EDUCATION COUNCIL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 145085, 9 September 1916, Page 6

EDUCATION COUNCIL.

A PROPOSED AMENDMENT. OF RECENT. DEFECTIVE ACT. TER PRESS ASSOCIATION, WELLINGTON, Sept. 8. The General Council of Education had under consideration to-day the question of amending the constitution of Education Boards'with a view of removing, as far as possible, some of the inequalities of representation. 0 Under the present nrovisions of the Education Act education districts are divided into urban ami rural areas, for the pnrnose of electing members of boards, and it is found that the smaller urban- areas are over-represented on hoards, r-nd that rural areas in the larger; di®ricts are not adequately represented. On the Wellington Board, as at present constituted, a member of one of tile rural areas represents a population of 15,000, while a member of one ot the urban areas represents only (1000. On the Canterbury Board each of the members for rural areas represents Ci.',ooo, while a member of one ol the urban areas represents only 7000. The council referred the matter to a committee and adopted the report ot tho committee recommending that, the Art bo amended m the following directions:— , . . “That for urban areas the number ot members be as follows; Population 8000 to Ui.OtX). 1 member; lti.ol X) to SI'.OOO, •J members; fi'I.OOO to (11,000, .;) members; over (i I .GOO, -I members, that the rural areas be divided into rvaids, e.uli returning uva members. That tor rural areas the number ot wards be as ftdhiws ■ Population under Ifl.ObO. t wnrds: fII.UOO to SO.OOO, 3 ward;.; over SIIOPII, 1 wards. It the projmsed change is .adorned and the Art Amended meor/linplv. til*' number of members elected bv the school committees o) smaller boroughs will be reduced from two to one and the number of members for rural areas in Auckland and Canteriniyv will he eight. n