TECHNICAL SCHOOL AGITATION

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2728, 24 March 1916, Page 7

TECHNICAL SCHOOL AGITATION

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER FOR

EDUCATION

HOW WELLINGTON IS SERVED

MR. HANAN'S REPLY

Largo and thoroughly representative waa the deputation which waited on tho Minister of Education (tlio Hon. J. A. Hanan) yesterday, afternoon to urge upon the attention of tha Government tho of a now site' for _ a Technical Education College in Wellington and a grant of money . towards the erection of the building. The deputation was headed by tho Hon. J. G.- W. Aitken, M.L.G'., and there . were present representatives of the Education Board, Technical College Board, Viotoria College, thoiCitv.Council, Industrial Association,, and tlio State - School Committees. . < Mr. Aitken said that he was fully aware of . the_ great interest the Minister had , taken, in respect to education generally, and technioal eduoation particularly, in the past, and that his 'sympathies 'wero with them,, but they intended to say things that would carry weight with . those associated with 'the Minister -in the Government, and. also with the people of Wellington. It might Jo said that a time of war was not one in which to

stir up such a question as, this, lut Wellington was peculiarly situated, in regard to technical education. Wellington was among, the first places to face this question, and had spent a great (leal of money before .the Government had taken it in hand, with the result that the impression had'been- created that' ' Wellington had done so much without the aid I 'of the Government that it could .stand aside, and tlioy had gone on until thoy could go along no longer. That was what they had l come to. The Technical Education Board used- preOiises belonging to the Wellington Education Board.' Some of the day classes ■were held ' ill that building, and tho Education Bdard was finding itself oiroumsoribed and cramped almost beyond belief. There was no room, for example, for the truant officer, who was constat-' •ly called -upon to interview parents. The board had four inspectors (throe only at' present), and these had to occupy one room measuring 13ft. 6m.; by 14ft. 6in. The workmen occupied a

room held on sufferance from £h6i City Corporation ; the office of the -board's clerk of -works was situated in a'building in Wakefield Street, away from ' the other officers; and' the clerioal staff had „ not sufficient space or breathing room. The Education Board had now to face the position, of taking in another M schools from the Marlborough district, tho neoeesitios of which would -require n, good deal, of accommodation." Thou in addition 1 (and it was right and proper, ' that the inspectors who were no longer under, the board,'but were under the Government,: should be accommodated). th'ey were also being asked to lindnc-. commodation for the Physical Instructor and Medical Inspector, and ho'regarded it as necessary that these officials should be placed close to each other, fio that the work could go along as smoothly and expeditiously as possible." Having all these circumstances in view, It was impossible to go .along with the : accommodation that existed to-day, and they would have to give notice to the Technical Education Board to quit its offices, to. make room for'the growing staff of the Education Board.' The Mount Cook Site. Continuing, Mr. Aitken- said that he understood there "was a Bite at Mbunt Cook (Buckle Strc&t). of . about four acres that could bo very:well appropriated for' educational purposes. Having secured these-four acres,' he would quits recognise that the buildings to be erected there would entail a considerable outlay of money, and it might be that the Minister's colleagues might understand that they would -turn round and demand a grant for the erection of tho buildiu?, in which the work would be carried on. They might ask for money, but It would not be anything like, the sum' tha Cabinet might think they would xsk for. The, Mayor wouid tell him that the City Council would find the Bum of £10,000 towards the erection of the building wherever it was built. That £10,000 would go a certain way, and it. might be that , the Government would find another, £6000, which sumb would oarry on the work intended for some little timo.' Hs thought it would not be. out of placo to mention .that the Wellington Education Board, between, 1886 and 1902,! spent a sum : approximately £14,000 upon technical education, over \ and above the sum received for that particular purpose, showing that the feoard entertained the desire to see' technical education advance. ,Of late there had been a groat outcry, and just now there was a good deal of "all-British"; talk to.keep out enemy trade. It was his opinion that the Government might pile up . the Customs duty, as .much as ■fhey liked, but it would not bo half an effective as spending money' properly on the education of the people. : Mailing 'workmen onore efficient would be found a greater aid to keeping tho Empire trade together than the building up. of the tariff..

A communication which had been xt** ceived from tho Mayor,' approving of the Mount Cook site as one for a Technical College, pointing out hoiv well it was served ■ by the city tramway services was read. The Mayor also stated that the City . Council had some time ago promised tthe sum of £10,000 itr the new. building, on the understanding that the Mercer Street property (now" leased 'at ! a peppercorn rental to the Technical Education Board) would revert to the council. The council's payment to the Technical Board would be in two annual payments of £5000 each.

ITr. Hanan: "Does that mean that if you got the site the money would go towards the building?" Sir. Aitken: "That is so!"

A List of Hardships,

3Tr. Geo.: Frost (acting-chairman of the Technical College Board) said that the Mount Cook. site of four acres was what .might be termed idle land, as for •a number of years it had been earning no money. The land -was valued, roughly, at £8000. He pointed out that the_ Govornment -was at present paying in rentals for rooms for the board £300 a year, representing interest on several thousands of pounds capital. The space occupied by the Technical Education Board was as follows:—Held securely by the board—Wakefield St. building, 2900 square feet, workshops building, '7900ft-., total 10,800 square feet; held on sufferance—lndustrial Hall, 750 square feet, Education Board building, 6000 ft.; cookery room (Cor- ? oration Yard), 1100 square foot; total, 850 square feet. Rented—Y.M.C.A., 2400 square feet; 33 Lower Cuba Strefet, 5000 square feet; total, 4400 ft. -This gives a total of 23,050 square feet, less than half of which was securely held, and only, about 8000 ft. of which was specially suited for tho work of ! tho lichool.

