TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIII, Issue 100, 13 May 1901, Page 2

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

The certainty that a long and fevo-e industrial war is before thi Empire makes it very uGcefisuy that every preparati n should be made for the struggle. This evening a deputation wiil wait upon the New Plymouth Borough Council, and tho decision rf the Council will have an important bearing upon the future w. lfare not only of Nr-w Plymouth, but on the whole of Taranaki. The object <-f the deputation is to aek that the reserve commonly known as Poverty Flat, be set apart as a site for a Technical School, School of Art and Museum. It is rot Eought to take anything away from the public of New Plymouth, but rather t ■ enrich the reserve, and adding to its attractionsby erecting thereon buildings which must prove of immerse importance and value to the whole of Taranaki. It is being more and moie recognised that technical schools and the kindred institutions we have mentioned are an abso'ute naeessi'y in the druggie for industrial supremacy. Those who have travelled round the Cov.tineu'a < f Europe and Ajnerica are agreed that the rapid progress, activity and c m - mercial success of Germany and Ameiica is largely, if not altoge'her, due to the establishment of tho splendid technical schools which are so marked a feature of their oducaional institutions. The New Zealand Government have for come time recogn'sa<i the necessity of securing the establishment of technical schools in this colony. legislation has been eflejted during the past year or two which provides funds for this purpose, and the educational authorities are moving everywhere to take advantage of tlie facilities afforded for establishing thest> institutions. The Educatif n Bonds of]Taranaki, both primary and secondary, are anxious that Taranaki shall not lag b-hind tho rpst of the co'ony. They have sleeted the site in qie'ition rs peculiarly adapted for the put pise, and there is little doubt but that, if this sit 9 can be secured, before many months have past away titers will be ercct?d thereon a building of immense bens-fit to the educa'ionai and industrial progress of the district. In many towns at Home such schools are established by the municipal authorise;, and puch institutions as those we havo mentioned prove a great attraction to a town, In the case of Wangaria we havp, almosi at our own doors, an instance of the benefit such institutions confer upon a town. The Bor».uj>h Council has an opportunity of groMly adding to the attractivenes i of the town and conferring a great binefit on the whole of Taranaki by acceeding to the request of the deputation. The Specul Commissioner of Technical Schools is at present in Tiranaki, and will imet tho Taranaki In'pector of Schools at Stratford to-day, and the feet rf she educational authorises having such a satisfactory si'e for a technical school available will doubtless go a long way to influence his report. We hopa to see the Bore ugh Council of New Plymouth taking <i broad and liberal viow o". th ; s very important question.