More Halls At Ham And Lincoln

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30930, 10 December 1965, Page 1

More Halls At Ham And Lincoln

Sketch plans for Colombo Plan halls of residence at Ham and at Lincoln College for the University of Canterbury had been approved, the Minister of Education (Mr Kinsella) announced last evening in a review of university hostel construction. Another general hall was also planned for Lincoln.

The hall at Ham is estimated to cost £157,000, which will be paid for from Colombo Plan funds. It will house 100 students. The proposed site is on the northern edge of the playing fields.

The hall at Lincoln College will take 72 students. It will be financed by Colombo Plan funds and a Government subsidy, and an additional hall will also be built under the subsidy scheme.

Mr Kinsella said that at present 7 per cent of the Canterbury roll—about 350 students—lived in existing hostels. A Government subsidy of £172.000 had been approved for the new Anglican Christchurch College to house 120 students. In addition a new Roman Catholic Rochester Hall for 100 students was being planned, and the Presby-terian-Methodist Rutherford Hall (a new venture for this group in Canterbury) would take 150 students.

Recalling the Government’s Increase in subsidies for university halls—to 80 per cent of the cost up to £1440 a student place—Mr Kinsella gave this review of hostel provisions at other universities:— AUCKLAND At Auckland University there were about 260 students —5 per cent of the roll—living in halls. This total excluded 200 students at the temporary School of Engineering at Ardmore living in former Air Force barracks.

A total of £40,000 from the Auckland Education Reserves Trust had been spent on buying and converting Wakefield Hospital into additional residential accommodation for 40 students at the University of Auckland-

Land in Whitaker place, Auckland, to accommodate 150 students had been bought for £25,000 with funds from the Auckland Education Reserves Trust The univer sity would provide accommodation for 75 Colombo Plan students, and half the building cost would be paid for from Colombo Plan funds. The new building, to be known as International House, would cost more -than £300,000.

Other work was also being planned that would qualify for a subsidy. The Government had approved a subsidy of £8752 for the Norman Spencer Annex at Parnell, which would take 16 more Auckland students. MASSEY A Government subsidy of £*!6,295 had been approved, on the recommendation of the University Granta Committee, for coaverting an old homestead into a residential hall at Massey University, where about 35 per cent of the students were so housed. The hostel, Fergusson Hall, had been sponsored by the Presbyterisn Educational Purposes Trust and would hold about 50 students.

“Six acres of land may be bought for additional hostels at Massey,” said Mr Kinsella. “Sketch plans for s block to house 107 students have been approved, and the Government subsidy is likely to be £lOO,OOO. Student accommodation at Massey is being planned around central kitchen and dining facilities, and the hostels will comprise study bedrooms and a common room.

“A total of £72,516 from Colombo Man funds has been spent on Colombo Hell at Massey Univ ratty, which will accommodate 48 students. VICTORIA

“At Victoria University, Wellington, there are about 150 students (3} per cent of the roil) who live in halls of residence. The Government has approved a subsidy of £lO,OOO for an addition to Victoria House on the Terrace to house another 14 students. This is finished.” the Minister said.

“Working drawings have been approved for a Weir House extension, to be financed from Colombo Plan funds. It will cost about £lBO,OOO and provide board for 90 students. In addition, the Crown has paid £52,000 for land in Everton terrace, Wellington, for a new hall of residence for university students. The university will lease the land to a Presby-terian-Methodist group which

is raising funds for the halL which wfll qualify for a Government subsidy of about £144,000 for a first-stage project.”

OTAGO Twenty-three per cent of the roll at the University of Otago —about 880 students—lived in halls. The university would get a Government subsidy of £466,560 for Centennial Hall (300 students). ' It had also received approval for a subsidy of £60,000 for an addition to St. Margaret’s Hall for women students; a subsidy of £1133 for an addition to Aquinas HalL run by Dominican Fathers; and a subsidy of £1528 for an addition teKnox College. The latter three subsidies would provide accommodation for an additional 58 students. Colombo Plsn funds had provided £87,000 for an addition to Arana Hall (56 more students) and £42,000 for a dining hall there. Sketch plans had been approved for Salmond Hall to house 150 students at Otago University as an adjunct to Knox College, and for.extensions to Arana Hall and Carrington Hall, for 54 students and 77 students.