TECHNICAL SCHOOL

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3038, 27 March 1917, Page 7

TECHNICAL SCHOOL

PLEA F@R MORE SPACE

SCHOOL COMMITTEES TAKE A

A HAND

The very unsatisfactory state ol ! tlio Wellington Technical School was tlio subject of brief addresses by tho chairman of tho board and of tlio dircotor at the meeting of the Wellington School Committees Association last night. Mr. G. Frost, chairman of tho Technical Sohool Board, addrossed • tho meeting 011 tho necessity for hotter accommodation for tho technical school in Wellington. The need had been urgent for a great number of years, and the members of the board folt that Wellington was not getting, a fair deal in this respect. - It was impossiblo to provide adequately for the classes in tho present scattered classrooms in different parts of the town, nor was it possible for tho director to exercise as close supervision as he wished. On about a dozen occasions the board had waited upon succeeding Governments, but had neon unablo to get a satisfactory answer. The present Government had said that it had more important matters to provide for. The board had pointed out to the Government that tho rent now being paid for unsuitable quarters would bo sufficient to pay interest on a. sum of £7000. The Technical School had a property at a peppercorn rental—a sito valued at £10,000—and tho City Council would pay this amount to get tho land back. In the Education Board buildings tho space the school occupied was badly needed' bv the board for other purposes. Tho Technical Board was under notico to quit, but it had nowhere else to go. and it did not quit. It was possible that vory shortly the Education Board would, go on with structural alterations, whioh would drive the Teohnical School Board out. Mr. Frost spoke of the importance of technical education to tho community, and urged the members of the association to recommend their committees to assist at a deputation to the Minister at spine future date to demand recognition of Wellington's olaims. Mr. TV. S. La ,Trobe, Director of the School,' said that the present quarters were such that it was almost impossible to obtain proper discipline, that there could hot be proper ventilation; and that' necessary apparatus oould not be accommodated. There was not ! even accommodation for the classes. The students could be crowded into the rooms, hilt "they could not' be taught. The classos were growing, . but less than, half of those who ought to be talcing continuation classes were actually doing so. He went on to speak of the importance of technical education to the students themselves, and to the community generally. If the sohool were properly housed it would be possible to cultivate a school spirit which would be of great benefit to the work done there. No school could he a great success unless it were possible* to inculcate in tho pupil, a pride -in 'the school, and a pride in himself. It would never be possible to foster anything of the sort unless the soattored classes wore collected into good buildings, on a spacious site. A restricted jite in the centre of the city.' would not be suitable. He suggested the Mount Cook site as being uj every way the best available in the city for a technical school, and also for Government technological laboratories, museums, and storehouses for the country's arohives. If these institutions were situated In close proximinity to the Technical School it would be an ex- • cellent arrangement. A hearty vote of thanks was accord- . •ed to Mr. Frost and Mr. La Trobo for their addresses, and the association pledged itself to do all in its power to assist the cause of technical education i" Wellington. It wa ß resolvod, also, that the need for better accommodation ' for the Teohnical School be placed be- i fore the forthcoming meetings of hou ß e- > holders. , : ' •