The Star. SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 1905. SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7678, 11 April 1903, Page 4

The Star. SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 1905. SCHOOL COMMITTEE ELECTIONS.

The fact that we are neaxing the middle of April is 'the sole indication that the annual elections of school committee, are approaching. Apart from the date, tho elections might be months off, for all tho interest they are creating. Why the householders should invariably allow them to come and go unheeded, save by a snnall minority, is a puzzle which we have neverbeen able to solve. The education of their children should by rights be one of their first cares. It might be supposed that even if they tihemselves were not eager to serve on the sohool committees, at least 'they would take the trouble to attend the annual meeting and help to elect the most suitable among their neighbours who were. But tbe majority of them cannot be persuaded to do either. In some pf tbe ibost populous school districts around Christchurch tbe annual meetings are 'so poorly attended that it is the veriest mockery to eall them representative. Aa a result the candidates for the committees are not representative. They are drawn from a small proportion of the householders, and_. whail Ss worse, not always from .the bests portion. The inevitable consequence is that tho duties of the committees are often neglected and still more often badly carried ou'fc. " This rule, of course, is not without its exceptions. There are committees near "Christ-v church whioh are composed of desirable members who do the work entrusted. to theon most creditably. But, unfortunately, they are tlie exceptions, which in this, case are unmistakable evidence of a. lamentable rule. The fault does not lie with the committees any more than it lies a>tt the door of the Education Act. It is the housdholders who are to blame and tbe householders only. Until they can be induced to take a little interest, in the wo-'kj of the committers and attend the annual v meetings the defects we have noted will remain unremedied. So fair every effort to infuse interest- into tho ejections has failed,, and unless the heroic remedy of mingling pleasure and business, suggested by a- southern committee, succeeds, we shall be at a loss to know what will have the desired * ffact "