STRANGLING A SCHOOL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 2913, 8 November 1916, Page 6

STRANGLING A SCHOOL

A DRASTIC REPORT

OUR NEGLECTED TECHNICAL

COLLEGE

The visiting committeo of the Technical School Hoard for- tho past , month has not minced matters in regard to the desperate plight of the Wellington Technical College respecting lack ol accommodation. Its report, read by Mr. IS-. L. Stewart last evening (in the absence of the Hon. J. (j. Yl. Aitken) dealt exhaustively with the grossly overcrowded and inadequate class-rooms provided here and there in tho city, aud then summed up as follows: —

"The corridor and cloak-room accommodation is so far short of present necessity that it is impossible to provide for a separation of the individual property of scholars, and tile means of communication between the two main buildings are very defective- In none of tho buildings has it been found possible to provide a staff room, and this is a most serious defect. "Wlien "it is considered that the staff numbers in all over fifty instructors, the necessity both lor reasons of comfort and efficiency I'or one or more -staff rooms and of a convenient retiring room especially for the lady members of tho staff, is sell-evident. The committee, on inquiry regarding the Education Board accommodation, finds that the resumption by that body or a considerable portion of the room it originally provided, for technical education is not only reasonable but urgent—

"(a) The board room is no longer large enough for its oivn hoard meetings or for those of the Technical School Board, and is besides the only meeting place for about ten other educational organisations directly conncoted with the board, which it feels are entitled to share in its use. Office staff necessities have deprived tho teachers of the district of the room which was promised them by the hoard years ago. "(b) The board has been unable to provide more than ono small room for the four inspectors. The senior inspector especially urgently requires a room for private interviews, and for necessary privaoy in his work.

"(c) The board has no rooms for tho medical and physical instruction inspectors, who are now associated with tho senior inspector, and who for tho sake of administrative efficiency should, without delay, be provided with suitable apartments. "(d) Tho board has no room for its truant inspector, who has numberless interviews with parents, many of a confidential niituro.

"(e) It has no room "within the main buildin" for the buildings department. "(f) The workshop accommodation hitherto enjoyed by the goodwill of the City Council is immediately to be withdrawn owing to the growing necessities of the council itself.

"A largo area for play and exercise is now overywhore conceded to he an absolute necessity for the healthy development of both mind and body of the growing boy and girl. - Not a secondary school of any standing in the Dominion, much as these institutions aro criticised in other directions, has failed to recognise tho vital necessity of this outside adjunct to tho collego. The only play area available within easy distance of tho collego is tho space on tho northern side of Mercer Strcot, some 120 by 100 feet, in front of tho workshops. The only open space attached to the main building js a passage Gomo 15 to 16 feet wide, partly occupied by the bicycle shelter, and tho committee was unable to discover any part of tho premises where tho boys and girls, who; in tho case of.this particular school are drawn from considerable! distances, could take their luncheon in comfort; indeed, the only place for the girls appeared to be tho motor yard of the corporation. Your committee has a word to say also about the conveniences for male students. These are" in urgent need of complete remodelling on approved sanitary lines.

"Your committee considers'"it has shown:

"First —That so far from affording room for expansion, the accommodation sfljorded by the existing premises is absurdly behind the necessities of a city of the standing of Wellington, and that apart altogether from efficienov of staff, winch is unquestioned, the buildiug conditions havo for years prejudicially affected both the comfort and advancement of and the natural growth of the institution, which latter, proportionately jtogroivthdn population; falls far behind-that or.other-cities are provided with technical institutions sufficient for their requirements.

"Second—That the Education Board is in urgent need of space now occupied by the Technical Scliool.

"Third—That the City Council is in urgent need of space now occupied by tho Education Board. '

"Fourth —That from the unfortunate distribution of the various sections of the institution over the town, complete and effective supervision is a matter of extreme difficulty, apart from tho fact that it involves daily waste of timo both to staff aiid to students.

