2442

THE NEW ZEALAND GAZETTE.

[No. 86

Scheme for the Control of the Otago Boys' and Girls' High Schools.

Education Department,
Wellington, 10th July, 1915.
IN accordance with the provisions of the Education Act, 1914 (hereinafter called "the Education Act"), and with the powers thereunder, I, Francis Henry Dillon Bell, acting for the Minister of Education, do hereby, on the advice of the General Council of Education, approve of the following scheme for the Otago Boys' and Girls' High Schools (hereinafter included in the term "the school"), which are established under the provisions of the Otago Boys' and Girls' High Schools Act, 1877.

1. The school shall be controlled by the Board of Governors (hereinafter referred to as "the Board") constituted by the Otago Boys' and Girls' High Schools Act, 1877, as amended by the Education Act, 1914.
2. With regard to the election of members of the Board by the parents of the pupils, the following provisions shall apply:
   (1.) The first election shall be held on a date to be appointed by the Minister before the 31st day of August in the year 1915, and every subsequent election shall be held on a date to be fixed by the Board in the month of July in every second year thereafter.
   (2.) The Secretary of the Board shall be the Returning Officer.
   (3.) For the purposes of each election the Returning Officer shall prepare a roll, and shall enter therein the name, occupation, and address of every person qualified to be enrolled as a parent of a pupil of the school. The roll shall be closed at 5 o'clock on the fourteenth day next before the day on which any election is to be held, and shall continue to be closed until the election is completed.
   "Parent" means the father, if he is living, or, if not, the mother, or, if neither the father nor the mother is living, the guardian, of a pupil of the school.
   A "pupil of the school" means a pupil whose name is on the school roll at the end of the term preceding the closing of the roll, but does not include a pupil in any lower department.
   (4.) The Returning Officer shall, by advertisement in a newspaper circulating in the district, publicly notify, not less than fourteen days before each election,
   (a.) The day and hour for the closing of nominations ;
   (b.) The total number of candidates to be elected;
   (c.) The day and the hour for the closing of the election.
   (5.) Every candidate shall be nominated in writing by one or more parents entitled to vote for his election. Each such parent may nominate any number of candidates not exceeding the number to be elected.
   (6.) Every nomination-paper shall be in the form or to the effect following :
   I [Name and address], being a parent duly entered on the roll, do hereby nominate [Name and address] as a candidate for election to the Board of Governors of the Otago Boys' and Girls' High Schools, at the election to be held on the day of
   Dated this day of
   [Candidate's Consent [To be subscribed at the foot of nomination-paper].
   I hereby consent to my nomination.
   [Signature of candidate nominated.]
   (7.) If the nomination-paper does not bear the written consent of the candidate nominated, such consent may be given by him to the Returning Officer before the nominations are closed, and every nomination-paper shall be void in so far as concerns any candidate whose written consent is not duly given as aforesaid.
   (8.) Nominations shall close at noon on the tenth day before the day of the election.
   (9.) If the number of nominations received does not exceed the number of vacancies to be filled, the Returning Officer shall forthwith declare the candidate or candidates so nominated to be duly elected. In all other cases he shall, as soon as the nominations are closed, prepare and post to each elector at his address as appearing on the roll a printed voting-paper containing in alphabetical order of surnames a list of all the duly nominated candidates for whom such parent is entitled to vote, and such voting-paper shall be in the form or to the effect following :-
   VOTING-PAPER FOR USE AT ELECTION TO BE HELD ON THE DAY OF , 19 , OF MEMBER OF THE BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE OTAGO BOYS' AND GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOLS.
   CANDIDATES.
   [Set out in alphabetical order of surnames the full name of every duly nominated candidate.]
   [Signature of voter.]

DIRECTIONS.
The number of candidates to be elected is [Specify the number].
The voter is required to draw a line through the name of every candidate for whom he does not intend to vote.
The number of candidates whose names are left uncancelled must not exceed the total number of candidates to be elected.
This voting-paper must be signed by the voter and enclosed in a sealed envelope bearing on the outside thereof the words "Voting-paper," and, if posted to the Returning Officer, must be posted on or before the day of election, or, if delivered to him, shall be delivered at his office, Street, , before the day of election, or not later than five o'clock in the afternoon of that day.
(10.) The poll shall close at five o'clock on the afternoon of the day of election; but all voting-papers shall be included and counted which are not informal and are received by the Returning Officer in due course of post before the close of the sixth day after the day of the election.
(11.) A voting-paper shall be informal in any of the following cases, that is to say:-
(a.) If it is not duly signed by the parent; or
(b.) If the candidates whose names are left uncancelled exceed in number the total number of candidates for whom the person is entitled to vote, or if in any other way the paper fails to indicate clearly for whom the vote is intended to be given; or
(c.) If, being delivered to the Returning Officer, the sealed envelope containing the voting-paper is not delivered at his office before the close of the poll; or
(d.) If, having been forwarded by post, the sealed envelope containing the voting-paper is not received at the office of the Returning Officer before the close of the sixth day after the day of election, or if, from the postmark on the envelope or otherwise, the Returning Officer is satisfied that it was not posted until after the day of the election.
(12.) On the seventh day after the day of election the Returning Officer shall open and examine all voting-papers duly delivered to him or received by him through the post as aforesaid, and, after rejecting all informal voting-papers, shall ascertain the candidates (not exceeding the total number to be elected) who have received the greatest number of votes, and shall declare such candidates to be elected.
(13.) If, by reason of an equality of votes given for two or more candidates, the election is not complete, the Returning Officer shall decide by lot, in the presence of two members of the Board, which candidate or candidates shall be elected, and thereby complete the election.
(14.) Forthwith after the completion of the election the Returning Officer shall notify to the Board and to the Minister the names of the persons elected.
(15.) Retiring members shall be eligible for re-election.
(16.) If any dispute or question arises touching the regularity of any election, such dispute or question shall be determined by the Stipendiary Magistrate in manner provided by sections 45 to 54 of the Local Elections and Polls Act, 1908, all the provisions of which shall, mutatis mutandis, apply.
3. (1.) Whenever a casual vacancy occurs among the members so elected as aforesaid, the election of a member to fill that casual vacancy shall, within fifty days after the vacancy occurs, be held in a similar manner to that hereinbefore provided for an ordinary vacancy.
(2.) The member so elected shall hold office only for the residue of the term of the vacating member.
4. Whenever a vacancy is to be filled by the Governor, the Education Board, or Council of the University of Otago, the Board shall forthwith report the fact that such vacancy has occurred to the Minister, the Secretary of the Education Board, or the Registrar of the University of Otago as the case may require.
5. (1.) In the month of February in each year the Board shall elect a Chairman.
(2.) During the election of Chairman the Secretary to the Board shall preside. The person presiding shall have no vote; ties shall be decided by lot.
(3.) The Chairman's ordinary term of office shall be one year, and he shall be eligible for re-election.
(4.) If the Chairman shall from any cause cease to be a member of the Board or resign the office of Chairman, the Board shall, as soon thereafter as conveniently may be, elect another member of the Board to be Chairman in his stead, who shall hold office only for the residue of the term of the vacating Chairman.
6. (1.) The school shall provide a course of general secondary education and one or more vocational courses.
(2.) The program of each pupil shall be determined by the principal of each school after consultation with the parents or guardian of the pupil; but no pupil shall be compelled to take Latin, or to take more than one language besides English.