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support the Bill, and a copy of the resolution was
forwarded to Mr. Ritchie, M.P., the President
of the Local Government Board.
The Bill, however, made no progress, and was
eventually dropped.
School Board Elections.—As foreshadowed in
last year's Report, the School Board Election Bill
failed to pass into law, and in December a letter
was received from the Vestry of St. Pancras,
inviting the appointment of Delegates to a Conference
at that Vestry Hall, on the 9th January, to
consider the best course to be adopted to secure an
amendment of the law so as to provide for Parliamentary
areas being constituted the electoral
divisions of the School Board, so as to give more
direct representation, and abolish the cumulative
vote. The Vestry appointed Mr. Reason, Mr.
Lyons and Mr. Kelly as Delegates to such
Conference, and at the Conference the following
resolutions were passed:—
1.—That in the opinion of this Conference many persons who
would be willing to serve on the London School Board are
practically prohibited from becoming Candidates for a seat on
account of the enormous expense of contesting an Election in so
arge a Division, and, if the Parliamentary Divisions were chosen
as the representative areas, the Candidates would be more likely
to be known and recognised by the Ratepayers.
2.—That in the opinion of this Conference there should be two
Members of the School Board elected for each Parliamentary
Electoral Division in the Metropolis, and that the cumulative
vote should be abolished.
3.—That for the reasons stated in the first resolution, this
Conference is of opinion that the principles affirmed by Parliament
in the Redistribution of Seats Act, 1885, and in the
County Councils Act, 1888, should be applied to future Elections
of the School Board, and that the Members of Parliament for the
Metropolis be requested to support an amendment of the law by
making the Parliamentary Election Districts the areas for the
future Elections of that Board.
4.—That in the opinion of this Conference all vacancies on the
London School Board should be filled up by the Ratepayers, and
not by the Board.