KELBURN SCHOOL

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 231, 24 June 1920, Page 6

KELBURN SCHOOL

AND THE DOLORES BLOCK

MINISTER MAKES AN OFFER

The proposal that tho Education Do-' 'partment should acquire the block of vacant land oh .the hill across Upland Boad from the Kelburn School and the

', Training. College, for the .purposes of a 1 playground,was-submitted to the Minister of Education (Mr. £ J. Parr) by ' a deputation of Kelburn residents yesterday. It was urged that this land was the only remaining area suitable for tho purpose, in Kelburn, and- that at present tho school site was. nothing like large-enough for aplaying area for W« four hundred children .attending the school, or for tho two hundred student* attending the Training College. Tho speakers for the deputation were Mr. i. P. Luke, Mayor of Wellington and member fortha district,-Mr. F. Meadow-croft, chairman of tho Kolburn Ratepayers' As- : sociation. and Professor Hunter. The Mayor said that he had submitted to the City Council at the last meeting the proposal that the City Council should assist • in the purchase, but up till the present the council had refrained from coming to a decision to assist in the purchase. ■He .pointed,out that ;the city had recently acquired a-playing'area adjacent to .tho Northland school, and had also purchased an area for a recreation ground at Ngaio! - > _." ' , .-. . . Professor Hunter, m urging that larger playing areas were considered to be ■ a necessity in other couriti'ies, spoke of tho very large uums that were being provided for this purpose in America and. other countries, including' Britain. •■'..• Mr Parr: Largely.by the municipalities. .. ■ ' Mr.'.Luke:.They have local education control there.. < . Professor Hunter said that he would not'.exclude the City Council from all concern in tho matter. Mr. Luke: You stick to tho national ; basis, Professor Hunter. ''■:■'. - 'Mr. Parr: At any rate, when money is to'be provided. ~,.,, Professor Hunter: We. should, liko to have help from the City Council if possiblo. '.- - '■ '-. : ■ Mr. Parr: Hear! Hear,! A very excellent sentiment." 8 The Minister,' in his reply to the deputation, said that he wished to "admit at once, after nn : inspection =of the place, that. the present. area surrounding the . school was quite inadequate. It would he absurd for him to. suggest that the needs of four hundred children and two hundred students of the Training College were mot by one acre of land. That was the problem confronting him as Minister, and he could wish that it wore the only problem of the kind confronting him. The Education Department looked unon an area of four acres, exclusive of the area covered by the school buildings, as' tho least that could lm con. sideren" satisfactory. As he travelled up and down the country he had been much impressed by ' the mischief -wrought through tho short-siffhtedness of tho authorities in the past thirty, twenty, ov even ten years. He supposed that ther« must be one thousand schools in New Zealand to-day looking for reasonably playing space. He was allowed br legislation three-quarters of a million pounds for sites and buildings for schools' in New Zealand, including; all classes of schools, and the University colleges. With /this sum it was impossible for him to provide for everything that was required. In ho citv in tho country was tho nosition worse than in this city of Wellington. • As,to the special case of Kelburn. hn wag soiTT that Mr. Luke hnd not succeeded in getting the City Council to imsift in this purchase. He had hoped that tho'Citv Council would have nested the Government in acquiring the whole, of that site for,the school children and for the residents, of th« district. He had expressed in writing to the Mavor his desire to tackle Hie matter on that basis, but 'unfortunately the .City, Council hnd not been able to view .the matter in that light. He wife afraid that with tho funds at his disposal as Minister he would not bo able to noquire the whole of -that valuable piece of land. He could, however, go some-, what along the road to meet their wishes. There was adjacent to the school «k gully, which 'would, if filled up, provide an area of some three-qunr-ters of an acre, and he thought his Department might see its way to acquire a sufficient.area cf the block across the road to supply spoil to fill in the gully. Ho had been rattfr alarmed to Warn that the value put, upon the block -was £U,<M, and the matter was further "omplicated by the fact that some of tins sections in. it.hhd been acid lo private purchasers. However, titesa difficulties were not insuperable. A voice:.They are made to be overcome. ■'■'..'••.'.

Mr.-Parr: Yes. by a strong Minister, backed by a strong community. I suggest that the residents' up there should help iiie a bit, Voices: yes; we will, Mr. Parr said that it was in accordance with the spirit of the times that the people should help a little in the matter. He suggested that they set up a little working committee to go into tho scheme. If ho could p< t some assistance from tha residents, and some assistance from tho city, ho would be prepared to recommend to his colleagues that the whole of the area should be (inquired. His own opinion was that the opportunity ought not to be allowed to slip. Ho hoped that his suggestion about n committee would be adonte..i am! Hint some definite scheme would be submitted to him with as little delay as possible. Mr. Luke said that Hie City Council had alreadv given Mo,<W for Iho new technical school, and had acquired playing areas at Northland and Ngaio. The deputation would lie fommg to the City Council at the next Meeting, and h« was sure that tho council would give tho matter full consideration, He urged tie Minister to put a proclamation over tho whole block; with a view of acquiring it. Mr. Parr: I am prepared to do so, provided you are rble to tell mo definitely what von are prepared to dp. 1 don t want in out down the provision at Kelbnrn School. It really depoiids on yon people and the council whether wo are to have the whole lot or ' nly n part.