MEMORIAL HALL FUND

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21120, 22 March 1934, Page 10

MEMORIAL HALL FUND

MINISTER'S ACTION RESENTED FORMER STI DENIS PROTEST Resentment at tlie act ten of the Minister for Education (the_Hon. R. Masters) m asking for £3700 from the Christchurch Technical College Memorial Rail Fund was expressed at a meeting of former students of the college last evening. A resolution protesting agairlst the expenditure of any portion ol the Hunt en college equipment was carried. The meeting was called by the Christchurch Technical College Past and Senior Students' Association, and was attended by about la members. Mr S. V. Muirson, vice-pre-sident oi the association, presided, and asked Air W, J. Dobbs to explain the position of the .Memorial Hall Fund.

Mr Dobbs said that he had asked for the meeting so that members of the association could consider the attitude of the Government to the Old Boys' Memorial Rail Fund. Seventeen years ago, when every Dublie body had considered it a duty to erect some memorial to those who had served in the war. the Board of Governors had decided that a hall should be built as a memorial to former students who had served their country. A trust fund had been started and had been built up to approximately L 1 4,000. The Minister for Education bad been asked to approve of the building of the hall and had placed an obstacle in the way by demanding c 37U0 out of the fund for college equipment. The Minister claimed that the college had been starved of equipment because of payments to the fund, but the Education Department had always known what was being done with the money received by the board and had never objected.' A former Director of Education hud auproved of the memorial hall and a grant had been promised.

Not Supported by la el Tiie suggestion that the college laid been siarv. d ol' equipment coual not be supported by lad, Mr Dobbs said. The Minister wanted the trustci s to part with money for a purpose other than that lor which it hail been collected. '1 u set aside part oi the fund for equipment would he a breach oi tru-t. It the money was handed i>vor to the denartmtnt what was leit would no! ptovide a hall, so the termi r students of the college should enter mi (•niphatit* protest. again; t tne uemauih. of the Minister. lie moved the adoption of the following resolution: — "That this meeting oi old students of the Christchurch Technical College records its emphatic protest against the demand of the Ministcr for Education made upon the Board of Governors of the college, that a sum of JJJTUI) from the Memorial Hall Trust Fund be applied for the purchase of equipment for the colli ge. and disapproves of the trustees oi the fund acceding to the demand of the Minister, holding that such action would be a breach of trust on the following grounds: -(1) That a trust was legally created in the trustees when they were appointed to administer the Memorial Hall Trust Estate. '•(2) That all funds paid into the account of the trustees so appointed are trust funds and not within the power and disposition of the Board of Governors ot the college. "(o) That any appropriation of the trust, funds" for any purpose whatever, other than that for which the trust was created, namely, the building of th.e Olii Boys' Memorial Hall, would be a violation of the trust, and the trustees would be jointly and severally liable tor a breach of trust." The Original l'lans in seconding the motion. Mis E. Buchanan said that the original plans for the hall would be useless'! if the .1137UU had to be subtracted from the lund. The original intention was to build a hall with rooms for the Students' Association, and this would have cost about £20,000. If the hall were built with the money left there would be no com-! mittee or social rooms, because all 1 the money would be required to j make the "hall a fitting memorial. II j the Students' Association was to eon- ! tiiiue to exist it should have its own j rooms, and she urged members to j prote.-t against the action of the . Minister. " "We should raise our voices to protest against an injustice that can have far-reaching elTcc-ts in the future." she declared. 1 Several other members supported the motion and it was carried without dissent. It was agreed that copies oi the motion should be sent to the Minister for Education and the Board oi Governors ot th.e college. A member suggested approaching the Christchurch members oi I arliament. It v.'as finally agreed that the executive should hold a special meeting to consider what tuithci ret ion should be taken.