REBUILT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1054, 17 February 1911, Page 6

REBUILT.

I V /). HIGH SCHOOL. \ . "OPENED, BY HON. G. FOWLDS., j< A DISCORDANT NOTE. ' ' (By. Teleeranh.-SDcclnl - OorreiponlcnU I ' Pe'lmerston North, February IG.' f-i A very largo number of people attendFed at the Palmerston nigh School this i afternoon, when the now building was I opened by tho Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister f for, Education. - i « Mr. AV. n, Collingwood, ohairman of I - tho High School Board of Governors, prek sided; and said tho school been def signed on tho most up-to-dato'lines. It r stood on ten acres of land, donated by J tho Borough Council. wns r built on plans drawn by Mr. I'.' do J. i Clere, architect, of ■Wellington, and the '• contractors, Messrs. Sollitt Bros., • had > carried out their work most faithfully, i Ho, wished to enter a most cmphalio pro-t-i test'against tho Government in snddlmg f ' them with''a debt of .0700, this being a ( condition on which tho. Minister agreed ■ . to enlarge tho plans to provide a .lectufc >. hall.'j To provide this .£7OO tho members £' of tho Board of Governors had to jindiJ vidually and collectively guarantee tho f amount nt tho bank, and it was now left j to tho citizens to raiso tho amount and wipe off tho debt. Tho Minister had declined to subsidise this amouut, but ho, ' hoped tho Government would alter their i; mind'on this point. However, tho Mayor;j cs?, Mrs. J, A. Nash, had kindly comedo j 1 their' rescito and had offered to_organiso L an entertainment to raiso tho JC7OO. L Mr; J. E. Vernon said they hoped to do | , still better work in tho new building, in f.' 1 which the, class-rooms were, largo and f convenient. When the new' building was' [; being designed he had asked that a c school to accommodate 200 scholars shoujd. : bo .erected. . -They would start work in • tho iiew building with a. roll 0f'204, P" which was a record for tho school, and it !>' looked very much as if they would scon t : have ;to enlargo'it." ; \ • ' ■ ' l , Tho Hon. G. Foivlds, in opening tho ('-school, said the grant was JtTOO more | than the Department thought sufficient, ( and it was on condition that the board j:'- raited'.£7oo for equipment that tho increased amount asked for was given. He 1" had kept, to his part of tho bargain, and ho eipect«l that tlio board would keep ' their share of it. When tho necessity I for enlarging tho school aroso by the in- ! creased attendance, ho would bo glad to f< : Consider tho fiuestion of making a fur- ?< tlier grant. They bad o very lino build- ! inp,_ which the population of tho town' • - justified. In 1909 the population was esI: timated at 12,000, and when tho census • was taken this year it would probably be f 14,000. ,He also made lengthy referenco t' to tho matter of technical education in }, . the toifn und inore especially in tho direct tion of wool-classing. All this meant f , greatly increased expendituro in tho di- | tt'etion of education. ; v On tlio motion of tho Mayor, Mr, J, ' A.'Nash, seconded by Sir. G. H. Bennett, !' •*'hearty vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Fowlds, and ho was presented by j. • tho chairman of the board.with a silver f key of the school as a memento of tho I occasion.

V. CONTINUATION CLASSES. J, iDj ; Tclcjrapti.-Spcclal Correspondent.)' i ifL V•< Wanganul, February IC. ■ When laying tho foundation stono of the new Technical Collcgo yesterday, tho Hon. G. lowlds, Minister lor Education, congratulated the Wnnganui - Education ' , Hoard, on tho woudertul success which followed their efforts in regard to tech--1 nical education. Referring to tho continuation classes, .ho. said tho. Act of last scsiion '-placed v tho' initiatory stages 'in [ establishment of obligatory, continuation classes in tho hands of school commit- : tees, rccoinising that unless tlio movement was backed by' well-considered public J opinion, it was foredoomed ,to failure, i it'was understood that somo .school com* j> ; mittees wero already moving in tho mat- ( tcr,. and it seemed necessary to utter | a Word of warning in this connection. No s school _ committee-'.'should approach-an ! ' ® < VV! a } ,6A board with a view to the cstablishment of continuation classes un- ■ der Section 18 of tho Act. until it had "r satisfied itself by means of ' inquiries, t- conferences, meetings, and tho liko that E tho district was ready for the change; f I no , r , s . hou , ,tl nn - v attempt bo mado to osjfiblish classes in responso to tho applica- . lion of n school commitlco until a well- | considered and practicable scheme of ini flruttion suited to tho needs of tho district had been devised. It wero hotter to j. ilelay tho establishment'of-classes than i to rush - forward some ill-considered ! schemo nosuited to tho district, and uni satisfying -to the voting ' persons con.l eerncd. Tho Act also recognised tho di'sl r abilities under .which' clashes in- small , nt , ro ? frequently labour;- 'It provided that m 'tho caso 'of'small classes . for subjects; shown to bo* required bv , the needs of the locality.'eapitation" might bo paid as -if tho'classes-wero,each.at-tended by twenty'students, or .such less number as,might be doomed necessary/to meet tho particular caves, but it musfbo clearly shown-that,'the requirements of loMlity wero .such ns to render tho' , establishment of such classes necessary.