Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, APRIL 22, 1907. THE NELSON GIRLS' SCHOOL. CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE HOUSEHOLDERS' MEETING.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XLII, Issue XLII, 22 April 1907, Page 2

Nelson Evening Mail MONDAY, APRIL 22, 1907. THE NELSON GIRLS' SCHOOL. CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE HOUSEHOLDERS' MEETING.

THE householders in various centres will hold their annual meetings this evening to elect the school committees, and the meeting in Nelson will be held in the Provincial Hall. By the curious provision in the Act so fruitful of dissatisfaction, surprises, and confusion, there is a dual system of nomination. In the first place, written nominations dosed a week ago. But the list is respened at the meeting this evening, when any number of names may be proposed in addition to those that may have been sent in already. Apart from other evils such a loose method positively encourages, the ballot papers of necessity must be written out by all and sundry at the meeting instead of beinp printed, checked beforehand, initialled and issued with the chairman^ initials. Then the electors' "roll," — a lucus a non lueendo— , for there is no regular roll— has little or nothnig to do with the election. As a rule no one in the meeting room is ever questioned as to his qualification, and in some instances Bven boys and girls have been permitted to vote in the more remote places during a "row royal" between school parties. In Nelson last year the loosener.! c{ the system and the evil of nominating at tkfi meeting were demonstrated by the meeting being "captured" by i section of the community. It was jntjroly the fault of those who hac! become flccustomed to leave the elec:ion of the School Committee to routine lncl the proverbial "three men and a aoy," The grievance, if any existed, leading to the "capture' 1 of the meetinn;, does net exist now to the extent ;t did last year, and nothing more need be said of the matter except by way of sxhorting all classes to make sure that the meeting of householders is fairly representative, in order that as fairly representative a Town Schools Commit lee as it is possible to elect under the methods provided may be secured. There is also another reason why ihere shoufd be a representative gathering: and an expression of opinion ivhieh may strengthen the hands of the Town Schools Committee and the Education Board. For ceveral years there has been an endeavour to transfer or exchange the locality of the Toi Toi Valley school, and after a good deal of •Sort and the exercise of much patience and resolve, the site of the old j/yl was secured, lha Government taking over the present school site in Toi Toi Valiey. The Board has affirmed the necessity o( arecting what is in reality a new school structure, not before it was needed by any means. The low-lying and too shady school in Toi Toi Valley has been declared unsuitable for many years, and there is no telling how many girls have been rendered delicate for j life owing to the conditions under which their school days have been spent. In the winter time the Toi Toi Valley school certainly is not fit fqr occupation as a place for young children umess $ gpod deal of money be spent in fires, repairs, et>j' fl.rjd in acknowledgment of this fact nojt only has the Board virtually consented io replace the old school building by a new one on the jail site, but tlje Government has granted the exchange of site for similar reasons. IT it were only a question of agreement between the general desire, the wishes of the Board and the Town Schools Committee, and the common weal, the new school might be erected and only the finance left to be arranged. But there Wan unfortunate element of town v. country in tfie Education Board, and though it is in a minority it has to be reckoned with. The point that has been raised is that the funds of the Board cannot be spent on new buildings, and that as the Board has no borrowing powers the resolution of the Board to erect a new echool on the jail s(to remains a mere affirmation. It is contended, however, and wjtfa some measure of juslice and common sense, that the proposed structure on the old jail site is not to be a new school but a substitution for an old one, and therefore the Board is quite within its rights in proceeding with the work. An expression of opinion from the householders' meeting would strengthen the hands 1 of the majority on the Board, and it is fair to assume thai if only the money available were expended on the building, technical difficulties and -hindrances would be overcome in the long run. * » » # * If the country districts wero to suffer because of the erection of a new oitv wionl wo should be inclined to

agree thut- matters bo left as tiioy are for yet a few years. Even if the proposed orection of the school on the jail site had been sprung on the district as a surprise there might be reason for further consideration before action was taken. But it is widely known that the agitation for a transfer from Toi Toi Valley to Shelbourne-street has been prominently before the public for many years. As a matter of fact it is the attitude of the so-called country-party minority that is the surprise, for it will come to most as news that any opposition can be contemplated at this late date, after every possible preliminary has been arranged and re-ar-ranged time and again. One may venture on the opinion that very few, if any, people in the country districts are really hostile to the substitution of a suitable- for an unsuitable central school for' girls in Nelson. Such opposition as there is is partly evolved by an inconsiderable minority on the Education Board, and the proposal can be blocked only by the application of technicalities. # * * * * In these circumstances, an affirmation at the Nelson householders' meeting supporting the Town Schools Committee and the majority of the Education Board, together with an absence of sufficiently representative opposition from the country districts, should be evidence that there is no real hostility or objection to the city securing an adequate school building, the need of which has been apparent and frequently demonstrated for many years. In short, the time for opposition has passed. I If there had been any, it should have been made manifest when both the Committee and the majority on the Education Board were straining every nerve, first to secure the Shelbournestreet site, and next to secure the cooperation of the Department of Education in the erection of the proposed new buildings. Under the conditions it would be quite legitimate for the meeting to-night to urge the immediate accomplishment of a project that must have the approval of all fair- . minded persons, especially as absolutely no deprivation is likely to be inflicted on the country districts by a town expenditure. In fact, the town v. country issue should never have been raised, and it is really non-exfstent except foi the persistency of a minority of th« I Education Board.