"Fifth—That both tho class and tho staff accommodation and the outsido department of the school's activities fall far behind modern ideas of necessity and efficiency. When 25 years ago the Education Board built the first section of this institution it did a great work, | and that work was most abfy seconded in a special effort by the Industrial Association, which provided with tho subsidy on the capital sum nearly sufficient for the second building. Unfortunately its erection greatly reduced the light otticiency of a whole range of r.oonis. "For the reasons above stated your committee holds, sixth, that regard for the children committed to our caro and for the future welfare of the City requires that with a minimum of delay completely new and greatly extended provision should >be made for technical education. Such is a policy which any prudent business organisation would pursue. The 'Onion Company sells it old steamers and obtains others suited to tho wider requirements of the day; tho Now Zealand Railways provide powerful locomotives in place of ineffective onos; the .engineer scraps out-of-dato machines for others more suited to tho requirements of the day; the draper changes his window-fronts in order to accomplish better tho purpose ho has in viow; the carrier-sub-stitutes petrol for oates. Your committee submits that a similar principle should guide educational practice in relation to the infinitely more important training of the mind, the hand, and tho eye of its youth. To tajke individual examples, Victoria some years ago, finding many of her educational buildings to be defective in design and ill-suited to changed l requirements, entered on a a large scheme of remodelling. A similar policy •is general in America. Indiana in 1910-11 passed a new educational law, and from 1911-16 authorised expenditures amounting to over two millions of pounds for new school buildings and old buildings remodelled. Its population at last census was under three millions. The Wellington Technica School was built at a time when

school and college design had not reached the dignity of an earnest and scientific study. It is evidont that now on grounds of truest economy and truest efficiency the existing buildings should, without delay, be converted 1 to some purpose for which they are better fitted, and' others be provided in keeping with ascertained requirements and recognised scientific and artistio principle. In preparing this report your committeo has endeavoured to

present a plain statement free of ex- I aggeration. Tho evidence in favour of an immediate advance is, as your committee believes, incontrovertible. It is war timo, but oven in war time one must preparo for tho battle of peace. Too long have the vital interest of our youth been sacrificed to consideration of so-called economy. Surely this community cannot but approve an expenditure shown to he necessary for the best welfare of those who after all form our richest heritage. 1 To reduce expenditure on mattors of such vital moment would justify for- New Zealand) tho Gorman gibe reported as having been levelled at England that 'whereas wo Germans can proudly point to tho fact that educational expenditure has oeen more than maintained, tho money-making and so-called democratic England find's it irocessary to cut down her education hill to tho lowest limit.' From such a supreme folly may New Zealand be preserved." Mr. W. 11. Field said that the report was one of the host ever submitted sinco he had been a member of the board. It set out the,position truthfully and forcibly without any exaggeration, and he thought it ought to be published broadcast, and printed in full by the newspapers. 'Mr. John llutchesou endorsed Mr. Field's view, and said that tho difference between Germany and England as stated to him by an eminent English educationist was that pride of places in our halls of learning were given to tho dead languages, whereas the Germans gave it to science, and applied soionce to trade and industry, consigning the dead languages to a place down among the musty documents ip the cellar. It was Germany's methods which had made this war possible, and with her steady and laborious industry and the "benefits of her educational syst*n the war for world supremacy midit not end with the present struggle. Tho report was a vehicle of some force; it was an appeal to. the Minister's sense of the responsibility of his position, and to the stability and permanence of his seat in the Cabinet. Ho said that every second-rate town in the Dominion was infinitely better off than Wellington, and quoted ' Wanganui and Dunedin as examples. They would never have got a Victoria College in Wellington had they not pointed tho bayonet to the breast of tho Government and jammed it home. I?j would never forgot the .fight they had to get 'the College established. It was decided to-have the report printed, and copies sent to members I .of Parliament, City Council, University professors, I Students' Association, chambers of ! commerce, and the members of' other bodies genuinely interested in the life and advancement of technical education I in Wellington.

ONLY SYMPATHY GOVERNMENT STRONGLY CRITICISED. Tlio chairman of tho Technical School Board (Mr. Geo. Frost) reported that a deputation had waited on tho Minister of .Education in regard now premises for tho school, but ho was very much afraid that tho old order -was likoly to bo extended. He could not conscientiously say'that they got anything in tho way of encouragement from tho Minister, who still gave them sympathy. , Mr. T. Ballinger moved that tho Standing Committee should bo asked to consider the erection of a temporary one-stor.v building on the section in Mercer Street. Tho section was a good one, about 160 feet by 100 feot. He knew that the council insisted on two stories ill -front of such building, but might bo. induced to waive that point. In view of having to find accommodation next year, it seemed that the.v would have to go into tho question of temporary accommodation by building on tho section suggested. Something must be done. . Tim motion was seconded by Mr. W. H. Field, and carried, after a general discussion.