Difficulties Foreseen With School Building

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29264, 23 July 1960, Page 7

Difficulties Foreseen With School Building

A “very serious shortage” of architectural staff may make it difficult for the Canterbury Education Board to get through its £536,000 building programme for 1960-61.

In spite of extensive advertising throughout New Zealand, the board was unable to appoint sufficient suitable staff to meet the demands of a considerablyincreased programme, Mr A. Manning, chairman of the building committee, told yesterday’s board meeting. “We are now considering the possibility of securing staff from overseas, or the setting up of a draughting office in another part of New Zealand where staff is not so short,” Mr Manning said. “The increased building work lis definitely wanted, but it is going to be a difficult task to get it through. But we have asked for this amount of work—in fact, we asked for more from the Education Department.” Every effort, however, would be made to see that all authorised works were put out to tender by March 31 next.

Programme Outlined “The programme includes one intermediate school and eight new schools on new sites in Christchurch, Timaru, and Kaiapoi, and the replacement of five schools in various parts of Canterbury and the West Coast,” said Mr Manning. “Additions or remodelling have been approved for 13 schools, and provision has been made for the replacement of three manual training centres, v>nd the conversion of unused classrooms at two primary schools for manual training.

“The programme also includes 16 dental clinics, eight teachers' houses, and a separate building in Christchurch for the board’s architectural , staff to provide relief for the overcrowded office building in Oxford terrace,”

Tlie library previously approved for the Teachers’ College but not proceeded with last year because of difficulty in arranging the planning, had again been approved, and arrangements had been completed for the planning to proceed at the end of this year, Mr Manning said. Mr Manning’s disclosure of the board’s shortage of architects and draughtsmen drew no comment from board members.