NEGLECTED WEST

Evening Post, Volume CXXVIII, Issue 70, 20 September 1939, Page 15

NEGLECTED WEST

CITY COLLEGES

TRANSFER OIF RuftlGOtAl

The suggestion that a new site for Rongotai College should be found on the west side of the city, say, in Karori, was made at the monthly meeting of the Wellington Chariiber of Commerce last night, when consideration was being given to a letter from the Rongotai College Parents' Association advocating re-erecting the college on the Kilbirnie Reserve, it was decided to refer the western site suggestion to the association on the grounds that boys in that part of Wellington are hot at present catered for with a secondary school.

The letter stated that members of the association felt that conditions at Rongotai College had. become intolerable and definitely more dangerous owing to increased traffic at the airport, arid that no effort should be spared to arrive at ah early decision with regard to the future of the college. If the Kilbirnie Reserve site was chosen there would be no need to interfere with its use for Saturday afternoon sports.

Mr. M. G. C. McCaul said there was no merit in the association's proposal. What was necessary was a secondary school bn the Karori side. Wellington College was oh the east side of the 'city. The great difficulty today Was bringing boys from the west side —from Wadestown, Khandallah, Kelburn, and Karori. It seemed obvious that the west side of the city had been neglected and that this was a glorious opportunity to rectify triat. There was plenty of land iri Karori arid it could be purchased much more reasbnably than land in Kilbirhi'e. If the authorities were determined to have two colleges on the east side, then a site should be chosen in Moxharri Avenue There was a suitable site adjacent to the recreation ground which the boys could use and they would have the whole Town Belt to roam over. Mr. M. F. Luckie said it would be quite hopeless to send that request on for the consideration of the City Council. No city was worse off than Wellington for recreation grounds. It was the Government's job to provide for the school and it should not be done at the expense of the City Council. Mr. H. O. Pittendrigh said the logical site for the school was in Karori. . It was decided to reply to the association stating that the chamber favours a site on the western side of the city. ... , ,