.7. E. WILSON.]

1.—13 a.

3. The statement you have made represents the feeling of the people generally in New Plymouth ? —Yes, the whole of the Taranaki District. The feeling is very strong in regard to our retaining the present administration and control of our own children. I. Mr. McCallum.] Supposing you have to be amalgamated, would you not prefer to go into a larger district than the proposed Wanganui-Taranaki combination ?—1 have not considered that point, and it would be unfair for me to express an opinion. 5. I am suggesting a scheme by which you would only have two Boards for the whole of the North Island. Wellington and Auckland only I Yes. we would not be satisfied with such a scheme.

Thursday, 6th August, 1914. (No. 17.) Mr. Okey, M.P., produced resolutions carried by various bodies protesting against the abolition of the Taranaki Education Board, and in the direction of extending the district so as to comprise the whole of the Provincial District of Taranaki. The resolutions were passed by the following:— Shareholders of the Okato and Puniho Co-operative Dairy Company (Limited). New Plymouth Chamber of Commerce. Taranaki Education Board. Taranaki School Committees' Association. Meeting of New Plymouth townspeople. Meeting of settlers at Bird. Meeting of householders at Toko. Meeting of householders in Pembroke district. Public meeting held at Stratford. Meeting of settlers in Raupuha district. Meeting of Inglewood residents. Meeting of Egmont Village residents.

Coiv of Resolutions passed at the Annual Meeting of Shareholders of the Okato and Puniho Co-operative Dairy Company (Limited) on the 29th July, 1914. " That the settlers of tliis district emphatically protest against the removal of the Education Board from New Plymouth, it being the capital town of the Province of Taranaki, for the following reasons : " 1. That the district can lie much better administered from New Plymouth than from any other fown in the Dominion. " 2. That the members of the Hoard are elected throughout the district in such localities as put them in a much better position to look after educational matters than they would be if the Education Bill was given effect to as it now stands. " 3. That while we believe the Education Bill may be an improvement on the present system of education, the boundaries, should be revised in the direction of making the Board districts more equal."

Taranaki Education Board, New Plymouth, 23rd July, 1914. The following is a copy of a resolution carried by the Taranaki Education Board at its meeting held on Wednesday, 22nd July, 1914 :- " That the Taranaki Education Hoard emphatically protests against the proposal in the Education Rill now before Parliament to abolish the present Taranaki Education District, and urges that such a stop would be against the best interests of education as a whole and of the Taranaki District in particular ; and the Boarcl is of opinion that for the efficient management of such an important district as Taranaki, containing large areas of close settlement and still larger areas where settlement is widely scattered, it is essential that there should be a Board in existence the members of which would be in touch with and have knowledge (if all parts of the district : and the Board further urges that the interests of education would be better served by the retention of the present Taranaki Board and the inclusion within its jurisdiction of "the whole of the Taranaki Provincial District and the southern portion of the present Auckland District extending along the coast as far as Raglan and inland to Te Kuiti." P. S. Whitcombe. Secretary.

Dear Sir,— New Plymouth, 23rd July, 1914. At a meeting of the executive of the Taranaki School Committees' Association the following resolution was passed, and \ was instructed to forward it to yon and ask yon to use your best endeavours to give effect thereto :■ "That the executive of the School Committees' Association protest against the abolition of the Taranaki Education District, believing it to be inimical to the best interests of education in this district. It suggests that the present district should be enlarged to include the whole of the Provincial District of Taranaki, together with the Counties of Awakino. Ohura, Kawhia. Taupo West. Waipa. and Waitomo." Yours faithfully. Geo. Stephen White, Hon. Secretary. H. Okev, Esq., M.P., Wellington.

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