A LITTLE SKIRMISH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1554, 25 September 1912, Page 4

A LITTLE SKIRMISH.

OVER SOME RENT. INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION'S CLAIM. Some sharp exchanges took place at the Wellington Education Board's meeting yesterday, when a deputation from tho Wellington Provincial Industrial Association'attended, to urge a settlement of the long-standing dispute between tho association and the Technical School Board (of which latter the Education Board is tho parent body), with regard to the rental of the class-rooms in the Victoria Street building, which was erected out of a sum of .£ISOO donated by the Industrial Association several years ago. The gist of the trouble appears to be, from the association's point of view, that this sum of .£150(1 was donated with certain reservations, namely, that an exhibition room and an office were to be reserved in the new building for the use of the association, which regarded its right to this accommodation as a properly right, alieiir able for rental purposes, whereas' tho Technical School authorities and the Education Board, finding nothing in (he documentary evidence of the original transaction which vested such right in the association, contended that the building as a whole belonged to the board, as a gift, and that the association, when it moved to new offices elsewhere, had no letting rights in the rooms formerly occupied by it in terms of its donation of .£ISOO. Subsequently, when the »ssDciaiion gave up its rooms in the Technical School building, and theso wero occupied bj the Technical School classes, the Industrial Association charged .rent, by virtue of its claim to a property right in the rooms concerned. The.board repudiated tho claim, and tliis has been the bone of contcntiou over which both sides have ' wrangled for years past. _ Recently a conference was held, at which a bill was drafted to provide a settlement of the dispute. When the deputation interviewed the board yesterday Mr. L. It. Partridge, speaking as- president of the- association, said that he and his fellow-members on the association were anxious, very anxious,-to secure a final settlement of tliis protracted dispute. When he took office as president he had promised ta make this settlement one ot his official endeavours. His year was nearly up, and still no settlement was in sight. Some kind of compromise, he_ suggested, was surely, possible. Of course, the association could resume its old quarters in the Technical School building, but that would impose a great, hardship upon the school, the accommodation of which was already more than fully taxed. They did not want to do that, nor did they contemplate the possibility of such a step. Mr. T. Ballingcr outlined the fads of the case from the association's point of view, and concluded with a remark that, "the board got, our money under false pretences." "No—No!" protested several voices at the board table. "I say, yes," retorted Mr. liallinger. "They got our money under, false pretences if they don't intend to pay us rout. The bonrd is going on a legal technicality because Mr. Dorset signed a certain "nn-r," said the speaker, who added thai if the provisions of the draft bill could be given effect to, or, if, alternatively, the board would use its influence to get (ha Government to refund the .£ISOO originally handed oyer, for it was really a donation (o the Government, although mado to the boards, that would end the matter. Ho pointed out to the board that whatever the legal technicality might bo 'which assisted to establish the board's contention, the .fact remained that tho wholo proceeding constituted an agreement which, as Mr. A. de B. Brandon had assured him, "no honournblo'body would repudiate."

"Is that so?'' exclaimed Vile. '"Then this honourable, body " "Not perhaps (his board,'but the. Technical School Board," said Mr. liallinger. "You are tha parent body, and you are against us inthifl matter. We know that you cannot pay this"amount 'yourself, and satisfy the Audit Department, but you could sec the ■ Government,' and try' to effect some .settlement. We arc the'sufferers." .; " ■-".' The chairman of the board (Mr. Robert Lee), said that it. was the desire of tho board to do that which was, in its opinion, "the right thing to do. Mr: A. W. Hogg took some exception to the aspersion cast upon members of (he board (hat the money had been received under false pretences. "Yon made the gift, and now you wont it back," said he. "No," said Mr. Ballingcr, "you made a contract." "And we have kept it," said Mr. Hogg. "No," dis.-ented Jlr. Ballingcr, who went on lu say that the term "false pretences" had been expressed differently, and in stronger language by their solicitor, who characterised it as "fraud." Ho was proceeding to read the terms of an original document when Mr. Lee interrupted with tho remark that members of the board were fully seized of the facts of tho case. "I merely wish to show that, in using the expression 'false pretences,' I was justified," said Jlr, Ballingcr. Mr. Vile broke iu with the remark that the board did not use strong expressions. The chairman then intimated to Hie deputation that its representations would be carefully considered. Before withdrawing, Mr. Partridge expressed a hope that the matter would finally he settled without bickerings and recriminations. That, ho felt sure, was the wish of all parties. As the result of a subsequent discussion on the question, in committee, a subcommittee w:is appointed'to go into tho facts and confer with a similar committee from the Industrial Association.