GIRLS' COLLEGE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 298, 10 September 1920, Page 4

GIRLS' COLLEGE

THE NEW BUILDING A DEPUTATION AND REQUEST FOR A GRANT Yosterday morning a deputation waited upon , the Minister of Finance (Bight Hon. W. F. Massey) to ask for a grantof .£70,000 to bp'- oxpeudfod upon the new building to be erected for the Wellington Girls' College. The deputation was introduced bv Mr. G.-Mitchell, M.P.. and the speakers were: Mr. C. M. Luke, representing the Progress League; Jli6S M'Lean, Principal of the Girlo' College; Miss Coad, president of Women's National Council; and Mr. W. F. Ward, chairman of the College Board of Governors. Also members of the denuv.it'ion wero the Mayor (Mr. J. P. Luke. il P.). Dr. Platts-Milta, Mr. Leish. Jf iinf. snd Mrs Corliss, representing the Weiluij.'iui Town-Pl&nning Association. Mr. C. M. Luke, in urging the grant of .£70,000 for the new college buildine. said that if they wanted a. good' and efficient system of education" they had to pay for it. At the present time the work, at the Girls' College had to b& carried oiwn four buildings, and it was difficult to get the best results in 6uch. circumstances. A largo and well-nquijip™ building was needed, because of the increased number of i'reo' place students ivho entered tfie college every year, and special provision was needed to do justice to these increases. In' pointing out the drawbars fi'onr which the Wellington Girls' Oolite «as suffering at the present time, MiS3 M'Lean stressed tho necessity of t=o proTiding that they. could not lie encguutered again in connection with tho proposed new building. At the present time, she informed the Prime Minister, tho 4aff was teaching in four different establishments, including a private duelling, and a. private hall, both u.'. suitable for such work. Over three hundred Kirle wore in the main school, au(l three hundred were distributed among three other buildings, none of which were provided with in, any slaps or form, When moving from < i.e building to another the teachers had torfccompany the girls, and valuable time for work was lost in this constant migration, which had to be dono in all k.nds of weal tier.- To alleviate tile position tuQ Education Department proposed';t» build' subsidiary buildings to Contain ultimately. 650 girls, and to omit everything that could possibly be omitted. .1 lie omissions which ' the Department considered could be dispensed livith included an. assembly hall, a gymtiaeium, a libiary, and domestic science rooms, lhis proposal Miss M'benii considered v.nwise. In the first place, the'new school would bo a small building, with rooms that wero a necessity, although obitted. It womu he neither efficient nor economical, the classes would not be homogeneous, and there would not be equal facilities for specialisation by teachers, specialisation being a marked feature of modem education. Miss M'Lean said that when visiting America and. England she nacl found'that all the bqst schools (ffom an. educational, point. of. view) were large schools. The present building was not surfed to remain, the principal school. It. was deficient in heating, and the yentilation arrangements had been provided for 300 pupils only, while the asse m My hall only had accommodation for IW £Ms'. "Adequate playgrounds were only, possible at new nh. whow M aci» could be made use of without cost to en® board. The site was central tor the development of the city, a '! [ . VCI S, T s Üble for large Lean, •thought it -very-'probable tintlf £ irwd up-to-date school were, not built tha . national'"system of education would suffer, as pupils who would to Government schools, would be com polled to go to private o^4? n^in^. schools. Yet another objection to the. proposal brought forward by tho Department was.that if this;were donei the school soon would be again m tho. bf ; being in three or. four difterent buildilmJat present.. In this connection Miss M'Lean pointed, out that thc rato of mcrease at the .college had eeri_ at the of' suburban nuo»bei« °m£ Coad said that" th*y all ?, pprc* 1 ited the'good work done by the uov eminent in. improving- . c<l " ca /,f na ;£{-' i tar*" nnd' tliev recognised the tUmoui ties'with which it''was faced. «» meeting the many demandsthat>7" de fl\ p r ?s' it Unfortunately tho Wellington biris College hail fallen behitid-other secondary schools' in : the matter of buildings, and MFftSnMlallv"largo' girls '-"coliego was ■ needed here because the' population - was laru ■ an'd -threatened" - to; than' in any other cfentre ,6f' the Domi inn To her It rcemed a gieit mistnico from the ;, point'of:'v'iew of efficiency and organisation' to build -the matches its was proposed. -A\ ltli n. larga . echobl tiiere -would' he better classification , nf Ti\iriila ' liibre* specialisation .could .oe cirned out. and at-"the same tune cconom'v would be observed.in manj wnjs< he noTneed-' rnd out'lffl. .plnymß- areas.; were absolutely essential. ■■ . • Mr- W.--P. Ward stressed, the .necesf°Tn replying to the various i »P ei !? cer '' the Prime Minister referred to the finn:ciil'' S itation".of the country , to-day nnd of the impossibility of they nsked:"' He assured them-t»^ financial assistance.««««» Tho made, and having to bs reniseu. .. deputation might not be- ' but he MS llO ' -falling markets, this, could last, '%vmpathctio Personally, lie jSStion, and ho with tho aims of tho <1 P nlnt t cr would do what )10 definte help, though ho a ite pvoiuwo. , ( Io M quests for time in which . It wa3 finnnnial assistance ev «ryone' > wero simp y phenomenal, and it « 3 died "'ill'nna- '