaller attendances than ever will be the rule ” (if held on Easter Monday). “Under normal conditions it is difficult enough to rouse interest in the elections of committees, and on a holiday night the business will be left, in many cases, to a handful of enthusiasts and householders with personal interests at stake.” But I have no doubt that there is one thing it will show up very emphatically, namely, the farce of such important elections being held at night, and the extremely ana unsatisfactorily manner of elections.—l am, etc., EDUCATIONALIST. Christchurch, April 4.