THE PLIGHT OF THE "TEC"

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2729, 25 March 1916, Page 7

THE PLIGHT OF THE "TEC"

h6re about an overcrowded

INSTITUTION

ITS CLAIM FOR HELP

Further light on the present overcrowded condition of the Wellington Technical School and the hardships attendant on cramped space—which were matters ventilated at Thursday's deputation'to. the Minister of Education— was: obtained by a Dominion reporter • yesterday. He l'oiirned that in 1910 the (Wellington "Tech" (as it is briefly called by scholars) had the largest numbor of (students among the technical colleges, of the Dominion, viz., 1346.. fcjinco then the number has-been practically stationary, the inoreasd being loss than 10 -por cent. In almost every j ear since 1910, the authorities have had to refuse to take in students in one or; more branches. This stato of things is in curious contrast to what lias been done elsewhere.. Since 1911 each of the other chief centres has made splendid provision for technical instruction, and in consequence each of those nentr.es—Auckland, Christchuroh, and 'Dunedin —has headed Wellington in the number of technical students at work, the . percentages of increase. being on the average of about 45 per cent, for the three centres.' Those figures show how effectively the local college has been, throttled for lack of' proper accommodation and provision for expansion. When it is remembered that there is .'no separate art school (as in other centres) it i 6 made abundantly clear that I the position is 'even worse than the j figures show.; To place Wellington on an equality with the other centres about twice as. much; room is required to that .at present available, and the looms nfust. be specially built for the work to be conducted in them if good results are to be obtained. The cookery classes have to be conducted in what Mr. Frost described as a derelict iron shed in the Corporation yard at the rear of. the Toivn Hall. It is difficult to keep them sweet and clean, as it has Ho .foundations, 'and the ground on which the building squats being low set, the water from the yard .collects Underneath. .

'The Financial Aspeot. ,Mr. Frost, referring to the financial nspcct of the case, states that tlie Education, Board, which has now to look after the whole of the schools of MarlI borough, will shortly' require the 6000 . square feet of space the Technical Board ' lflils ill the Education Board's building. Consequent upon this, a sum 1 be-, tweeir £500 ' and £UOO per annum will have to be paid for rent, ground rent largely.- So, that in a year or two they will bo paying (on ratio of increase in rents) not far short of £1000 per annum in rent, and still he as badly off as ever, or worse, because the college will be still further scattered. In short, says Mr. Frost, the position will beintolarablo, and the injustice, to "Wellington students insufferable: £800, per annum is the interest at .0 per cent, on: £16,000, and putting , tlip value (subdivided and roaded) of the ' Mount Cook block down at £10,000, ' the Government could give. the block nnd .€6OOO for the building without being out of pocket, in addition to which the city is prepared, to give £10,000 for 'the. reversion of the Mercer Street property (which will fce needed for "the extension of the lighting power-house). Then the Wakefield' Street property should Tie worth £5000 to the Technical College after, the claims of the Education Board ' were satisfied. Hence,

without raising any money outside and without any payments! by the Government greater than will shortly bo necessary by way of rent, it is possiblo to secure the four acres of idle Mount Cook rosorve land and £21,000 for buildings. Some f/irthpr amounts could probably' be obtained locally towards tho ,bn ilding fund in part, perhaps from the Macarth.y Trust, which has for some threo years past held over tho board's application in the hopo that a reasonable building scheme would bo evolved.

Summed up, the adoption of the Mt. Cook scheme would realise tho following advantages:— ■" The Government will be paying only about one-third as much in cash per annum on account of the Technical College buildings, as if premises were rented (since the four acres of land given would bo earning the remainder); tho City Council will receive value for the £10,000 paid; the Education Board, will have all the accommodation it requires; the Wakefield Streot building will bo dovoted to, business purposes, as i f - should, being in the business part of the town; the corporation will be able to utilise their yard and remove an eyesore from next the Town Hall; the Technical College will be placed in d i position to. do its duty in the town, and the present disabilities of the students will be removed.