TECHNICAL SCHOOL

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 125, 13 February 1918, Page 7

TECHNICAL SCHOOL

. THE MOUNT COOK SITE APPEAL.TO GOVERNMENT ■ Yet another appeal for:better facilities for technical education in Wellington- was mado by a. deputation Which waited on Ministers of tho Crown yesterday. /Iho Ministers: approached were the Prime Minister (the Slight Hon. TV..F. Massey), Sir Joseph iWard, and the Hon. J. A. Hanan. The (deputation ■■ was representative of the Education Board, tho Board of. Managers of the Technical School, the City Council, the Trades ahd Labour Council, the Victoria College Council, !the Professorial Board of Victoria College, the Educational Institute, the (Workers' Educational Association, and teeveral other bodies. The speakers for the deputation were .tho Hon. J. G. W.-Aitkon, Mr. J. P. ODuke.'Mr: M. J. Reardon, and Mr. W. S. La Trobe. What they asked on -this, occasion was that the Government, Should set. aside as a site for a new Itechnical school an area of four acres adjacent' to what is known ' as the Mount' Cook site. This matter has • teen under consideration lately, and a 'committee of experts was set up to adjvise the Government as to the plan to lie followed in utilising the ground in (the Mount Cook area. The scheme sub■mitted has not yet , been •' considered by the Government. One of the Schemes was that the university should fce established on that site, and alonghide it.: the technical school, the muteeum, the. art gallery, and a. research 'Snstitute. The, scheme involves the purchase of certain land, and the alteration in some respecte of the street !!pan-in the , neighbourhood. It happens •that the plan, as .submitted, does not provide for the placing of the Teohnifcal School xlh the four 'acres in which. $he deputation was interested, but on isome ground which is in the hands 'of ,priyate owners. The, . deputation [stressed the importance of technical leducation, and the great need for proper, accommodation for the classes of ifche 'Wellington school. : ;• ■ The Minister- of .Education spoke of ,4he plan prepared oy the oxnerts.vThe present demand was for a site, but a site would he of no value to the 6chool "unless a building: was to be erected. Cabinet would have to consider-this '.when the question of site Came before It. Whether money could bo. found IFpr these purposes he was not, in a position- to say. . He wished to say \tnst towing to the demand made for educational purposesi.there would have to jbe increased sums provided on the •Education estimates this year.. At present the: rewards, of the teaching profession were such that it was not possible to' keep the ranks of male [teachers"filled. 'Better inducements "were offered by the Public Service, arid by private employers. He was adVised'that to ..bring-the salarie-s of teachers up to those paid in the Public Service would involve an increased texpenditure of £20,000 p, year. This Vould show the magnitude of the de■mande made on behalf of education, and' the Government •would have to Consider the claims made on behalf 'of one branch of education in relationship "with those made on account of other ■branches. , ' ■•' •;"'

/•Sir'Joseph Ward said, that the'importance of the request of the denuItation was admitted by. everybody. Tho need for a fc'ew technical school was Wbnd all question. Hβ Bpoke of the •scheme for the utilisation of the, Mount Cook site. He had not yet seen the report of the commission that was appointed to make recommendations •for the allocation Of, thft Mount. Cook; site, but he understood'it.was proposed to use the': site for'the University, the Technical College,' the Museum, arid the Art Gallery. Hβ was of the Opinion that that would be attempting to crowd too much on to that site. He 'did not agree with Me, 'pr°P osa ' t° have the site for the University there; en the contrary he held the. opinion 'strongly that the place where ; the fu'ture University, for Wellington should he was upon the land adjoining that on • which the present Government House was standing. , There was ample land there to make full provision for a universityj and the ..view: that houses for the professorsshould be provided there .as well as (suitable accommodation for the students. 'His; opinion was that it would be a mistake to, put. the University' on .to land, which- in, .twenty-five, or, fifty ; years froßi now; would prove inadequate for'extensions, and it was only natural to suppose that in a great expanding 'jc^ntr&.such.as;Wellington theso extenBions'would be required:;.. He thought, the Mount Cook site was the proper one-for. the Technical .College, and was the'right'place for the erection:of a new Museum/ and -als6 for the; Art •Gallery.' : The difficulty, at the moment ,was, of course, the uncertainty that

existed regarding the country's requirenieiits for the war. Notwithstanding the wild statements th'at wore being mado by some people outside, they had to recognise that it Was their imperative duty-to allow no heavy expenditure that could at presont be avoided to prevent' their finding the full amount required for Now Zealand's part in helping to carry the war to a successful ■ conclusion. Personally he believed that the country would require to make fuller provision, for technical and general education after tho war than it had ever done before. Ne,w Zealand ..would then be in active competition with various parts of the world that from sheer: necessity would be compelled to improve tho industrial, social, and commercial conditions of 'their people, and have the facilities for equipping them in every way, and the Dominion could not afford to lag behind other countries in this respect. He thought the: deputation would recognise that, while we were unable to carry out building works, road works, and railway works practically all over the country at present owing to war .necessities, obviously, though the present request was for a great and deserving object, it must wait until ( ' we really-knew what the responsibilities of this country as the. outcome of the war were going to be.' Mr. Massey said that the deputation should understand that Ministers were just as anxious to promote the interests of education in Wellington as any member of the deputation. He did not know tho exaot location of the four acres which were being asked for, but he knew of no better use to which the land could be put than for the erection of a teohnicalsch'ool. He feared that until the war was over the Government could not undertake any heavy expenditure. The matter Of the, request, would have to be dealt with by Cabinet. '"■',''•

Mr. Aitken said that he was very much disappointed with the reply of the Prime Minister and the Other Ministers who had replied, Time after time they had come to the Government regarding the Technical School, and this had not advanced them a step farther.. '■'. . . ' Mr. Massey said that this Was haw ly fair. No one Minister _or group of Ministers could say definitely that this land would be given. That must be a matter for Cabinet. H6 would promise that the matter wduld be raised at the Very next full meeting of Cabinet to : be held. ' Mr. Aitken: That is very much better. • '.: . ■ .