THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1895.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXII, Issue 9726, 23 January 1895, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1895.

The elections for the Board of Education take place during the present month, and we would like very much to see them result in an improvement of that body, which has of late not been working well. Three candidates who are retiring offer themselves for reelection—Mr. 9. Luke, Mr. H. Wilding, and Mr. W. Woodward. Three new men come forward in Mr. T. Radford (Thames), Mr. A. R. Harris (East Tamaki), and Mr. J. Smith (Maungaturoto). These three gentlemen are working on a ticket, and besides their separate addresses, a joint memorandum has been issued asking the committees to vote for them as a ticket. Lastly, we have Mrs. E. W. Thomas, who is fighting her own battle singly. The memorandum issued on behalf of Messrs. Radford, Harris, and Smith is somewhat curious in its way. It is signed by Mr. ,). P. Tuckey, "secretary," but who Mr. Tuckey is, and what body he is secretary of, the public are not informed. It is an appeal on behalf of some body calling themselves " we" to elect the three gentlemen named, but no information is given as to who the '* we" are. The manifesto commences thus :— " A few years ago, owing to the high-handed policy of the Auckland Board of Education, the committees, unable any longer to endure the treatment meted out to them, made a united effort to change the constitution of the Board, and were successful. Owing, however, to death and resignation, and to the arbitrary efforts of the official element, matters are once more as unsatisfactory as ever." There is some truth in this. We would be inclined to put it that a few years ago, a cry was got up that the members of the Board of Education were all Auckland men, bent upon robbing the country for the benefit of the town. We regret to say that there is nothing that country people are so ready to believe as such a cry. It is quite common to hear all through the country districts profound suspicions about the machinations of those people in QueenStreet. Our friends in the country seem to think that those who are unfortunate enough to spend their lives in town ar*> always secretly plotting how to despoil the honest, unsophisticated dwellers in the out districts. There is no belief for which there is less foundation, for if there is anything the people of Auckland know, it is that upon the country they all depend. However, the cry was sent abroad that the members of the Board of Education neglected the interests of the country, and as a matter of course this* belief was pandered to by those who wanted to get on the Board. The circular we refer to says that " matters ate once more as unsatisfactory as ever." Those who brought about the change are apparently disgusted with their own handiwork. They now raise again the old cry, that " It is discouraging to the minority on the Board who are honestly, faithfully, but fruitlessly, contending for the rights of committees." The circular goes on to lament the present state of matters as " deplorable," and asks the committees to " Please bear in mind the manner in which some recent candidates have approached committees, promising to give them fuller control of their school affairs—promises which have been broken as soon as their election was secured." We think the issue of this circular is a complete mistake. We do not intend to review all the addresses of candidates which have been issued, but it is refreshing to turn from merely touting for votes by promises, to the address of Mrs. Thomas, who does not abuse the present members of the Board, who does not promise to increase the power of the committees, and to specially look after the interests of the country schools as against the town schools. She states simply how she came to offer herself as a candidate, and then proceeds to give briefly her views upon education. We should think that on her address Mrs. Thomas should secure a very large number of votes. She has already in this community shown an organising capacity fair above the average. She would be an active, far-seeing, and altogether unselfish member of the Board of Education.