TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Press, Volume LXIV, Issue 13289, 5 December 1908, Page 11

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

TtBVIEW OF THE PAST YEAR'S WUUK.

•*■ At the meeting of the Board of Governors .of tho Teclinical College last erening, tho'chairman (Dr. J. Hight), ■in his reijort remarked thai, as tlio Boart £ was drawing towards tho close of its third year ct office since its reconstruction in 1905. it would be fitting to review briefly tho portion from both the financial and educational oointfl'of viow. The total expenditure *7 t u e Board in eactii joar had ixsen Z. follows :—IIHW, i; 3335; IvOV, fin 915; 1008, iSGOO (appro*.). A ijJidenAle proportion ot ujo expendxtre ii oi tn ? so s" ears "aU bet>n on buildings, and, if this -were deducti the totals were:—lDOo, irzioo; WO7 £4831; 1903, Uppros.). Farther, owing to tho fact that tho College J> atl *° ijc * 1 Wl!jft tur " niMire fittings, and apparatus, tho exoeraiiture on those items Jiad been abnormally ial 2° ia ea . oa of tll ° y eara When this fact iras a!eo aliowance for. it was found that 77 nrdinary current expenses amount!s to £2113 in 1006, £3149 in 1907, «nd"£49oo (a/pprox.) in 1908. During t)£ period 1906-1903, therefore, tho wrnenditure had increased ■by be remembered that the growth of the work much exceeded the expenditure, "as was instanced in the growth of the -faff In 1006 tno capitation earned Jrae £459, i Q V>°7 £1255, and in 1908 £2107 or an increase in. two years of 370 per cent. While the ordinary exnenditore was now two and a third times what it was two years ago, tho amount of instruction given was four and » half times as great. No doubt ihe increased attendance at the College had been largely due to the public recognition of the worth of tho instruction. Speaking of tho financial position of the College, tho Chairman stated that, as shown by the addendum to the financial statement, it was estimated that by the end of January, 18C9, a balance of £350 would remain. Seeing that tho averago expenditure of the Board was about £400 a month, this was certainly not a large margin, lint when it was borne in mind that £123 on the momorial hall, £150 on the main buildings, and £100 allowed for Cadet uniforms, were non-recurring expenditure, lie thought they might re- . gard the financial position as satisfactory, even though they had to look ■ forward noxt year to a reduction of capitation on commercial classes, which, on the present basis, would amount to about £350. The Board would remember that to help to meet this it had - sanctiofied a change of school hours from six to five per day, which would effect a earing of about £200 a year, whflo the appointment of Miss Hood- '- .'Williams, Miss Blakcney, and Mr Bowring in place of part-time instructors, would effect -a further economy of about 1 £100. This was the last meeting of the Board, and notices would shortly be sent'to contributing bodies asking them to arrange early in the new\year for , the election of their representatives. The Chairman then expressed his learty thattks "to the members of the ; Board for the consideration and sups' port which they had always accorded % »im in carrying out the duties of the % chair, as well as for the prompt and \ earnest manner in which they had con- £ dfwted the business of the Board. He ?< xehed in particular to express his obf Egation to tho .Mayor, who presided I daring his {the chairman's) absence I from Ghristchurch, and who had given t. much of hia time to the service of the <i Board , . .Tho report concluded with a jj hearty expression of t&anks to the staff ! of the College for the efficient manner s "-in, which they had discharged their [' duty daring the past year. Tbo'Director (Mr J. H. Howoll), in his ropart, stated they were closing tho v fin* oonwlete, yoax of work in the Col<V fegvxnd were, therefore, in a position £, tooonaider whether it was meeting a -■; IWognised need of the community, and r iirJietiher the returns were justifying tho -, expenditure.- The report then, went on "-, U> "Aow the satisfactory manner in -' wlibh the cost per head of ipnrpils workA «d"«ttt as compared to eimilar insti- _ ttttions in England. The actual oum- „ far-on the day school) roll this term i.w«a 135, and for the 1908 session of ;-' the,evening school the returns were:— ■'". First term, 449; second term, 513; -'.tKrd term, 434; percentage of attend- ,; ence, 75. For the third term of I£K)7 - ■ pur roll number .wne 319. * .-The reports were adopted.