WORK IN THE SCHOOLS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LI, Issue 15567, 26 March 1914, Page 9

WORK IN THE SCHOOLS

PERSONNEL OF BOARD. CITY'S REPRESENTATION. SUGGESTED CHANGE IN WARDS. The proposal which was made by the City Council recently that the boundaries of the existing wards of the Auckland educational district be altered so that the metropolitan area should have representation in proportion to the number of school children resident therein, has received the consideration of the Education Board. The members were asked to consider the possibility of re-allotting the wards— north', east and went—so as to provide for a north and south ward and a central or metropolitan ward such being considered a more equitable arrangement. When the matter came up for consideration by the board the members, although sympathetic, found that under the Act they were unable to make the desired alteration. The chairman (Mr. G. J. Garland), when referring to the question at yesterday's meeting, said that the members in committee had arrived at this conclusion after very careful consideration. It would be a very difficult matter to give effect to the alterations the board had in mind to provide for northern, southern and metropolitan wards. It was the business of the board to administer the Act as it found it. To alter the ward boundaries to provide for a metropolitan ward would bring too many children into the metropolitan and southern wards, and too few in the northern word The Act insisted that the numbers in each ward must be kept approximately the same. The chairman expressed the* private opinion that it would be a- good thing if the Act were amended so as to allow of the making of four wards each with three representatives on the board. This would give the city area proper representation and would not hamper in any way the attendance of members or the rotation of retirement. The chairman denied that the city schools had been neglected and challenged critics to bring specific instances of the board's neglect of duty towards any school. He expressed his determination to take the first opportunity of placing the matter before the Minister for Education and he would urge that legislation providing for a metropolitan ward be introduced.