WELLINGTON COLLEGE

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 54, 26 November 1921, Page 12

WELLINGTON COLLEGE

CONDITION OF THE BUILDING

DISCUSSED BY GOVERNORS

One of the subjects which axcited most comment at the meeting of the Wellington College Governors was the report of the Wellington Progress League on the condition of Wellington College (the old main building) which has already appeared in the Press and which was submitted to the Governors, presumably to press that body into taking steps to alter existing conditions at the school.

The report was taken as read, .and the chairman (Mr. W. E. Ward), after saying .hat the Progress League had discovered something they and the Government knew, proposed that its receipt should be merely acknowledged, when Mr. W. H. Denton protested. He thought that the report of this league should not be taken, in that way, as its inference was that the Governors did not know the condition of things at the college, and were not doing their work That was nonsense. Tho Progress League ought to know that the newest part of tho building was thirty-seven years old. He was up on the roof some time ago, and saw holes in. the corrugated iron roof and were it not for the steep batter of the roof the place would be flooded out. As it was, there were leaks. Only the other day a turret was blown off, and difficulty was experienced in putting it up awn. The side of the building, too had recently required some repairs, but when they went to. do them they could not find the studs to nail the boards to. Tho pil«s were g orl6— they could not be found and concrete had been put in to take their place. The whole place was rotten from top to bottom. But they all knew this, and the Government knew it too. Had not the Government plans of the new college eighteen months ago. The chairman: Not quite that long. Mr Danton said that the condition of things had been brought under the notice of the Government, and he did not wish the public to be under the impression that it had made a discovery Mr. T. Forsyth explained that he was one who had visited the college with Messrs. G. Mitchell, M-P-, and Stuart Wilson, and he maintained that the report was a plain statement of absolute fact. He was a Governor—and yet it had been an eye-opener to him to see how bad things were up there Ihe question was whether it was the Government's job or whether it shou d fall on the governors. It was not a damaging report to the Governors, but there was.much in it that was new . and not a word which was not the truth. He did not think that everyone knew of these things. Had tho Minister visited tho The chairman did not think he had. Mr. Parr had promised to go up some Continuing, Mr. Forsyth said he did not think all the governors knew about the, boys’ washing arrangements—that lonX trough with one lap which was fully exposed t'o all weathers, and did they know of the pools of water to be found inside in wet weather? Sir Edward Gibbes said tho Government knew all about it. Dr. Anderson had been up, and Ministers had been U P£ r . Forsyth: Has tho present Minis’ter been up ? Sir Edward Gibbes thought he had, but the Hon. J. Hanan had been up. Mr. Forsyth: Yes, but what has been d °The chairman: The Government admitted a new building was needed. As a matter of fact the Progress League seemed to have discovered ■ something we all knew about. .. „ Mr. •Forsyth: But what have the Governors done? It is all very well, but nothin" of a very definite character has been done. Have the plans been returned yet? The chairman: No —as far as I know they ’have not. Mr W. H. P- Barber resented the report of the Progress League, as it inferred that the governors were not doing their duty, whereas they knew all about thie building. Mr Forsyth: Did you know there were pools of water in Hie corridor in wet weather? Come now, did you? Mr. Barber: I knew that the building leaked. On being asked what he was going to do about it (the report) Mr. Ward remarked that it was proposed to acknowledge it only. . , . ±i ' Mr Darroch said that in doing so they should explain that the Governors were well .aware of everything mentioned, and that plans of a new building were in the hands of the Government. ! The chairman agreed, on the grounds that the insinuation and inference to be drawn from the report was that the Governors were not attending to their business. They were well aware that the building needed repairs, and? he agreed that they should mention that ’plans of a new college had been prepared and handed to the Governmen., and they were now awaiting the Government’s decision in the niattei. This ended the discussion.