WELLINGTON COLLEGE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 68, 13 December 1919, Page 5

WELLINGTON COLLEGE

FREE DISTRIBUTION MORE "ACCOMMODATION WANTED VIEWS OF SIS FRANCIS BELL The allium! prize-fjiving ceremony in oonniictioii with Wellington Jioy.i' College took place nt tliu college yiMtemny afteruouu. .Mr. \V. I , '. Ward, cliairman of ihu Donrii of Governors, presided, and there was a very lurge atlendiiiicD of pupils, their rulilfivus and liiraiU. On tho uiiiit'uriu were the Minister or Educ.itioii Man. Sir r'nuicis iiell), who dis(riliuled the prices, the .Mayor (Mr J. 1 , . Luke). Mr. J. J'. Firth (headmaster of tho collcLV), >l:\ T. Forsytli (chairman of tho Wolliiistou Education Jjoani). and members of the teaching staff. A musical programme preceded the actual cei'Ouiduv .of (lish'iljutiiiff (lie urines. 'J'Jio chairiiiiiii thanked Sir Francis IJell for atlemlins, and look the oinvjrtunity to refer to the lack of ncconiißoilatioii at the colleuu. It was quite evident, he said, that more accommodation was nc-α-ssarv. Only those wlio had obsei'ved Ilia onenitioiis of the college during the voar were aware uf the gycat <:iflicu!ties miller which the headmaster and stall' worked. However, a temporary measin-e was l)eini! taken to overcome th? dilliculry liv dividiiis tilts K.vimiasium into eln& rooms, and iiiinp; tho nrmoiiry a» a gynnnsiimi. The main building hail stood . for forty-six years, nnd it was clear that it. had now lmssod its •singe of usefulness!. A new building would bo necessary before verv loiir. There was ateo ncod of n now bonrdiushoiiso. It was SURBCSte<i' that a new boaraiiighous. , should bo erected io the south-east of the present buikline. If they could not get the new school at once, they could utilise the space not required for boarders for tcinwirnrv classrooms. .It was proposed ■Ilia t en nuxitiarv school should be built ns » sort of feeder to the main school. There weru (WO pupils at tho present school, find it was clear that h new school was i| necessarv. as no school should exceed I 500 or CM pupils. Were u new school Imill; on the school grounds, tho old biiibim: miehl: ba utilised ns the niixJUitrv institution. The difficulty before tlin lionril pf Governors, however, was that of finance. He trusted that the Government would see its way to advance sufficient funds to enable the 'Board of Governors Io carry out their builriitur scheme. The c.oliree grounds v.-eio a fine asset, of which other schools ivero rnvio'.K and it was really due to the headmaster, Jlr Firth, that they pos-Sf-ssed grounds. (Applause.) 1 here wits sufficient spaue on the ground's on which to erect new buildings. Headmaster's Report. In his annual report, Mr. l'irth staled that of tin: IGSB "old boys" who joined the colours in tho Great War, more than ono in three were cither killed or wounded. Tho casualties were: Killed, 2.6; wo'indcd, .'KM. , . Two hundred and two (nearly one in. eighti were, uecovaled or mentioned in dispakhes, tho decorations vnrvimr from V.C. downwards. Wnilo the. war war, Roing on the school con(rilmtinns were allotted to patriotic purnoses. They fought against tho arguments advanced bv some, that (heir elforts rimuld 1)2 devoted towards their old Ijovs' "'memorial, for they felt thai, not their own nearest devices, but the UPliCKil won, had first claim upon them. Vo" patriotic funds the school r.mTil duriu" the war .£2700; and it had provided .CiflOii for tho memorial. The total amount of thu memorial fund to-day was Bomotliina over ,f3l'(iO. He nrged all ■Mends of the school to help the move-m-nt Tlii'v wen- ainiinj; at a Mfinorin! Hall.' in which lire «honl should asspwblo diiilv, mid in which .he boys should be enveloped in tho iitmospuere ot inn lnemorv of tbo glovions deaci, and of tiiPir sreiit snor'ifires. What is (iia matter with tho wc."ld to-day? What is at the bottom of th,- gencuil unrest? asked llr 1-irth. "Simply selS«lmr-w and want of sviniwlby. Anil, if t.lie.buiMin?: of the nieirioi-iiil did nothinsr but provide iin outlet for Kell'-sacriiice.aiid fympiithy. if would bo well worth achievement. Ho <iesired to thank many ai Hie old tiovs" for the interest they had taken in the school Tho effects of the '"id Iwvs" in keeping in touch with the I school were of the Rreatest nossiblo value. Of the' ten inembers of the stafl who went mi active service, one was killed and si:; wee wounded. The call* had ken! up (heir high reputation, and 111" "barracks" hold »mc time back had been a irroot success. Mr. lirth paid tribute to the various masters who had iruined" tho 'bovs on the athletic fiekis. Tho cnllco'lmd done well on the spwtinV.eicle.' r l'!ia staff had rnndcred iho mo-:t lovnl C!i-oi)firalioii, for which he desired to tender his wannest thank?. Speech by the Minister "Schools like this have been starved duriiia the last five years," said Sir Francis Loll, "not through .my fault of any 1 Government or any Parliament; they have been starved because the lmmt-y has been applied , to puvposc-s which saved this school and preserved us who remained in the country in our lives and in the exercise <if our freedom." Ho had manv associations with the school, and so far as his help could go, whether as Minister or as a private individual, they could Bal'elv rely upon him doing aiiythinir he could in tlie interests oi the school. (Applause.) ''The cliainnaii has said (hat it school of this kino oiiffbt 1 not io exceed 50!) in number," continued j the Minister. "If ho has correctly stated ?,fr. VirtlrV, views on the subject then | Mr. Firth is the first of. Hie npcstlee, but I I' shall be n heretic, and outside that ow.\. I don't believe that the future | nf this school is limited to iiliO, nor do I ! 1 want Io nmke myself clear heraiisfi 1 don't want, to say T held what ili« chairman has advocated, aim at the same time have strong ideas to the eon- ! rrarv—in these subsidiary schools. You ! mav jiiiit (W htII have a kiiiderynrten. . This is wlmt my iden is—(of course you ] li.ive to bnlieve in the iir;t of the apostloj ! and not. in the hectic), but this is my j aosiiel: This i>rouiid, this great area, was ; . nrovidpd for this secondary school, this provincial college, in the day of. our fathers, .md thiTn is no reason on earth that I can understand' why it should not; he so for all time." If it must follow that there must be subsidiary schools for secondary education, let the college bn. iirst. The Mini-itcr susxMlrd that tho hills adjacent io tho school-might I vflrv ivell ba branl'ifieil. Why p.or.mnke . the hills something that, would be an • ndonmient to AVcllinston? Sir Francis, j Hell concluded by urgiiiif (lie boys to ! think for themselves j After (he prizes had been presented by j Kir Francis Bell the .Mayor made a feiv j ■icmarlc-s. Tf it were to the best interests j of the college to have one large bui'ains. he said, then (hoy would accept tho RUEKes'ion of Sir Francis Bell so long ) ns lie found (lie malcrial Io Kct on with j Vrcuicii- liell for nttendins. I Tim moiion was carried by acclama- I linn, and the .eeremoiiy concluded with a (he National AnUiem, and cheers fiv: Sir I I'niucis lii'll. Mr. and Jlrf. Virlli. the | masters, (he prize-winners, and others. B