"BEEN HAD!"

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1177, 12 July 1911, Page 4

"BEEN HAD!"

MR. BALLINGER INDIGNANT. I ■ —— t . : INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION'S ' ' DIFFICULTY. ' !■ ITS LATE HEADQUARTERS; i At last- night's meeting of the General Committeo of the Wellington Provincial Industrial Association (Mr. T. Bnllinger presiding), tho question of tho associsi- , tion's interest in the'.building where it formerly occupied au office in Victoria Street under review. A further atep'iad been .taken in the matter, as ghdjvn ;i j>y . tho following .correspondence :-•* ' '•. i-.'l'rbin the secretary to the Wellington Education 1 Board:—'.'Regarding tho rent of jroDtn . usea , by the Technical School, I beg; to inform you that the Auditor-. Generp has called in question tho legality 'of the-payment of rent, to your association by tho managers of the Technical School for the'.rooms which were.set apart by the board for the uso of your association, and my board having been advised that while" yonr association has been justly entitled under the nrrangement made with the Education Board to the office accommodation sot apart for its use, it is not entitled on vacating to underlet ! <ir claim rental for ,these rooms, and,, iindeed, has by so vacating, waived its 'lights in them. In view -of. the legal '■position thus described, my board has intimated to the managers that in the 1 circumstances payment of rent should bo ■■discontinued. I need hardly say that the i action mentioned was not taken by my ; board until it was assured that the law iiso requires, for it recognises and appreciates the substantial and public-spirited 'assistance rendered by your association in 'the past to the cause , of technical educa- ■ After conferring with the chairman • (Mr. T. Ballinger), the secretary of the (Mr. H. F. Allen) wroto as ■follows to Mr. W. S. La Trobe, Director 'of the Technical School:— , • ■• • >■ "The Coronation New Zealand Indus- / trial Exhibition closes on. 29th inst. I nm directed to inform you that this association will require the use of its mi dustrial hall and officers for tho purpose i'of storing chairs, etc., after 30th inst. ' I, therefore, havo to give your board the :,.necessary month's notice to vacate." ■ , Statement by the Chairman. j The chairman (Mr. T. Ballinger) went : into the history of the-' difficulty in-some detail. Referring to a legal opinion by /Mr. Brandon, he said .that tho latter ' appeared to be mistaken as'the fact was '/. that tho Technical Boand first approach;,ed the association in the matter. In ; company with the late-Mr. S.' Brown, •'■ he had an interview with Mr. Brandon, !• when they understood from him that tho board could not grant the association a ; lease, but that no respectable body would ■ decline in the circumstances' to make a reasonable arrangement. He (Mr. Ballinger) was greatly surprised when' he ; found that Mr. Dorset, then secretary to

i the Education Board, had signed a do- < iclaration that the ,£ISOO 'had been, paid ■ by the association to the board without ' any condition. Mr. Ballinger character- - ised this declaration in very emphatic terms, and contended strongly that an ! arrangement was made that the associa- ! lion in return for handing to the Techni- ,• cat Board the .£ISOO profit on its Exhibition of 1896-7 was to'hare certain ac- , commodation in the building to bo erect•wl for the Technical School, but thd , accommodation actually "iven them was ■Jew than had been a.ireed upon. ; Mr. E. Bull remarked that that was ehown by the plans.

.Agreement About the Building. , Mr. Ballinger also read a detailed statement, of-the- case .signed -by Mr. H. P. Allen,' secretary. In this document it v iv.3s»itat«d:'.that, with' the consent of , the School. Gommittet, Mr. ■A. - JSaVlj'w. askdirectoiw of. the -Technical School Committee, approached tho association before-, tho close of its Exhibition ; of with a request that, any sur--pliis, frouij,,the-.Exhibition should be de- , roted to technical education. At the ■■ close of the Exhibition, Mr. Riley laid a. scliemo before . tho association's' .committee, propoanu- that £1500 should bo ■ handed to his board, he-havinga-promi'e .. from the Minister' for Education that the Government would, in that event, Rivo £ for -,£ subsidy on the hmount. \ joint committee of the two. Jjodics met and ■ drafted- an' agreement ou February "2 :. 1808, that ..the sum of JiISOO bo placed at tho disposal of tho Education Board for the purposo of making additions to the Technical School to bs devoted to tho advancement of technical education and domestic economy, the board to provide in the.buiWi-ngj-as accommodation for*the association,' an industrial hall 56ft. by _ 21ft., and an office 14ft. by 13ft., the hail to bo .specially set apart as an industrial museum; and the board to provide five scholarships called Industrial Association Scholarships, to be awarded annually or as arranged; the association to have the -' iise of the Technical School reference library. This agreement was adopted, being approved by tho solicitors of both : bodies. .-..-;

Mr. Bnllinger nest .read 'nnd'eommentett upon a_ long serins of minutes of the TecHnicnl Education Bonrd, dealing 'with this matter. Ho concluded by suggesting ■that tho Government should he asked by a deputation to recompense- tho association by paying it the JE.1500.

; ; :.Mr. Luks, M.P.'s, Views. Mr.'Ti P. Luke, M.P., opposed this suggestion,. Ho said tho association had'an eniiitablc, but not a legal, right to tho ,£ISOO. Ihe Government had nothing to do with it. It was for the association to get the,, legal position defined, and then Jegislation might be necessary. If the steps 'proposed by tho chairman were taken,, tho association would cut itself off from te6hnicol education altogether. Mr. Baliinger: 1 don't like being had! Wvo been had absolutely! Mr. Dorset signed a declaration which ho had no right to sign, anil wo hare'a legal clnim against.tho board. If we want tho accommodation at the end of tho month, and if they don't get out there'll be trouble! Mr. D. Robertson advocated an endeavour to come to some friendly arrangement, and not eo to law and loso tho .£ISOO iu costs. /They should approach tho board and the Government.for .a,conference.. Mr., Robertson remarked, in tho courso of further discussion," that all sorts of local authorities had their accounts "tagged" by;'tho Auditor-General, and took no notice. 'The board should have dono the same 'and paid tho money. They might have done so, but the Government would have stopped tho subsidy. The;meeting authorised Mr. Robertson to arrange a conference with the Education Board and the Technical Board, at which the association's representatives will be. tho chairman and Messrs. E Pull and L. B. Partridge.