Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1889.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XIV, Issue 4460, 29 August 1889, Page 2

Daily Circulation, 1500. The Oamaru Mail. THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1889.

Thb letter of " Bastions," which appeared in oar last issue, onoa more brings into view the utterly indefensible oharaoter of - the Education Board's determination to submit to Sohool Committees the names of only three applioants for any teachership. It must also confirm the pnbllo In the opinion that the Board's resolution is a powerfully effective lever for the bestowal of patronage and the exercise of gross favoritism, Were the principle of transmitting only three names to Committees honorably applied with a proper detire to aid the Committees in making the best possible selection—were the names of three most eligible candidates forwarded to Committees—then a great deal of the adverse criticism that the Board's action has called forth would be disarmed, and in time the opposition to the system might give place to a feeling that it was not such a bad thing after all. But the power which the Board have illegally seized unto themselves and bestowed upon their officials is not honorably used with a commendable desire to promote the best interest of education by aiding Committees to make a judicious selection of teachers; but it is groisly abused with the palpable objeot of depriving Committees of the power conferred upon themby the Education Act, and thrusting into positions teachers who have secured the approving smiles of the Board's officials. We say this unhesitatingly, and as oar warrant wa point to the experience of the Papibaio and Pukeuri Committees. Both those oases make it clear that In submitting the names to the Committees there was a deliberate design to dep-ive them of any power of making a Baleotion, in each case the name of only one candidate whom the Committee could really accept being submitted In ccnjanotion with the names of two others whom the Board, or the Board's officials, had no hope of proving aooeptible. Aa to how the orscle was worked at Papakaio the letter of "Bustious" told plainly. At Fukeuri the modus operandi was very much the same as at Papaka'o. Three name 3 of applicants for the position of mistress wore submitted to the Committees, bat of these two were those of young and Inexperienced teaohers who could pat forward no special claims for preferment. We repeat that in each of these instances, which are, donbtlees, only two out of many that have occurred In Otago since the passing of the infamous resolution, there was a deliberate intention that a particular person should receive the appointment, We say this with no desire of calling into question tho eligibility of the cindldates who seoured the appointments, for it m»y be that they were most saitable of all the candidates available. Bat, be this as it may, it by no msans follows that they would have been ohosen had the names of the whole of the applicants been placed before the Committees; as we hold the law requires they should have been. We know

that in both cases the Board had applications from teaohera possessing the highest qualificaticns, whose names were withheld from the Committees. For the Pabeuri appointment a lady of high attainments residing in Blenheim v- .1 - an applioant, and for that at Papakaio a gentleman on the West Coast with high recommendations applied ; but neither of these applications did the Board allow to see the light. It may be that the Boird has determined not to accept the cervices of teachers in the employ of other Boards, bnt to that point we shall refer on another occasion. To-day we have fulfilled oar objecS in directing attention to the second instanoe that has arisen in this district of the gross abase of the power usurped by the Board.