The engineering shop, said Mr. Frost, was far too .small to cope with tho demand for training or fo bold tho tools required. It was at present positively dangerous and a sourco of .considerable anxiety; Thero was no separate electrical workshop. Tho carpenter's .shop was too small, and did not admit of the installation of the necessary machinery. No provision for workshop drawing was possible. There was no room for pattern-making. Tho art crafts room was used for too many purposes, .' and was overcrowded with various, apparatus. In tho plumbing department the ground floor shop was. overcrowded, owing to the upper shop,

which was intended for sheet leadwork, being taken for dressmaking, and |as such was overcrowded and unsuitable. Similar conditions prevailed in the Education Board's building and tlio Wakefield Street building. Tho cookery room was a derelict galvanised iron slied. The Y.M.G.A. was convenient as regards three classrooms, but the fourth was reached by tho back stairs and was three floors up, above tho kitchen, and tho culinary odours wero considerable and varied. The Lower Cuba Street rooms wore on the top floor of a four-story building, and wero reached.by a steep and inconvenient stairway. The only other means of escape in case of firo was an iron ladder down the front of the building on to a verandah roof. rooms were unsuitable, wrongly lighted, aid ill-ventilated. In the case of tho Y.M.C.AI, and Cuba Street rooms, there were no recreation grounds but tha bare street. There were 400 day-timo scholars; 1000. attended evening classes; there wore 45 day and evening instructors. At present the scholars were accommodated in six different buildinors, so that it was impossible for the Director to'properly sunervise the whole of tho work. of . tho college: '

. The Hon:-Mr. Hanan: What you want is concentration. , The Minister asked for an explanation of a document on his file which gave the value of laud and buildings at over £20,000. ,

: Mr. Aitken explained that the land referred to was not that mentioned on :t)ie file, hut it 'an the block on the northern side of Mercer Street, with the workshop standing' well back from the road. 1

_ Mr. F. Evans, representing the Wellington Industrial Association, said that his association had always taken the keenest interest in work of the Technical Collage, and had given tho £1500' ■which, with the Government- subsidy, had enabled them to erect a wing in Wakefield Street. Regarding the talk or cramping it. was possible that thoy, as an industrial association, mieht' require the use of those rooms and might ask tho Education Board to release them in a little time.' fhey had from time to time been able tt subsidise tho work of the college* as they held that it was in the interest of the community and the manufacturers that their young men shoukMe fit when they took their nlaces in. the workshops of the Dominion. •

Mr. C. M. 'Luke also stressed tho needs of'the Technical School, and said, with reference to the engineering room, that the conditions did not compare with any, fifth-rate shop in the Dominion, whereas the condition;!, appliances, tind equipment should lie of the best. Every time he went to Auckland, Wanennui. and other places, he felt ashamed of the conditions here, and the matter could not ho too strongly stressed. .He heartily approved of- the. Mount'Oook site as the centre of the district in which the industrial,classes resided.

i .The Minister.ln Reply. The Minister, in the course of his reply, said that right through' New Zealand there were - primary and high schools,, and. technical colleges wlibse .premises did .not admit of extension, and they had to find other sites and buildings owing to the congestion. It ivas a penny wise and pound foolish policy, and the present deputation was an eloquent testimony to it. He was thinking of putting ; before Parliament a scheme to vote a sum of money for the purchase of suitable -sites for primary, technical, and high school buildings. It' .-would, 'be wiso . .to take time by the forolock. He asked tho boards for a return of school Bites required for primary, secondary, and tecluijcal schools, and tha approximate cost of/tho same, with a view to asking.. Parliament,- to set aside a sum of money for their purchase. As to whether tho Government would consent to give the .Mount Cook, site of four acres, there was the. other question of a sum for the new building. His experience had tiaughtt him to know that whenever a. site was granted it was not long before there was an application fpr a sum of money with which to erect the building. Mr. Aitken had been quite frank and- above board in the matter, and had stated what sum they would want with the site. The matter of giving tho site had been before Cabinet, "and Cabinet had decided to take no action at -present. His intention was to bring it before Cabinet again, but ho oould not -soe .but that a suitable building would cost less than between £25,000 and £30,000. The £6000 would 1 not go very far, and he knew what pressure would be .brought to bear later. What assurance could they, give lim that they would not; ask for more ? Mr. 'Aitken: "If we get the £16,000, 1 don't think we ..woy.ld trouble you foi some years." ' _ ' Mr. Hanan: "How man'y years?"

Mr. Aitken: "Four or five years—a long time after the war, is ever." , ' Mr. Hanan said that the money placed on the Education Department's vote was largely for liabilities and commitments. There were many applications. from all parts of New Zealand,, and they had to be dtealt with fairly on their merits.. Mr. Aitken: "Tne education vote -is the last the Government should ' <nit down!" _ . Mr. Hanan agreed. He would be very sorry to see the education vote cut down, as he believed it would result in serious national damage to the country. He believed that money could be savedl on secondary education in New Zealand. However, lie would bring the matter before the Cabinet again. He was not in a position to say whether they would got a grant. That would have to be considored when the uovernment reviewed the .financial Statement but he could assure them that he would try and get as large a sum aS JIr thanked the Minister on behalf of the. deputation, and the inter-view-then'-terminated.