The following gentlemen were then ap pointed as a Committee in favour of Mr Teschemaker :—Messrs McLaren, Boyle, W. Quinn, Lawrie, A, Martin, A. Carter, and.J. Childs. Mr Rogers objected to any one pledg ing themselves at present to any party. Mr Manchester declined to commit himself to any promise of withdrawal without consulting his friends. He pointed out that there were 900 voters between the Hook and Waiau, and 500 on the northern bank of the Hook. Messrs Lovegrove and McLaren pointed out that 21C votes had been taken from Gladstone and 54 new ones regis tered to Waimate. Mr Rogers had watched the growing prospects of the colony, and did not be lieve it was now “up a tree.” In ten years, with industry and economy, the greater part of private mortgages would be wiped off. Mr Armitage said that many electors about Otaio and Kingsdown did not know of the present meeting, but that they would support Mr Teschemaker, or, if he withdrew, Mr Manchester. Mr Goodeve asked how the retrench ment in education was to be carried out without impairing its efficiency. He in stanced the withdrawal of Mr C. C. Bowen from the committee of the P.R.A., as a strong protest against the proposed educa tional retrenchment. He stated that the proposal to raise the school age from five to seven would practically close nearly every school in the Waimate County. He urged everyone present to get from each candidate a definite statement as to how this retrenchment would be carried out. Mr Walters said that the poor working man would suffer heavy taxation if the old plan of paying fees were resorted to, while the rich men would got off free. Messrs Teschemaker and Manchester replied that the reduction would chiefly apply to secondary education and hign salaries. The latter gentleman remarked that the Waimate High School had more to their credit than they knew how to spend. i Mr Wood alluded to cutting down members’ honorariums which Mr Tesche maker said he was entirely in favour of doing. A vote of thanks to the chairman ended the proceedings.
