From the Mailbag

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 20167, 8 June 1928, Page 6

From the Mailbag

EDUCATION BOARDS Sir.—l notice that under the Hunterville notes in the “Chronicle” on June 4, Air Gordon Eliott, M P., speaking to the Huntervilile School Committee, is reported to have said that it was his personal opinion that the time had arrived for ire abolition of Education Boards, that their duties caused considerable overlapping, that greater responsibilities could be given to school committees, and by doing so the best men and women would take up this duty.

Assuming that Mr Eliott has been correctly reported, and that he was discussing with the HuntcrviJle School

Committee the need for a new school at Huntervillc, 1 wish to point out that this matter of rebuilding Hunterville school has not been neglected by the Education Board. The work is included in a very lengthy list of works, totalling over £30,000, submitted to the Education Department, and setting forth the requirements of this education district for the current financial year in the matter of new buildings, additions, sites and replacing of old buildings.

Hunterville is at the head of the list of buildings for replacement, and the Board will be just ah delighted as the good people of Huntervillc if the Education Department will provide the funds required. Air Eliott knows as well as 1 do that it is impossible for tho Government to find the money needed to meet all demands in the matter of school buildings, and that the only thing to du is to deal with tho more urgent cases. Air Eliott cannot, of course, be expected to know any thing of the requirements of the district outside his electorate, and I do not think his views on the abolition of Education Boards will cut much ice in view of his limited knowledge of the work of these bodies. I doubt if he took any active interest in educational affairs prior to entering politics. I cannot help feeling that Air Eliott is rather sore because the Board would not co-operate with him in securing a grant for a certain school. The Board took this stand because it was satisfied, after careful inquiry, that, the case was not one of urgency and that there were many more urgent cases in the district which should have pre cedence.

Air Eliott has come to the conclusion that Education Boards should be done away with, but I would ]ikc to remind him that all attempts to introduce a better system than the present one have so far failed and the longer we can retaian local control and keep politics out of our educational administration, the better it will bo for the country. W. A. COLLINS. Chairman, Education Board. Wnnganui, June 6.