WELLINGTON COLLEGE GOVERNORS.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 265, 1 August 1908, Page 6

WELLINGTON COLLEGE GOVERNORS.

FREE-PLACE SCHOLARS AT GIRLS' - 'HIGH SCHOOL. The monthly meeting of the Board of Govurnors of the Wellington College and Girls' High School was held yesterday, there' boing present: ; Mr. A. do B. Brandon (Chairman), and Messrs.' R. ; Lee and A.-Warburton.; - - The monthly statement ,'of finances showed that the. total payments required amounted to £636 13s. 10d.; the fees due from the colleges totalled ;£1574 4s. 9d., and from-rents, £114 10s. 3d. The total amount to credit was set down, at £2494 3s. Bd. - . . Mr. Robert Lee brought up the question of accommodation for, th'e freejplace scholars, at the Girls' High School. He understood / that there was no accommodation available , at the present time, and they wonld be faced later with the problem of finding additional , accommodation for something like 90 girls, 59 of .whom were at present attending the District High School, and 31 at'Newtown; There were also a number' attending the Normal School, but as - tho secondary department of'that institution was a permanent branch of the school, these need not. he taken into consideration.-'• Ho agreed that the . quest-ion' was rieither -for tho governors nor the Education Board to : decide—the : Department was responsible; bnt he-thought .that the_ matter might "bo brought under . the notice of the Department. - The opening of ; tho new annexe to the Boys' College would settle the question of'accommodation so far as the hoys, were; concerned. If a similar undertaking . were, carried, out : with . respect to v tho . Girls'.. College, unity of organisation would result. He thought they' should, ask . for- • additional accommodation for.loo pupils. There were two alternatives to this'course. Tho first was the establishment -of a separate institution—a, very costly undertaking; the second was the maintaining of the departments already existing at The Terrace and Newtown.' The latter was. not a satisfactory: solution of the problem. District' High Schools were properly for the country districts, and, further, the space at present taken up by the secondary ' departments at, the above, schools was required for primary purposes.. He moved that a sub-committee, •-. consisting of. Miss .Richmond, the Chairman, Mr. Warburton/ and the mover be appointed to deal with the mattor.;: .

Tile Chairman' said that tho Department was already aware of the necessity for providing additional .accommodation. As far back as 'February, 1906, the Governors had written, regarding the matter,' but nothing further had been heard of tho Department's intentions.. . The.paymont in respect of the Ordinary pupils, was £12-per bead, but the Department paid only £9 per head. Tho College had originally been poorly endowed, and they were at present carrying a mortgage which drew from their funds a sum of £300 a year; this' had been going on ever since tbo "eighties." The College, in fact,'was losing ' something like £800' a'.vear. Their teachers were underpaid ;• thoy had recently received i increases, in salaries, but still'were underpaid. The mattor then dropped.