TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1216, 26 August 1911, Page 10

TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

THE NEW SITE. The Wellington Technical Education Board met last evening, Mr. D. Robertson presiding. Members present were. Messrs. J. P. Luke, M.P., J. Smith, and AV. AJlan. An exhaustive report en (ho suitability of various suggested sites for the new Technical College was submitted bv tho Technical School director, Mr. La Probe. The question was approached from various standpoints, and, m discussing "suitability as regards, easy access from all parts," tho director said that few students attended from places which vers difficult to como at from the school. There were, for example, only nino stui!;nts attending from Karori, as against CO from Brooklyn and 58 from Kilbiniie. Tho sites mentioned by Mr. La T'robo were as follow:— (1) The present site in Mercer Street. (2) The John Street site. (3) The Nairn Street I?cs.?rvc. (1) St. Patrick's College site. (5) The old tramshed site, Adelaide Road. (G) A si to in Austin Strc-tr, 105 s 230 ft., next to Mr. Hopkirk's residence. (7) For purposss of comparison, tho Mount Cook site. "In regard to sites (1), (2), (3), and (1)," proceeded the director, "I have determinsd the average times which students would spend in coming to and loturning homo from tho site. The calculation was mad.9 by taking each student's address and estimating from the map of Wellington the shortest time in which, making reasinablo use of trams, ho could ho expected to get to the school. The results of these calculations for 1160 students were then av.Eragod. Walking speed assumed was about three miles per hour, and no account was taken of hills io be climbed. In respect of accessibility, the John Street site and other sites on tho Adelaide Head will probably improve relatively more than the remaining sites as the tramway system is extended, though the Nairn Street site will also improve in this respect if the Wallace Street tramline is linked up with the NcwtownConstablo Street and Island Bay sections, as has been proposed. To avoid unnecessary repetitions I have arranged tho_ results of my examination of tho various sites in tabular form, with my estimates of the relative values." Tho total points allotted to each sito were as follow (out of a possible total of 200) :-Pre.sent site, 105; St. Patrick's College, 227; Mount .Cook. 250; Old Tramshed site, 178; Austin Street, 123; Nairn Street, 230; John Street, 212. Tho chairman said that in his opinion the Nairn Street sito would suit them best. He asked the'numbers of the board to inspect it, Mr. Allan said that tho board had as much hope of going to Heaven as they had of being ablo to build on the Nairn Street site. The matter, however, was postponed until tho next board meeting.