The School as it is to-day.

Progress, Volume II, Issue 11, 2 September 1907, Page 411

The School as it is to-day.

■ The present Associated Board of Managers is made up as follows : — Chairman — Mr. J. P. Luke ; members — Messrs. Wm. Allan, T. Ballinger, T. Carmichael, D. McLaren, T. W. McDonald, D. Robertson, Rev. \\ . A. Evans ; Director, Secretary and Treasurer — W. S. La Trobe, M.A. Messrs. Luke, Ballinger, Carmichael and McLaren represent the City Council, Messrs. Allan and McDonald the Education Board, and Mr. Robertson the Industrial Association. The controlling authority is the Wellington Education Board, through which all moneys paid by the Government are received by the Board. The income of the School is at present derived from the following sources .—. — (1) Voluntary contributions from local bodies— City Council £250 per annum, Industrial Association £25 per annum. (2) Subsidies from the Government^ for £ on voluntary contributions)— £27s. (3) Fees from paying students, and from the Wellington College and Girls' High School, for teaching in drawing, etc. (4) Capitation paid by the Government on the attendance of all students.

(5) Additional capitation paid by the Government on the attendance of students holding free places. Roughly speaking the first two sources produce about 9% of the total revenue, fees

about 22%, and capitation the remainder. The technical education of this city is therefore to a very large degree free, even paying students providing less than half the cost of their training. It is gratifying to note the interest in technical education which is taken by the City Council and by the Industrial Association. Many of the employers pay the fees of apprentices attending the school. The Industrial Association send monthly a small committee, accompanied by Mr. H. F. Allen, the popular and energetic Secretary of the Association, to inspect the classes of the school. This close connection with the industrial interests of the town is of great value to the school, and the deep personal interest taken in the work by emplo3^ers is a most encouraging feature. Buildings.

The school buildings comprise the first floor of the Education Board building, the main portion of the Victoria street building, the new workshops in Mercer street, and two or three old sheds. The total floor space available is about 28,000 square feet, divided into some 25 class rooms, workshops, and laboratories. The buildings have been altered from time to time to suit as far as possible the growing necessities of the school, and are utilised to the fullest extent both in the day and in the evening. The accommodation is, however, quite unworthy of the town and quite inadequate to present needs. Having regard to the rapid development of technical education in New Zealand, and also to the fact that New Zealand is very considerably behind many other countries in facilities for training the youth of the country in matters that are of direct profit to the whole community, it is obvious that large extensions of the school buildings must soon be made. About four times the present total space is required to bring the accommodation into line with modern requirements.