EDUCATION HEEDS

Evening Star, Issue 18281, 22 May 1923, Page 8

EDUCATION HEEDS

POUR CITIES COMPARED. BIG MONEY TALKED. The Mayor of Wellington, in reviewing what the four main cities of New Zealand had done for education, especially technical education, during the course of a speech in support of a deputation asking for £46,580 for the completion of Wellington Technical College, told the Prime Minister that Wellington was the best. “ Our needs arc greater than the other centres,” said Mr Wright. ‘‘The cash contributions of Wellington citizens for technical education amount to £5,500, which has been supplemented by a grant from tho City Council of £15,000.”

The Prime Minister: Was it not £10,000? The Mayor: We paid £10,000; but we owe £5,000, subject to certain conditions. Tho workshops cost £3,107 —that is, a total of £20,500 contributed by Wellington to the college. “ With all due deference, no other centre has dope as much as this,” continued the mayor. “ Dunedin has done well, but they do not eorne up to us. Auckland also has done very well, but they had a windfall from the Auckland Savings Bank of £IO,OOO, but they are making sure of the interest; they had to get rid of the money. They had to pay it away.”

Tho Prime Minister: I would say to you “ Go and do likewise.”

The Mayor: We made a mistake that we did not do that, too. . Auckland decided to give it to the Auckland Technical College. Wellington City contributes £3OO a year to the college. It is the only city, with tho exception of Christchurch, that gives as much. Dunedin grants £IOO. But the Wellington College is behind every other centre in the number of trades provided for, It is an injury to our young people. The Brime Minister told tho deputation that people were talking of thousands nowadays, in the same way as they spoke of hundreds not long ago. The needs ol the present deputation approached £50,000, and, ■when he was going to Dunedin, he was to have a deputation that would ask for £120,000. At a subsequent deputation the Minister of Education (Hon. C. J. Parr) stated that during his regime as Minister the sum of £220,000 had been spent on education in Wellington.