TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 January 1919, Page 6

TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

ADDITIONAL ACCOMMODATION The growth of the New Plymouth' -Technical College has necessitated the enlargement of the present ■buihlfHjja is order to make provision for the large number of students attending. The Education Board desired, and submitted pkns for the erection of, three additional class rooms, but when considered iby the Department the plan was reduced to two rooms, and a grant was authorised accordingly. The work was put in hand at once, and the extra accommodation has now been- completed, and will be ready for occupation as soon as the new term commences. The plan was drawn by the boardfe oveitseer (Mr. 0. H. Moore), and on approval by the Department the work has been carried out under Mr. Moore's supervision, and the result reflects credit not only upon the overseer but alao upon the workmanship of the stall which has done the work.

The additions have been made to the southern wing of the building and join immediately on to the arts Instruction room. The exterior of the new rooms lias been made to conform in appearance to v the main building, the outer walls being of red bricks and the roof of asbestos tiles. To meet the requirements of the Department, apparently with a view to future extension, an inner wall has been built of 6iu rein--1 forced concrete, sufficiently strong to at any time carry an extra storey. The interior walls have been finished off with plaster with a dado of Keen's cement surrounding each room. The area of the new rooms is 30ft by 22ft each, and they are lofty, well lighted and well ventilated. On the south side each room ha 3 three large windows while the room on the eastern end of the wing also has large windows on the eastern elevation. Instead of being hung on weights, the upper portion of the window swings on ceptral pivots and opens inwards and outwards, so the opening can be easily regulated in high wind 3 or heavy raixis,_ enabling at all times a free current of fresh air to circulate through the rooms. The lower half of the windows is hung from the transome, and swings similar fashion to the top. In the inner room, which has windows in one wall only, a skylight has been fixed, and on the four sides of it have been fixed very simple but extremely useful louvres for ventilation purposes. These are opened by means of a cord, font shut of their own accord, when the cord is released, by means of a weight attached to the outside. This is the patent of a local young man, employed in one of the plumbing establishments in town. Running along the northern side of the rooms is a corridor, to which there is enrtance from the present main building and also from the grounds outside. The board has in contemplation the removal of' the plumbing class workroom from its present site to what up to the present lias been used as a site for stacking timber, immediately beyond the board's workshop. The plumbing classes have been somawhat interfered with in consequence of war conditions, Ibut it is hoped the classes will sooon be fully re-established. THE BOARD'S WORKSHOP

One feature of the additions to tile Technical College, and what is indeed a feature of all the board's new building work, or alterations to existing buildings, is that the whole of tlie fittings and all the joinery work are completed in the board's own workshop, which Is indeed an up-to-date establishment and is doing a great deal of work of a Itrstclass nature and places the board in the position, of being independent of outside contractors for such supplies. The shop is equipped with modern machinery, is well laid out, and employs a stall' whose workmanship is beyond reproach. There is in hand at present, in addition to the fittings for the new rooms at the Technical College, joinerv A-ork for the additions to the' Fitzroy School, which are now well under way, also for the Normanby St-hool, and a commencement is to bo made shortly ■rith the work of the erection of tSc new schoool at Vogeltown, for which a grant was recently made !by the Education Department. The Normanby School is to be entirely re-desked, and many of these are already made, or will be made at the board's workshop. A special desk on the locker pattern has been designed for the upper standards. The top of this desk is lftnged at the back and beneath it is arranged a convenientsized receptacle for the scholars' requisites A very convenient table has been designed also for tko use of teachers or assistants, and this, with the drawer which is fitted into it, will fold up into a very small compass and make a compact package for sending out to country district schools, with the minimum trouble and cost. Supplies of the various requisites for school furnishing are kept on hand at the workshop ready cut out, and when required! have merely to he put togeher and fnilsße(l off. Firstgrade material only is used and altogether the workshop is able thus to place the board in the position of being able to proceed with and complete its work in this connection with tho utmost despatch.