TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 625, 30 September 1909, Page 4

TECHNICAL SCHOOL.

NEW BUILDING OPENED AT PALMERS- !• ■.'•;-,■.■-■■ ■~ ton, ■•■; ,• ■; • speech by the hon. fowlds. (By Tolceraph.-apcclol Oorro'sronilont.l . Palmerston North, September 29. , Tho Now Technical School! buildings wer opened this afternoon by tho Hon. G. Fowlds Mr. W. Ruthorfurd, chairman of tho Higl School Board of Governors, presided, and amoiii the largo number present wero members of th ; High School Board, Messrs. J. A. Nash (Mayo ai Palmerston), D. Buick, M.P., E. Newman M-P'. G. Hogben (InspectorrGeneKil of Schools] !F. Pirani (chairman of the Wanganui.Educa .tion Board), E..Goodbehoro (chairman- of th .Fcilding Technioal School Board), C. Vos ■(chairman of the Kairanga County Council) and F. do J: Cloro (architect). The chairman said he wished to take advan tago of the presence of Mr. Fowlds to than! him sincerely for tho assistance which, a Minister, he had given to tho technical schoo movement in Palmerston. He wished also fa thank all tho officials of tho Education Depart ment, who on dozens of occasions had me him with great courtesy. Ho was sometime: afraid of tho proverbial red tape, but ho ha< .always had tho plcasantest -relations with tin ; Department. Tho technical school movemeri had been started in 1902 under a comniitteo o tho Wnnganui Education Board. In 1905 tin classes nearly lapsed, but'in 1900 tho system o: control had boon altered, and sinco then thi echool progressed rapidly until there wero nov about 600 scholars. Ono thing which had modi for the success of technical education in Pal mcrston was that its chief supporters were th< boys and girls themselves. They'had weldec themselves into the institution, and had become part and parcel of it. Tho govornors hoped ;with tho aid .of tho school, to turnout bottei 'clerks, better farmers, and better housewives. v'Mr. Fowlds, who was greeted with cheersanc applause, said ho was pleased to bo at th< ceremony. It was a source of pleasure to him to seo so many young soldiers of I tho. town Ho hoped that when tho school opened thej would further steps to make 'themselves ™» the country. Tho Dominion wished its children to grow up good all-round citizens. They wanted the people to bo able to fight the ;encraies of the countryand ;to take a-fprcmosl !placa.|in tho industrial battle. Ho was glad the clashes had been so.prosperous 'in'' theii lator yenrs. Over. forty: free-plaoe • students attended,-: the school'by arrangement, with Vthe •T! UC ?. tl6n Board - Tlle sou ° ol E nv °- manual instructlon and lessons in cookery ; und woodwork, special attention being given to agricufture, a. very important subject. As instruction at technical schools was mostly of a secondary character, it would be well to have tho techmeal,and high schools more.closely allied.: In this way overlapping in staffing and equipment would bo avoided. The board had'taken a wise.course in- plaoing the technical classes under a director. In tho new school agriculture would be specially dealt with, and woolclassing had already been Started/ The local bodies;had shown their interest 'by readily gmng contributions, and JI9OO had been collected'..' The sito was',a very suitable one, and additions could" easily bo' made. Ihese additions had to bo thought of, because lie looked upon Palmerston as being only in its infancy. as a metropolitan centre. The building was one of : tho best designed for technical school purposes in the Dominion. Tho architect.(Mr. Clere) deserved: tho highest praise for his -work on .technical schooh throughout the Dominion, but tho Palmerston school was the best ono ho had evor designed, uo (Mr..Fowlds). had already been through tho building,---and'..'the', contractors deserved 'credit (or their, „e.Tcollent workmanship, and tho joyornprs credit' for Shaving got tho bbst' possible valub for the- money, lie ivishod to impress oh his hearers that a build-[ngj'howovcr-largo-or ornnto,' did'nofccoiistitnto .a.,technical school,.. Tho school consisted of tho Smpils Ihn'd.'iiistructors. Tho building :had been erected; 'and. tho- equipment .was ''being provided.. , What: remained -to', bo done to mako the school a success was to pfocuro a largo amount of raw material in tho form of students. Ono of tho difficulties was that a good deal of attendance had to be put in after a hard day's work, especially in tho ca6e of apprentices. /They should'seek tho co-operation; •of omployors of laboured 1 th'ftt'.thcy could'hivo' apprentices allowed 1 - time; off:' to '.ondbleV'-'them' to attend : the ..classes '.'durihg'.fchoVday;It could, bo arranged iJhat'.:for./;;caclV;>.lio,%,'so ; . given, an approntico'shbultt' WorfctffchourMliis 1 own time for the. employer! : v'---'-'^•■;' •:'jj : ;y.' . Mr. D.-Bnick, that:' Palmerston' owed' a 'debt of gratitude, to Mr.' Rutlierf urd. ; He 'could Iromeraberi-a'tprarbua' gathering.regarding tho technical 6chobl-,at' a. time Vwhcn | the. classes were spread'all over'th'o'town£. Mr. Ruthorfurd: had said .tho.schoblswould',<bo'.!built within a year, but ..the'.'year It had,been .said tho,boys .of. .tho .present' dayhad an advantage over!the'boy's bfthe'ispeakor's' 'time,' in that th'c'yV/,we're.,'supplied, with;/all, facilities for education,',but the present-day boys, had to remembor that, liey-had'to. m'eet.bovs similarly equipped,; and '.that:' there- was' still great necessity, for thorn to" work' hard,' and' practise N persoverance-if'tb<"f,desired to achieve' success.'. " .. '' •".-. ;. . ," v ■ ' i ; Mr. W. ,T. Wood said .great credit was due .to Mr. Rutherfurd for'hjs work-in'thb matter. :He. had l pleasure in -.'moving: a- vote..'of- thanks to: Mr .-.Fowlds.' : .'' : '-v.'.;.V-.:.'.'.,.'i.-"; .-,. .;:!., After being presented -with,.d.gold ikey,;.Mr. Fowlds declared. tho ope;i. ; V •■ .'•,'■ •'