SWIMMING TUITION FOR COLLEGE

Dominion, Volume 32, Issue 156, 28 March 1939, Page 11

SWIMMING TUITION FOR COLLEGE

Use of Boys’ Institute Baths Suggested

DISCUSSION BY BOARD OF GOVERNORS

The distance which pupils of the Wellington Technical College had to travel to receive instruction in swimming was the subject of comment at the February meeting of the college

(ward of governors, and the director, Mr. R. G. Ridling, was instructed to write to the Boys’ Institute to inquire about the possibility of the institute swimming bath being reopened. At last night’s meeting of the board, a reply was read from Mr. B. Mabin, director of the Boys’ Institute. “Some considerable time ago, the institute authorities made application to the National Council of Physical Welfare and Recreation for financial assistance toward Hie reopening of the bath, the idea ‘being that it should be used more specially by the various schools as a training bath for children being taught to swim,” wrote Mr. Mabin. “Members of the council inspected the birth and promised to give the application earnest consideration, but so far we have received no intimation of their intention. My committee feels that the institute bath would be serving a very useful purpose if used in that manner, and we are endeavouring to interest the schools in its reopening.” The chairman, Mr. W. Appleton, said it seemed that a good swimming bath was going to waste. Mr. J. Reid said that one of the troubles bad been the cost of the water. A member: Not the cost of the water so much as the cost of heating it. It was agreed that the board could do nothing in the meantime. Wastage of Goods. The suggestion contained in a letter from tile Wellington Employers’ Association that, because of the wastage that occurred each year of goods manufactured at the college, they should be sold annually by public auction, did not find favour with board members. It was rather ridiculous to suggest a public auction when the number of articles was so small, said Mr. Ridling. Mrs. A. McVicar: Why shouldn’t the children get the benefit of them and be allowed to take them home if they pay for the timber?

Mr. Ridling explained that there were articles such as window frames and sashes which could not very well be disposed of in that way. It was decided to exhibit the articles for sale on Parents’ Day at the college, and to inform the association accordingly. Report of Director. It had been necessary to reorganize the number of classes in the evening school already to provide adequate accommodation in the workshops, said Mr. Ridling in his report. The building classes were bigger than for some years past and, in spite of the purchase of additional equipment, it would be necessary to open up classes on other evenings in order to relieve congestion. Accommodation in the engineering shops was still satisfactory. Increased enrolments had been noted in certain of the home science subjects. Dressmaking was proving very popular, and it had been necessary to open waiting lists for both tailors’ cutting and sewing. There had been variation in the number of classes in engineering mathematics, and some of the engineering drawing classes were so large that the students could not be accommodated in the usual drawing offices. It would be necessary before long to open up an additional junior engineering drawing class in one of the art school rooms.

Enrolments in the accountancy classes had been very heavy, particularly in the law subjects and in secretarial law and practice. The economics course, previously associated with the accountancy course, was no longer required and the enrolments had fallen away so much, that it had been decided to alter flip type of the course entirely aid to replace an academic economics course with one dealing with popular economics.