AN ELECTION LESSON.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 19800, 18 November 1919, Page 6

AN ELECTION LESSON.

FOR CANTERBURY SCHOOL CHILDREN.

AN OFFER SY THE “STAR.”

"Within a few weeks the election of members of Parliament will take place. Polls are being prepared, and candidates arc entering on their campaigns. Not the least interested spectators of tlio contests are the pupils in the higher standards of the schools of the Dominion. In the course of a few years they will ho old enough to have the privilege of voting. It is therefore desirable that they should know how such an election is conducted, and how to vote. The “ Star ” proposes to help the young people, by assisting them to bold an election of their own. In this matter the editor hopes for the co-operation of thp head teachers and staffs of the schools participating.

Ballot papers, containing the names of supposititious candidates will ba printed, and will be forwarded to tho bead master of any school in tho Canterbury district north of the Ashburton river and south of the Hurunui, who will undertake to see that t-iicy nro used, and. that the children are given an “election lesson.” In order to avoid any suggestion of the scheme being used for party propaganda, tho names of the candidates will he drawn from the ranks of the. most distinguished personages in the Great War. To give an added interest to the proceedings the pupils will also bo asked to fill in claims for enrolment. The form will be adapted Iron* that which is used hv registrars of electors throughout New Zealand. The teachers will he asked to distribute the enrolment claims among the pupil© of the Fifth and Sixth Standards, and supervise tho idling in, which should ho done by the pupils themselves. The claims having been collected, the voting papers should be distributed, and if possible each voter should bo enabled to record his or her vote secretly, the schoolroom being temporarily converted into a polling booth. The counting of the votes should he undertaken by selected pupils, with a member of the school staff acting as scrutineer. The teacher can then declare the result of the polling at his school, and return the enrolment and voting papers, along with the result of tire poll, to the Editor of tho “ Star.” The editor would he pleased to receive applications for enrolment and voting papers from tiio head teachers of Canterbury scnools who are willing to assist. An applicant should state the numbers of forms required, and the electorate in which his or her school is situated. Groups of four names will he allocated to each electorate, and the votes of the schools in each electorate will ho totalled to give the result of tho poll for that electorate. We have no doubt that both teachers and pupils will be keenly interested, and that this nractical lesson in election work will bo of value. Applications for forms should be addressed to THE EDITOR, “ STAR,” CHRISTCHTJR.CE