NEW GIRLS' COLLEGE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 110, 10 May 1923, Page 11

NEW GIRLS' COLLEGE

WANTED WITHOUT FURTHER DELAY

MEETING OF PARENTS LAST NIGHT

THE MINISTER'S " PROMISE."

A well-attended meeting of parents of pupils of the Wellington Girls' College and others interested in the secondary education of girls was held in the Chamber of Commerce last evening, the Mayor, Mr. R. A. Wright, M.P., presiding. The meeting was held under the auspices of the Girls' College Association, the object being to draw public attention to the necessity for making nerma'ifciit prevision for the present and ineivfising number of girls in the city and suburbs- who desire to avail them-, selvis of tie advantage of a secondary edacation. Mr. Wright said that already a very great deal, though he would certainly not say too much, had been done for the Boys' College, but very little had been done for the girls. It was perhaps a< l.ad time to approach the Government frr rrouey just now, for the Minister was being deputationised every day—he himself had just been upon three deputations —for grants for secondary and other school buildings and grounds. Nevertheless, the money was plainly required, and he could see no other way out of the difficulty of keeping pace with increasing demands for expendi> ture upon education than to make provision each year for an amount greater in proportion to the growing numbers of pupils, and particularly did that suggestion apply in regard to secondary schools, 6ince> more and more were each year continuing their education beyond the primary school. Speaking of the suggestion that the girls should be divided between -two colleges, Sir John Luke remarked that American authorities had laid it down that when the roll number exceeded 900 the pupils could be better taught were they divided between two schools. Should, however, another college be built, he hoped that it would npt become a separate entity, but that the two schools would be known as the Wellington Girls' College. The difficulty of obtaining an adequate site for a new college would plainly be very great. It had been suggested to him that the, home of the late Sir James Prenderga-st at Thomdon might be obtained, and representations might be made to.jihe Government to purchase the land, about four acres in area. It was essential that greater accommodation should be provided, and, though that work might make considerable calls upon the exchequer, he considered that education should be the very first call upon the purse of the country. Mr- G. Mitchell, president of the Parents' Association, recalled the formation of the association, the object of which was to press upon the Government the legitimate claims of the college. It was realised by the authorities some years ago that the college had been outgrown, and that 7 a bigger building and more adequate 'grounds would have to be provided. Then the question of a site naturally came.up, and a. committee tramped Wellington looking at possible areas. He considered that the site decided upon, that adjoining the Boys' College, was the only feasible one for the new college. The, land was there, and could be well utilised, the site was central, which was an essential, and the view was a fine one. That later feature, he maintained, was very necessary if the spirit and traditions of the school were. to become what they should. Moreover, £5000 had already been spent on levelling the ground, and the reopening of the discussion might be fatal to the hopes of success in the near future. Plans had been prepared for the new building, £40,000 had been voted and promised, and there it stood. The girls had not received fair treatment in the past, simply because parents and others did not make it their duty to see that they receive that to which they were rightly entitled. " The Government," continued Mr. Mitchell, "claims to have a surplus of £1,000,000. Now, then, is the time to ask it to find the. necessary money to 1 build the new Girls' College, £40,000." (Applause..).. Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., agreed that it might be disastrous at the present time to reopen the question of site, for it would perhaps be a weak policy to deviate from the plans already decided upon and in pursuance of. which £5000 had been spent. He considered that very little pressure would be required to bring the Government to carry out its promises to go on with the building. Mr. Fraser recalled the manner in which Mr. Panhad "met parents half-way" at the annual .prize-giving- ceremony, when he said :—"Let me say in a whisper—■ this new school will cost £72,000. We 'have already made a start on the site, and £5000 has been spent. The new school should be one of the finest in th« Dominion. The sum of £72,000 is not easily found, but as soon as possible I propose to make a start on the building itself." The Minister, writing- to the Parents' Association two months later, said Mr. Fraser, qualified that statement somewhat in the following words: "While I am well aware of the conditions at the Girls' College and the need for better accommodation. I fear that the matter of erecting buildings on the new site must be postponed until the more pressing needs of the Dominion, with regard to school accommodation, have been met." The statesmanlike course for the Minister to take, Mr. Fraser maintained, would be to stand by the statement he had made before parents and pupils assemblod. Certainly he had used the words "as soon as possible," but he did not think that the Minister would shelter behind those words in order to postpone the carrying out of an essential work. Mr. W. F. Ward, chairman of the Board of Governors, said that he was one who did not favour the building of th© new college on the site already levelled, but the decision had beenreached, and as far as he was concerned tho question was closed.' During the wan years the board had not pressed upon tha Government its demands, for funds, but latterly steps had been taken. In November they had been told that there was no possibility of the money being provided for some considerable time. Later still, Mr. Parr had been approached, and was very sympathetic, but sympathy would not carry them through. Money would. The Board of Governors would approach the. Minister of Finance in the near future, and would once again put forward its claims. Mr. Ward said that he fully agreed that more accommodation was essential, but bo protested against the statements made that the girls had' been unfairly treated, as Mr. Mitchell had said. Unfairly treated by the Government, the Board of Governors, or by whom? He would challenge anyone to prove that the girls had been any more unfairly treated than the boys.' The Boys' College was built 50 years a^o, and was hopelessly out of date and inadequate. In his opinion, the boys had been treated in a worse manner than the girls. Classrooms were • j as crowded, temporary buildings quite; as Lbai though certainly there was more

land. He wished it clearly understood that the Government would not provide a new college for the whole 800 girls, but would build a second college only as additional to the present building. Mrs. G. L. Stewart, in bringing forward the following resolution :—"That this meeting recognises the pressing need for increased accommodation within the city to provide for the secondary education of girls, and urges the Government to provide the Board of Governors with the means whereby the erection of the new Girls' College can proceed without further delay," mildly poked fun at the ridiculously inadequate provision made for girls at present, both in school rooms and in playing grounds, and urged that the Government should be approached, until something was done. Mr. R. W. ShallcrasE, secretary of the association, in seconding the motion, referred to the excellent work done at the college in spite of the difficulties under which the*staff worked. He mentioned that he had been in communication with the Minister of Finance, and believed that he would receive a deputation a3 soon as he and the Minister of Education were in town.