Hyde School Committee Election.

Otago Witness, Issue 2205, 4 June 1896, Page 37

Hyde School Committee Election.

TO THB HBITOft. Sib, — Kindly oarmib me through yotw columns to contradict a it»ifcjtneu{; muse bt tfie chairman of the Otago Education Board |t its last meeting, dazing the ducuasion re the Hyde School Committee election, »s reported in yoar paper, to this effect, as follows :-~" It also appeared to him that someone elsa might have been elected had the rotes on this occasion beta exercised -which were rejected." Sir, I e&phatioally deny that any perxon o| perflojtfs. were denied tb.3 right of voting Who tfere qualified to vote, »s fall voted who wero present with the exception of two men— sninera,— -,who deolined to rote after some disousaion ensued as to their residing within the school district t boundary. I leave it to ail reasonable thinking persons to judge whether t&e fact of two individuals .not voting vronld cave affected the result of the election wh6n tie number oS rbfas polled by those elected that night is taken into consideration. With regard to bis acoosftsio& of not having aoted impartially at Iho meeting, I leave that to the majority of those prases^ to decide in preference to an absentee. Truatiag 1 you Mill insert this correipondenoe in jaßtictf to me, — I am, &c, , P. KjSITRYj Hyde, May 25. Chairman of Meeting. TO THE EDITOB. Sir,— Mr Patrick Kiuncy may be a fair man, but he has a peculiar way of showing it. : He acouses our side of being a "family circle 0 because my brother and I happen to be related by marriage to .Mr Ramsay, but he forgets to tell tJia board that the committee elected were relatives of his — viz,, Mr Kinney, Mr M'Bride (Mr Kinney's brother-in-law), MrProndergastCMrKiuney's brother-in-law), and Mr Alexander Trotter (Mr -Prendergaat s brother- in-law). According, therefore, to- Mr Kicney's own showing, theirs is a party oreaniisation. So far as lam concerned, I was vskod to stand and) I did so. The fact that I happened to be related to Mr ttamsay had no more to do with my candidature than the fact that I was not related to Mr Kinney had. Mr Kinney and bis parly showed tbeir party organisation by running a block of seven ana thro wing out-one member of the old committee who did not see eye to eye with them, but who nevertheless was the- only educated man on the committee, and one .who has always taken an active interest In education. To do this jMr Kinney permitted every Tom, Dic'x, and Harry who said he had a miner's right to vote. Our side only ran four men and supported Mr Kinney, but he evidently was not gentleman enough to return the compliment. If Mr Kiuney wants to gain the respect and 63teem bis fellow-colonists would like to accord to him as a justice of the peace, he hod better show a little lees readiness in joining any party clique for party purposes. It looks at least passing strange that Mr Kinney's party should be anxious to get rid of Mr Duff, who sat with them on the" old committee, and put in a full committee of their own side. So far as your Note of the Week is concerned, permit me to point out that what the objectors asked the board to decide, was a question of legal fact, aud had nothing whatever to da with the local dispute.— l am, Ac.,' The Glen, Hyde, June 1. C. G. Trotter.