TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIII, Issue 69, 22 March 1907, Page 7

TECHNICAL INSTRUCTION.

LAdK OF -ACGOMMOr&SIOK THE CITY'S EUWKE. NEEDS, For Borne time the W/ellirigtmi -T6fcL> iliical Education Board has haft undel 1 consideration the problem of iproViaing i : accotninodatioii for the present needs of technical instruction, in the city. Th» board finally decked to get a comprehensive report on the subject from its director (Mr. La Trobe), and tin's report, which is of a voluminous character, grvung many details, is to be presented to the board this extening. In his introduction the director pomta «nt that the number of class-rooms waa insufficient, and in most ■ cases the tfooms -were much too small, also the lack of available class-rooms made it impossible to commence new classes with any reasonable prospect of success. Ths necessity for increased accommodation did not materially depend on the numbers of etudents, but mainly on th© -character of the work carried on at present, and on the standard aimed at by the school. *' THINGS THAT ARE NOT. The director writes :— Our present, class-rooms are too few to accommodate | -our students. T Uey are ill-designed, . Jwdly ventilated, and the heating arrange! | toentg are totally inadequate. We have, no laboratories, except one smalt chemical and one small physical laboratory. We have less than half the rooms required for pure art. We have no applied art rooms. We have no woit (shops beyond those for carpentry, fittina and turning, plumbing and pattern-mak-ing. We hare no specialty-fitted room* for commercial wovk. We have only temporary accommodation for domestics economy. We have no meeting room, no examination hall, no cloak and hat rooms, no locker corridors, no reading room, no 6ocial rooms, no instructors? rooms no gymnasium, no recreation grounds^ and very insufficient lavatory accommodation. " Then follows a list of the rooms available, and those required for efficient working of the echool. It is added that in all cases where practical work » to be carried on, special rooms must b» provided. Also, it is important that, special trades ehould be 'catered for or mum as possible, in order that studenta may study the special applications, to their own particular trade, of the training which they undergo in the gener*J class-rooms and laboratories. ityr th» reason, room for expansion is eesentisL OttLEBB THE trNEXPECTED HAPPENS. At the conclusion of his list, Mr. Jia Trobe writes: — "1 admit that in the angregate this list, incomplete as it it, apueare to be somewhat formidable, but before condemning it -ns wildly extravagant, I would ask members of th« board to consider the requirements in detail, uhder the various headings, when I think they will appear to be reasonable. Tb* largtS aggregate of 100 m required depends on tub scope of the School's Work and not to any great cxtfcnt on the numbers to be provided. In Hiring tent*, tive sjeefi for rooms I have token into consideration (1) the probable number of. students, (2) the probable equipment to be housed ; and in most cases the second is the determining factor. Unless ths unexpected happens, it is, I fear, too early yet to count on our being able to command immediately *an up-to-date-echool with all the necessary equipment, such ns I have specified here, but Wo ought certainly to obtain a site sufficient to ennbie such a school to be gradually developed on a pre-arranged plun us occasion serves, so as to avoid the dead loss and delay which a shortsighted policy is certain to fcfataiJ. tf s, satisfactory site had been provided fifteen yeans ago, and a satisfactory general plan of construction and arrangement laid down to begin with, we would have been by this time in ft position to fcomplet* the school at a very moderate tost, compared with what Will inevitably face" us if technical education in this town is to* receive the attention which it deserves." ADVANTAGES OF A SPACIOUS SITE. The director adds a note in which hei stimmftrises the advantages of a spacious site for the Technical School :— (I.) A largo site permits the Jirovisiop df recreation grounds, gymnasium* fete. (II.) A large site admits of far supertax claso accommodation at less cost because—(a) The school buildings eah be st?t in the proper position relative to the north and south line, (b) Tjha best systems of lighting of the various rooms, which is of grdat importance for the health and comfort of both day and evening students, can easily be arranged for when the site does not fix the design (c) Problems of heating and ventilation are simplified, and cost of erection reduced, (d) An efficient and at the same time cheap form of construction; can he adopted, (fe) Fire and earthquake risks can bo minimised, (f) Nwsy classer can be placed by themselves away from lerture and ordinary class rooms, wherequiet is essential to good work* (g) Laboratories in which are delicate instruments requiring the greatest steadiness can be placed ur a sufficicsnt distance from heavy and fust-running machinery. (The use of such instruments is practically impossible in oiir present situation.) (h) The buildings can be so designed a> to make the handling of material, apparatus, machinery { etc., as easy a^ possible, and to m^c the least possible trouble in keeping clean and in good order. (\\ A form of design can )>•• adopted which shall fulfil Iho above conditions, and yet bo capablo of being put up in part and easily extended to meet all future requirements, (j) Standardised forms of design and construe, lion lrtay be adopted for— (1) UIaST rooms, (2) loctliro ruonu, (3) labotu< tories, (4) workshops, thus Unifying the design and reducing tho cost "of ereclioii. Aftav enumerating details regarding tha siSes of rooms, Mr. La Trobe concludes :-»-*' On a restricted site it Would be absolutely impossible to fulfil all the conditions, and— Especially if (he building fan only be erected a little at a time —the restricted site is OVt of thg question altogether. I need not say that the value, popvjhviity, and efficiency of a technical school ttro enormously affected by the design, and I would uigo that all institutions for tho training of the young should be dpfcignod and placed with at least, as mmh care ai hospitals and "other Bimikr institutions are, ;c only on the principle that prevention is better than cure.' 1