£22,000 WANTED

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 5, 1 October 1918, Page 8

£22,000 WANTED

FROM WELLINGTON CITY CORPORATION

FOR TECHNICAL EDUCATION

A deputation consisting of Messrs. H. Mainland (president), Thomas Ballinger, C. J. AVard, L. E. Partridge, nudH. F.Allen (secretary), members of the council of tho Wellington Industrial Association, waited upon tho Finance Committee of the City Council yesterday afternoon with regard to the needs of technical education in Wellington. Sir. Mainland, who opened up the emphasised the close interest the Wellington Industrial Association had. always taken in technical education .in. the city, and recalled the fact that it was owing to its industry and enterprise that it ha 4 heeiv able to contribute a considerable amount of technical education by the holding of an exhibition here many years ago, since which time the association had given continual assistance. The association, therefore, felt that it had a right to SDaak out and ask for assistance from nil who were concerned at all with the ■future of .the community, and they were there to urge that the City Council, as the body representing the whole of the citizens, and who should have i/.s 'future, as well as its present interests at heart, to subsidise substantially the new Technical School, the site for which had.at last been given by the Government (at Mount.Cook).

Mr: Thomas Ballinger reminded the committee- that the sum of £10,000 had already, been promised provisionally by the council as a contribution to the new. school. The provision in that caso was that the site of the present Technical School should be ■ handed back again to the council-(the site so badly needed for the extension of the electric lighting power-house). Mr. Ballinger said that he did not think this property should revert to the council. His idea was that it should remaim for all time as an endowment to the Wellington Technical College, and if that could be arranged, and the council would still consent to pay the £10,000, it would mean that the council'would bo contributing about £22,000 to the cause of technical education, and that, he .did not consider, was any too much for a wealthy city like Wellington to give, in view of the paramount importance of technical education to the city and tho country.

Mr. C. J. Ward spoke more generally oil;the claims of technical education, and its value to the nation as a consideration of. actual and supreme importance.

The Mayor (Mr. J. ?. Luke) said that iho representations of the deputatiw would have to be - carefully considered by the.-committee, and afterwards submitted to tho council. He , could not interpret the mind of tho committee or the council off-hand, but he was quite sure that all the members recognised their responsibilities in regard to the establishment of a proper school of training for technical wftrk in Wellington, and could not divorce tho two. Tho delegation would be given an answer in due course.