1.—13 a.

42

[a. t>. bratk.

high school can only be established or disestablished on the advice of the District Council, except when the attendance falls below the minimum, while subclause (5) gives the Minister power, on the advice of the Council, to direct that the property and income of a secondary, district high, or technical high school which may be disestablished on the advice of the Council be transferred to another similar school, again on the advice of the Council. It will be seen that the powers of the District Council are greater than those of the General Council. Clause 13, subclause (1), Education Boards : In the first place the question arises, why, alone of all the districts, alter the name of the " Wanganui " District to " Egmont " ? Wanganui with its river is situate almost in the centre of the new district; the present Board has justly earned the reputation of being in the van of educational work of all branches, secondary, technical, vocational, primary, and infant schools ; its secondary-school teachers are the best paid in the Dominion ; most of its school buildings and furniture are superior to anything in the Dominion ; its system of classification and payment of teachers have been models for other Boards to follow; and yet, probably because it is anathema to the departmental officials, its very name is to be wiped out. Deeds, stationery, impress stamps, &c, have to be altered, and a new name substituted which has no more relation to the district than Mount Cook would have to the new Canterbury District, or Ruapehu to the Hawke's Bay District. Surely Parliament will not perpetuate such an anomaly as that proposed. If the Hawke's Bay District were extended further into the Auckland Provincial District on the east coast, and Wanganui or " Egmont " extended in a similar way on the west coast, while Nelson and Marlborough were added to Wellington and Southland to Otago, three proposed Board districts would be abolished without injury to the administration. Clause 14 : The different methods of electing members of the Board are bound to cause confusion, and an undue preponderance of members is to be given to the two urban districts of Palmerston and Wanganui compared to the rest of the education district. Taking the last census, about twenty-eight thousand of a population are to elect four members, while ninety-eight thousand are to elect six—a country quota with a vengeance ! The population of an urban district should be reduced to six thousand for one member, over thirty thousand for two members, and over sixty thousand for three members, while the requirement making it compulsory for one School Committee to control the whole of the schools in an urban district before direct representation is given should be abolished. It is unquestionable that in towns especially far more interest is taken in the real work of Committees and voluntary effort is stimulated to a much greater extent when there is a Committee for each school than when one Committee is responsible for four or five. All the members of a Board should be elected on the same franchise—by Committees by post, as at present, by those on the municipal or county roll or by those on the electoral roll, and by proportional representation. There are several grave omissions in the machinery clauses relating to the Education Boards in the amalgamated districts. Who is to carry on the work in the South Auckland District, the Taranaki District, the Marlborough District, the South Canterbury District, the Grey and Westland Districts, from January till May, 1915, and which Secretary is to preside at the annual election of Chairman ? What is to become of the officers in the amalgamated district who are not taken over by the Civil Service Commissioner or the Education Boards, and who is to pay them compensation for loss of office ? Clause 34, subclause (6), Grants to Committees : Unnecessary labour and delay will be occasioned by the proposal to calculate the capitation to Committees quarterly instead of yearly as at present. In this connection something should be done to obviate the system of compelling Boards to finance payments totalling many thousands of pounds while awaiting remittances from the Department. Interest, which has not been allowed for, has to be paid for such accommodation, and surely means could be devised of honouring a Board's drafts for special payments and of providing for reclamation when there is overdrawing. Clause 38, School Districts : In addition to adjoining boroughs forming part of an urban school district adjoining town districts should be included. Urban school districts should be struck out, and urban districts should comprise boroughs over six thousand in population without the amalgamation or abolition of school districts. Clause 41 : No provision is made for the two-year period. Clause 45, proviso : „ Why should the appointment of SchoorCommissioners, in the event of failure to elect a School Committee, be confined to members of the Board ? Surely this proposal must be an error. Clause 46 : Committee may appear in all legal proceedings by its clerk, Chairman, or solicitor. Why does not this apply to Education Boards ? Clause 47, Powers of Committees : Subclause (1) —This seems ambiguous. It is suggested that at the end of this subclause the following words be added : " as defined in the following subsections." Subclause (3) —Why should sewing-mistresses not be appointed for all schools ? Clause 50, subclauses (2), (3), (5) : There is a conflict between this clause and 41, which provides for an annual report to last day of January. This clause provides for balance-sheet to the end of February. Why not make both dates the same as the Education Board year, the 31st December ? Clause 51 : Subclause (2) —This should be purely a matter for the Boards. Subclause (3) —The minimum should be three miles, and should not apply to an infant school. Subclause (7) —Itinerant teachers should be allowed to teach one school for a period of months at a time when the roads are bad, instead of spending a portion of a week at each school. Clause 53, subclause (7) : The Minister should supply stationery and other school requisites of the kind now purchased by Committees, as he can procure them very much cheaper. Clause 54, subclause (2) : What need is there for the Boards to fix the time for physical instruction and the mode of instruction when the Department already does it ?