WAIRARAPA HANDICAPPED.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 1 May 1925, Page 6

WAIRARAPA HANDICAPPED.

!*- (To The Editor.) Sir.— Having some years back endeavoured, through the medium of the South Wairarapa School Committees Association, as president of that body, to promote the objective now being pursued by the Masterton West School Committee, I have naturally noted with sympathetic effort the intimation that ,tho Education Department and the [Wellington Education Board appreciate the call for remedying the anomaly in "the J. 9 14 Act 1 baiting the representation of each fatal t 0 tTrO members only for each of a maximum of three jwards. This irrespective of area _or -number of schools involved. Waira-. iapa, with some 90 schools spread over. a very large area, is oiie unfortunate example. Wairarapa South unanimously 'supported my proposal, which would representation to each ot 1 hrOC 'groups, with about "0 schools, viz., South Wairarapa (Featherston and Wairarapa South County areas), Masterton (Masterton, MauriceviUe and Castlepoint Counties) and. Tararua '(Ekctahuna, Pahiatua and Akitio Counties). There are so many idiosyncracies in the electoral boundaries that I eon Id not recommend adopting the hidebound population basis, preferring reasonable consideration for geographical and community of interest factors. While rural representation is limited to 6 members, adversely affecting Auckland and Wellington' country districts in particular, the city folk are blessed with the right of 2 members for each 60,000 or part of 60,000 population. thus giving Wellington 4 members —who can travel over their urban area by tram-car. This is another instance of the absence of a “square deal” as applied to country interests. In the Hut t - 110 row lie nu a Ward the conditions are satisfactory —we have less than 40 schools, about 19 school's per member, against Wairarapa ’s 45. At the 1920 annual conference of the Federated School Committees’ Associations of the Dominion, the following discussion took place (as recorded in the Evening Post):— “Methods' of Election for Education Boards'. —In moving a (remit placed before delegates to the School Cornmit- ' tees’ Association Conference to-day—-that the basis of ward representation under the Education Act, 1914, be amended to provide that any ward with three Parliamentary electorates within its boundaries shall be entitled to an additional representative, and in the e\ent of there being four such electoral districts,, an extra ward shall be created Mr A. C. Holms (South Wairarapa) <\aid that many anomalies existed under the present system of representation. It was pointed out, however, that the suggested system would lead to yet more anomalies, in the Auckland district, for instance, which would then be entitled to an undue number of country representatives on Education Boards. The Hon. M. Cohen, M.Lr.C. (Dunedin), held that a great mistake had been made in the throwing over of the provincial representation system. He believed that, the Auckland district should be divided, and was not sure that the number of boards should have been reduced. Education Boards should also have control of technical and secondary education. Mr J. K. Hornblow (Foxton) said that he looked forward to the disestablishment of all Education Boards, which were expensive and not wholly efficient. (Later Mr J. A. Nash, M.P., and Lhe writer akso spoke in favour of removing the “buffers,’’ and adding to the status of committees. —AiC.H.) Mr S. G. Smith doubted, whether, school committeemen realised the work tlct Eclucat’nn Boards were doing, am 1 the money they were saving the counmv. Were the rolls compiled on a basis which would give, town and country residents equal suffrage, he would support the election of members of Education Boards by popular vote. The remit was opposed by Mr A. Beverill (Christchurch), who considered that the boards were already large enough. The president, Mr A. G. Wallace (Wellington), advised delegates to eon- • sider the scheme adopted by the Wellington Association to support candidates with experience of school committee. WOTk, Replying, Mr Holms said that there was no intention of suggesting larger board areas, but the remit aimed at giving country schools a fair deal. The remit was lost.’’ The voting had the appearance of “town v. country.’''' Of seven remits wo presented, this was the only one rejected. Wishing the present movement a full measure of success, which will, I presume, involve legislation (oil this score 1 hope that the fate of the South Wairarapa proposal approved by the conference, and brought before the Minister, i.e., raising the school leaving age to 15 years, as helping, children' in small schools or distant from school centres, will not follow legislative enactment, the 1921 amendment not yet being enforced). With thanks. -—I am, etc., A. C. HOLMS, Chairman Ley in and District Edux eational Conference.