IS IT LEGAL?

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1168, 1 July 1911, Page 6

IS IT LEGAL?

INDUSTRIAL' ASSOCIATION'S RENT INDIGNANT WORDS. i? THE .TECHNICAL SCHOOL BOABD. ;'■:'■■!'■;■ Somo'years ago tho Wellington Indus- (■.'"'• trial Association heldnn exhibition. Out '■"■■•''■ "at the proceeds of that exhibition,a suiv plus of* £151)0 remained. In -ALa.j, 1898, ;:- this surplus of JJISUO was paid over to the [.'..: Wellington Education .Board, and tuo W-. board with it, the Government • subsidy, • |-- ; :and some of its owii building fund, erect- | i-i ed the Wellington Technical School biiildI ings. ■. ■: . : • . .-■.., p.. '.' ■ "An honourable. understanding existed i,, •; oh the part of'the board," Urqiioto otli- ;-,-. cial correspondence, -that in the building !■';■'to bo er'eotcd.thca-o should bo provided au I'-- uffioe for the!association, and an indus[?;■:'trud hall." In consequence of its generthe' association was ranked as a i; v ,j contributor to the Technical School, and k" the association claimed as part of its conh: v tributiott .£75.a year, being fivo per cent. -of the e.uiri ;of i.1500 expended on tho .'buildings. ' ' : '=':'■■■■■' To follow, the history further, the asso- !»>. ciation, in-1903, let' - tho'industrial hall f,;; to the Education Board for £40; and in '<;: 1900, desiring.more.convenient offices, the ''••■association let both tttf hall and the off.'v'ficos allotted to it to tflfe Technical School fit .Managers for J2IOO. . .... r "' Tho Auditor-General now .questions the j '■':'; legality of the payment of that JEIOO to i.i'l . ihe Industrial Association. (V .-.'.." the Legal Position. f!i TTiis'wttsjono.of tho questions debated i' ' n't. tho meeting of tho Technical School f;. Board last'evening. "Tho subject . was ! « introduced' bv 'the reading of a letter ''■' from the Wellington Education Board, l!,: : : stating that the -Auditor-General, had t>" taken;tie. .'attitude mentioned above. Tho fit i letter . / 'said 'that- ''.. the Education !•''.'-'Board,.-, desiring to •• ascertain tho - : legal position, had submittod - the to'the board's solicitor for an i" opinion,. :>The opinion received confirmed V-- tho legality of.-tho position taken up. by ii'.'■ tho Auditor-General. The board conse-f-'.quently said'that in view of the legal i'-. - position thus disclosed, the payment of i ;: , the rent mentioned should bo "discon- ': i tinned. -..'. " '... „ ',:.-:'- The letter from.the Auditor-General to l : : -the Education Board teQi as follows:— >-■ "'■ ,ri u tho audit examination of tho accounts Hv-pt the Wellington Technical' School for t-i-'-iMO, the audit inspector reports that, in- ;■ eluded in tho item, 'rent .£125 lis.,' r : . 'ftherois 'a'r.sum of £100 paid to tho Well'.:-. lingto:i ;IhdustriarAssociation as rent for r. tat portion''of tho school building in Vic- [ -i■■'. rtoria Street, and I understand that tho ri. industrial Association has an insurance ;-. ipolicy of JGISOO over tho building. Seeing f'.'.-i (that the building belongs to the Wolling- «.. ton Education Board, and was erected on f;,|.!Educatioh 'Board property, largely out of ■[-' *thc funds'-provided ■by tho Government, t; iit is not undorstood why tho Technical •v. Board should pay rent to tho Industrial X':'. Association.for. the uso of. part of tho •• .Tjuilding, pr why the Industrial Associa- ': tion should have an insuranco policy on a i. Wilding "which .is'tho property• of tho \. -Education Board!" ['-.', The Chairman Indignant.

When the matter camo up at the meeting last night,' some of tho board vrero disinclined to' ; deal; with it,'saying they were-in a' hurry*' to get away, and ■ would lather defer consideration till next 'meeting. ' .'lt'was pointed out, however,-that the Industrial Association; Bhould ho- notified of, th<> correspondence, so that they could mat© a thorough investigation," and state what position they would take up. Somo of thq members of the board'arc'members : also of the Industrial Association. The chairman of tho board (Mr. Robertson) created some protests by a statement that the Education. Board and, the .Government wanted to collar the money that tho Industrial Association had' put into the building. ,v ';.V < Mr. Allan declare'd that ho must record his protest against this remark, as a representative of,the Education Board.. They were as disinterested, in this matter as the Technical Bbrird. The Education "Board were simply.''carrying out the instructions of the Auditor-General. ,'• ■" The chairman rejoined that he had been one of the original 'members of tho Industrial Association;-' The association had taken a very great:'! interest in the inauguration of the 'school. Indeed, there would not havo been that school unless tho association had taken tho matter up. The Government had not dono much for it. . The Industrial Association, in fact, had dono more for .technical educations in Wellington than tho ■ Education Board or any other board." ,The_ chairman gave lis version of the-conditions'of the gift -of the £1500, and the understanding involved. After all these years tho Education Board now said,'. "We won't pay you the JC100." He did not think ho had any reason to retract his'' statement about tho Education Board, 'and the Government "collaring" the money. If the Governlioen* and the Education Board were gp- ' "jug" to'persist in doing things of that sort they would havo tho public to deal with. Why should things not go on as they had Twen for the past fifteen years? The Protests.

Mr. Allan, again protested that the Education' Board and the Government were only seeking'to do what was legally Tight. The chairman was .unjust. Mr. Fitzgerald also protested against •the nttitudo of the chairman.' Mr. J. P. Luke, M.P., deprecated blaming the Government or the AuditorGeneral for what had been done. There was a legal position'that had to bo sup- ' ported. He could undorstand tho clmirsnan's feeling,' because if the' Education Board's instructions wero enforced tho shairman's representation would be en'dangered. Mr. J. Smith also deprecated the allegations against the authorities. " Mr. Robertson said he had not alluded to the Auditor-General as !>oing controlled by the •; Government or ■■ tho Education Board... That suggestion was read into his remarks. He would, however, suggest that all papers connected with the case be'sent to tho Industrial Association, and that a deputation of tho Technical Board.and tho association wait • on the Minister for Education. ■ , . . . It was resolved.' on' 'the motion of Mr. M'Laren, M.P., "That no further • payments bo made to.,the Industrial Association until the matter is cleared up between the Education Board and the Industrial Association, and that nil details be given to tho Industrial Association, and that this board afford all facilities 'to the association to fully understand the Position."