ART V. INDUSTRY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1863, 24 September 1913, Page 8

ART V. INDUSTRY.

IN THE TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

, QUESTION OF ENCOURAGEMENT.

At the annual meeting of tho Wellington Industrial Association, hold last evening, considerable interest was aroused by a. statement made by Mr. Herbert Seaton, to tlio effect that tho proportion of encouragement given to art in tho Wellington Technical School outweighed that given to tho industrial departments. Mr. Seaton prefaced his remarks by stating that tho association had been particularly interested in tho work of tho school, indeed eybry--0110 was interested in it, because directly of indirectly thoy wore taxed in connection with its upkeep. The association had subsidised tho school, and ho believed that Mr.. who was present, was chairman of tho iTechnical School Board. 'Iho matter ho wished to bring under notico was the amourih 'cf money expended in th|o teaching of art subjects in comparison to Tv-hat. was spent in instruction in the ,primary subjects for which tho .Technical School was established. He referred to tho.; handicrafts. In the school ho had been given to understand that tho commercial department cost ■approximately £1000 pereering £000, carpentering £275, and plumbing £215—in round figures, about £3000 per year. Tho art department, where sculpture, painting, jewellerymaking, and free-hand drawing were taught, cost about half that.-sum. 110 understood, but was opon to correction, that thefo was only ono boy m tile art class; the rest- ivero young girls, and perhaps married women, who had • taken up art' simply as a hobby, and there was no comparison in the numfoer- attending classes in those'departments compared with those attending tho industrial departments for instruction that would help to. launch them into the world of business. So far as he was aware, tlicro had boon fow successes made in tho art departments., of , technical schools in ■ the colony, and it seemed to jiim that an.excessive amount was being spent in art classes. In the industrial classes such as carpentering, the boys had to pay for their own material, which was quite right, but in the art classes it was supplied free. Ho asked ttfo chairman to uso his endeavours to got a tablo showing the pro rata cost' of tho various classes. The board s figures wero not verv clear, as they Wro grouped together. Mr. David Robertson said he would liave to got Mr. La Trobo to answer Mr. Seaton. His experience with the Technical School dared back to the time ft was started, and he did not think i£ would have been started at all buc for tho association; but he could tell them that it was a very 'different school now to what it was then, as could be seen by taking a walk through the school. There were moro industrial classes. There was a big engineering class under'two very competent engineers. In Mr. M'Vicar thoy had an especially good man, and lads who passed through his hands had very littlo trouble in' getting .thoir certificates enabling them to go to sea and accept other responsible positions. Mr. Earnslinw was also a good teachor of engineering draftsmanship and mathematics. About tho art classes he could not speak. He- had an idea that art was'not such a terribly grand affair. (Laughter.) It was all right so long ns ono had plenty of money and nothing to do; (Increased laughter.) Another thing he would call attention to was the feood work of the cookery classes. He Would asK Mr. La Trobo to prepare the return wanted. The President (Mr. C. B Norwood) commended the idea of obtaining a return of the expenditure relating to art and industrial classes,, and asked Mr. Seaton to prepare a ten-minutes' paper on the subiect for the next meeting. Mr. Hardii-Shaw said that as to the ■ support that should be given to the industrial side of 'the school ho agreed with the nrevious speakers as far as they had gone, but he.protested against tho lack of tho artistic sense they liad shown. Man was not only an eating, drinking, and walking animal. He was emotional, and had a miad_. and tho Technical School, ■ in, encouraging art, lielped to. satisfy his emotional and intellectual being. Mr. Partridge, said thev wero in (in unfortunate po'sition. in Wellington in that, the Technical School and Art School were one. He "certainly thought ibhe schools should bo separated' and taught -under different roofs. Mr. Robartsoi said tho school was labouring under tremendous difficulties in not having moro space. They Jiad been- moving to alter tho present disadvantageous conditions for years, and had been promised this and that — thoy had waited on the EducationiJJoai'fl, the Government,, and the City Council (which'was helping them all it could), but tliev were stuck tip by the Government They should have a proper school in the Empiro City of the Dominion, and he hoped tljrat tho Government * would help -them to ■ achiove that end.