TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 583, 11 August 1909, Page 5

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

THE NEW SCHOOL SITE. . •• DEPUTATION TO THE MAYOR. ■ A deputation, consisting of-Messrs. J. P. . Luke, M.P., D. M'Laren, M.P., W. H. Field, , M.P., Thos. Ballinger, J. G. W. Aitken, D. , Robertson,, and W. S. La Trobe, waited 011 , his' Worship the Mayor yesterday afternoon ,' jn reference to the question of the new sito for the Teohnical School. . ~ Mr. Luke stated that the question had , been brought before the local authorities on olio ocoasion• previously, but the technical 1 Education Board had not been as well pre--1 pared then as it was now. The present doputation came to the Mayor because or their < knowledge that his interest and sympathy lay in the direction they wanted to go. 'Tho Technical. B.oard, said Mr. Luke, had been > orowded out for some time. Part of the property they occupied at present' was under the control of the Education Board, and ; some of it was the outcome of tho Yi c "' n S: ton Industrial Association's exhibition held in '1886, at which exhibition the amount of money realised was sufficient to erect the buildmg on the reclamed land. This enabled the Technical Board to carry on up to the present time, but it had been proved that if technical education was "going to advance as it should do more up-to-date buildings would be required. The board and the director of the school (Mr. La Trobe) had spent a considerable time in exhaustively going into tho . matter- of a new site, the result being that . they had finally decided on the block of land on the Town Belt, but adjacent to the mam , Town. Belt at-t/he junction of John Street "and Crawford Street. The . site was about ■three-quarters of an acre in extent, andj being rough, required a certain amount or filling in, but considering the matter "from all sides' the board .was firmly of opinion that Ms site was the best that'could possibly bo scoured. Mr. La Trobo had already prepared plans,, and the deputation wished to task the Mayor to- take action to enable the 'board'to .enter into'possession of the land, the council promoting a Bill to be put beforo Parliament so as-to, enable the be taken,over. Mr. Luke pointed out that' if immediate steps wore • taken a Bill, could be introduced during the coining session. He felt sure the citizens- would willingly grant the land for the purposes of teohnical education. If .the proposal met with,approval, as he felt sure it would, the : boar.d would m the meantime approach the Minister for Education as to ways and meaus for tho erection of the building. An estimate prepared by Mr.. La Trobe.set the cost of the building down at £34,368, but, if absolutely necessary, this estimate might be pared down to £27,000. .If the board gained what; it wished Mr. Luke considered that the block of land would serve the needs of technical education for the nest forty or fifty years. - Mr. Ballinger pointed out' that Mr. Luke Mi'omitted to state that tho council had given a piece of land off Victoria Street at a peppercorn rental. ' : ' Sir. Luke: Yes, that is so.' We have a workshop there,..but .the scope is limited, and we are absolutely elbowed, out of that position! - This land, Mr. |. Luke added, would of course-revert to the city. Mr. M'Laren remarked on the special !. claims' whioh technical education,had on the ■people, and he had no fear in saying that the worK done by the school up to the present time would bear the fullest investigation. For the past three'dr fotir years, since he had been a member of the board, there had ; be'en an urgent need for more accommodation. • They had had report after report from the director of tho sohool intimating - that , it was absolutely impossible to carry out the ■work without increasing the accommodation. He ( thought: the. council, should join ill tho promotion of the desired Bill. The city might grant the land on the'same terms a-s the other land was'held, viz., at a pepper!corn rental. The fee simple-should remain .with the city, so as to guarantee, that the land would' be used only for the purpose .or which it wasgranted. .Theproposed site was , the centre",pf: district, ana as. students - attended' the sohool from- ls.ll- . birhie, ' Brooklyn, and Island Bay, the sits yas a very'central one. ; , - ■ , ' ; '. Mr J, Robertson-■■ supported' the previous 'speakers.'". 'The school' was .wndoubtedW being crowded out of the city. The present school site was no place-for a school., ihere was :no .room for extensions or.for a playground, whereas at the new site the; town Belt could, be admirably utilised for the latterpurpose. Something should be done and done at once. , ." - ■ , ■■■■■■ ■ Mr. Field considered-the. proposed site a fairly ..oentral one,, and one which , woulfl become more central as 'the population increased. -What was wan tod- waS | more room, and this would be available at the new site. "The Mayor expressed bis approval of the proposal, and remarked that when he. was a member of the Education Board The , board - had advertised for its first teacher." "he board: had little-money m'.those days, and. had-to hire a room for the work. He could assure "tho deputation that lie would do his ' utmost ;to . meet thoir wishes, and would consult Iwith the city solicitor on the matter of the proposed* Bill. 1 In meantime m. suggested that notice, of motion should he given at tho next nieotiiig-of the City Co rnell asking the council to ondorso Hie proposition Councillor .Luke might take this mate in hand; In conclusion,' Dr..: Newman said ha.: was strongly of opinion that the P™*?™ sohool would not hold the school population when tho'town grewia little more.