TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 November 1922, Page 7

TECHNICAL COLLEGE.

BOARD OF MANAGERS MEETING. REPORT ON SCHOOL WORK. The Board of Managers of the New Plymouth Technical College met last /night. Present: Messrs. P. J. H. White (chairman), J. S. Connett, G. H. Dolby, R. J. Clark, W. G. Reid, W. Bicknell, and A. L. Roberts. The following report was submitted by the director (Mr. A. L. Moore) and. adopted:— Day School.—The attendance during the past month ha-’ been irregular owing to wet The numbers in the various e.las»/~‘.irp as follows: Engineering, first year 24,.second year 15. third and fourth year 7; agriculture and industries, first year 6, second year 6; general, senior 22, junior 10; commercial, first year 23.. second year 14, third year 6. fourth year 4; domestic, senior 11, junior 3; science 14; a total of 165. •During the past month Colonel C. VT. Melvill inspected the school cadet company and officially opened the rifle range. Senior free place and public service entrance examinations will commence on the 22nd of this month, and matriculation in December. FINANCE COMMITTEE’S REPORT. The finance committee reported that it could not obtain a financial statement to place before the meeting owing to the complex nature of the accounts as kept at present. A letter from the Education Department suggested that the finances be controlled by the Education Board until the end of the year, and the committee recommended the adoption of this course. From inquiries made, it appeared the finances of the school had very much improved during the year. There was a debit balance of over £2OO at the commencement of the year, which would be considerably reduced by the end of the year. In any ease the board would be in no worse position than now bv postponing the taking over of the finances until next year, as it would commence from zero, if not with a credit balance. VARIOUS GRANTS. The following correspondence passed on by the Education Board was received:— Advice was received from the superintendent of technical education giving authority to extend the balance of the grant of £258 7s 6d amounting to £95. for the purpose of providing seating accommodation for the school. The department was of opinion, the letter stated, that tables and chairs should bo provided instead of desks. Tn reply to the Education Board’s request for permission to purchase material to the value of £2l 3s for the science Toom, the superintendent of technical education advised that the department had no objection provided the total expenditure for the year, in respect of which a grant was required from the department, should not exceed £l5O. as the department was not prepared to consider a grant of more than •£ino. The Director of Education, replying to the Education Board’s memorandum submitting particulars with regard to the utilisation of voluntary contributions ( £1 8s 4d) and subsidy thereon, stated the department was not of opinion that items costing £7O and £4O respectively were essential at the present time. Regarding asphalting and the treating of school grounds, a subsidy of £26 had, been approved towards the cost, and was now being paid. The Director of Ednca-tion advised that as the Education Board had not obtained prior authoritv for the expenditure connected with the fitting up of a plumbing room at the school, the department could not see its way to approve a. grant of more than £lO in respect to the applications for "rants of £l2 2s 9d and £6 18s lOd. The balance of the cost should bp met from amounts received by way of voluntary contributions. The -superintendent of technical education (Mr. W. S. Latrobe) advised that the department had approved a grant not exceeding £2OO for the rent of premises used as a boys’ hostel for the school. GENERAL. The Plumbers’ Board of New Zealand advised that owing to an insufficient number of candidates offering for the forthcoming Plumbers’ Board examination. no centre would be established in New Plymouth. The secretary of the N.Z.E.T. (Mr. TT. A. Parkin-son) advised that the practice of inserting education board varanev in the official organ of the institute free of cost had been extended to secondary and technical school boards. The chairman reported that, be had pone into the application of the Baptist Bible Class Union for the use of the school during their Easter camp, and on his recommendation the application was hpnroved. subicet to the school being loft in a condition satisfactory to the director. Tt was decided that the finance committee meet the Education Board with regard to the financial position of the board. The matter of arranging for extra clerical assistance for the director was left in the hands of the chairman and Mr. J. 8. Connett. Tt was decided that the board nav half the cost, of printing the school prospectus, which was left in the hands of the director. The board expressed its appreciation of the work of the bova in constructing the rifle range, and it was decided to send a letter of thanks to them. Messrs. Coleman and Clark were aupointed a visiting committee for the ensuing month.