WAIHOLA SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 7636, 9 August 1886, Page 4

WAIHOLA SCHOOL COMMITTEE.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In a letter published in your issue of Friday last over the norn ih plume of " One of the Four," your correspondent takes strong exception to the action of the Education Board in quashing the late election of the Wuihola School Conimitteeon the ground of illegal voting, and—whether wilfully or not I know not—seems

to miss the point at issue, viz., whether certain young men residing in their parents' houses were householders within, the meauing of the act, and consequently had a right to vote. That these

young men did vote has never been called in question, as it was testified to by Mr Crane in his letter to the board, by the chairman of the meeting of householders (the Rev. George Hall), and by 27 householders in the district, three of

whom were members of the eleetcl committee. So that I think your correspondent's charge that the board came to its decision on ex paste

statements is unfounded. And in spite of the sneering manner in which he speaks of school committeemen doing little work and receiving no remuneration, the whole tenor of his letter is one of spleen to the board for having declared the election of himself and his colleagues invalid.

But while disagreeing very strongly with the lone of your correspondent's letter, I think that the board acted in a manner far from straight-

forward. Sir Crane wrote a few days after the

election informing them of the fact of these young men having voted in spite of the remonstrances of the chairman. After his letter had been read the board deferred consideration till a report could be got from the chairman of the hoH>eholders' meeting, and on his report being laid before them they shelved the whole matter, and it was not till a petition largely signed by

householders in the district had been sent in that they again considered the matter and declared the election illegal. Had the board on receipt of Mr Crane's letter made inquiries into the truth of the assertions contained therein, and given their decision one way or other at once, it would have saved a great deal of unpleasant feeling in the district, and have given the public more confidence in the Education Board as a public body. In conclusion I, together with many others, would like to know by whose authority was it that copies of all correspondence between Mr Crane and the board was sent to your correspondent and his colleagues after it had been decided by the board that the election was illegal, and consequently there was no Waihola School Committee in existence ?

Your correspondent, in speaking of Mr Crane, who is a well-known and much respected settler in the district, as "a Mr Crane,'' ami insinuating that lie was as-isted in drafting his letter to the board by three members of the committee, shows that he considers his case weak and has to indulge in personalities to strengthen it. I am, &c, Justitia. August 7.

—The valu of ostrich feathers has steadily declined, until prime whites have fallen in value from £50 to £10 per lb,