THE WELLINGTON COLLEGE.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5424, 15 August 1878, Page 2

THE WELLINGTON COLLEGE.

TO TUB EDITOR OB THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES. Sib,—' Your contemporary, the New Zealander, in its issue of the i3th mat., has an article upon the Wellington College. Of this no notice need be taken did not that article contain many inaccuracies, showing that the writer did not take the trouble to ascertain the facts of the case before putting his ideas into print. With reference to placing a sum on the Estimates ho says, “ the Colonial Treasurer may possibly be over-persuaded,” thereby inferring'that the governors will bring pressure to bear in order to effect that object. In the interview which a deputation from the governors had with the Hon. Mr. Ballanoe the question was asked if a sum could be placed on the Estimates, and Mr. Ballanoe replied that the Government could not see its way to do this for any particular institution. The deputation frankly accepted that statement, and intimated that they did not wish to press the Government. In treating of expenditure, the writer of the article in question is wrong. The salaries of the following masters, Messrs. Tuckoy, Hardy, and Buokland, are respectively £4OO, £3OO, and £250, not, as ho states, £650, £4OO, and £3OO. The statement that there has been a persistent effort to keep the College as a school for the children of a class who foolishly choose to think themselves richer or finer than their neighbors, is a fallacy. The College is open to boys from primary schools in any part of the provincial district, by means of primary scholarships, by which education is givon free to certain boys who pass a certain standard under the Education Board. The governors arc anxious to make the College efficient, and arc brin"ifig a Bill into Parliament to enable them to found a high school for girls, and place the College in the position it should hold. Want of means has hitherto hampered their efforts; the “handsome endowment of reserves” last year produced a rental of £643 13s. 2d. Largo reserves exist in the shape of promises, but of what use are they, the governors cannot deal with them 1 When such promised reserves are made over to them, and they have the powers to deal with them which they are about to ask Parliament to grant, then, if the College does not do what it ought in higher education, lot Parliament

step in and appoint a new Board of Governors. In the meantime, it is unreasonable to expect a College with such small means at its command to effect such results as can be attained by the munificently endowed institutions of a similar kind in the South Island,—lam, &c., Ohas. P. Powles, Secretary to the College.