MANGAHUME.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 10, 22 December 1911, Page 5

MANGAHUME.

election trouble at the SCHOOL.

EDUCATION BOARD DISCUSSION

. At the meeting of the Mangahnmc School Committee which considered the recent trouble with the Hon. I • Mackenzie, Mr Rickard, m moving that the chairman’s action be cndoised, said: “In face of the law and the Board’s regulation, he did not sec how the chairman in doing his tint* could have done otherwise On the motion of Messrs cox and \\ ainer it was resolved that the committee respectfully ask the Board to endorse the chairman’s action. His authority, he stated, was contained not only in the Board s regulations, * but also in ‘‘Parliamentary Electoral '1 Law, T 908,” section 112, which stat'vv'*es. “Any candidate at an election may, for the purpose of holding public meetings of electors for electoial purposes during the period of an election, use free of charge any suitable room in any primary school attei S the ordinary school hours. He ioiwarded the papers in connection with the Mangahnmc incident. When the matter came before the Education Board at its last meeting, the secretary read the correspondence in a southern paper on the matter, and also a letter from Mr Coomliridge to the Hon. T. Mackenzie m the Opunake paper, in which, inter alia, Mr Coombridge state; ' Me never received any direct communication from your committee at Opunake, but a letter was addressed to the mistress, asking her to make arrangements with tho chairman about closing the school on Friday afternoon for a political address. There was not even a suggestion that you desired, m your official capacity , to address the children. Had this been mentioned, the committee would have been only too pleased to welcome you.” After quoting the regulation, the letter continued : Jhe school was not refused, but my l-'Rei was only a communication to show your committee we had no authority to close the school during school hours for a political address. I wrote to the secretary telling him that v.o should be pleased to place the school at your disposal during school hours. There was not the slightest personal feeling towards you at all. . . In conclusion, I trust you will see that unless the Board sanctions the closing of a school during school hours to allow candidates to give political addresses the committee could not act differently.” , ~ Mr Kennedy thought that the apology was due to the school committee from the South Taranaki piper. The chairman of the committee was not refusing the Minister of Education but a candidate, and they had no right to break up the school routine for any candidate, whether Mr Dive or Mr Mackenzie. Provision was made for such meetings being held after school hours. Rev. McArthur remarked that Mr Coombridge had informed him that there was nothing personal in the " matter, but he was merely acting in accordance with the laws governing , committees. ’ Mr Halcombe thought Mr Mackenzie’s committee was to blame. Ihey had beelr offered the building after school hours. There Was .no political feeling in the matter, : and it was the duty'of the Board to uphold tho committee. 1 They could not ■■• have school duties broke!! 1 up in this. way. It did nbf alter s the case one bit,that the candidate ■was!'tlie Minister of. Education. 11 ’ He* ’wa's “ refused the school only during , school hours , if lie could hot take the trouble to make his arrangements fit in, it was his own fault. The chairman said that the Iriw was sufficiently clear. Mr Mackenzie was ’ not there'as Minister of Education, hut as a candidate for an election If he could not have arranged his address at, a suitable time , he s lould have found’ some, other place A candidate, in .the Stratford; electorate had held ' his meeting in. a . shelter shed for the same reason. That candidate had as much right to demand the school as had the Minister ol Education,