TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Mataura Ensign, 27 September 1913, Page 2

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

SOUTHLAND COLLEGE. A meeting of local bodies' representatives took place yesterday at the invitation of the Southland Education .board, the gathering being held in the technical College, Invercargill. Hepre-i sentatives from the Education Hoard, Borough County Council and suburban borough. Some little time 1 ago the Southland Education Hoard' camo to a decision in favor of transfer-: ring the control of the Technical Col-' loge to a .Board of Managers of Gov-! ernors. It was the idea- of the Board that such a body should be recruited from the various local bodies and associations, which course had been adopted" m other centres. Ail inspection of the ■ various classes at work in the college was made by the visitors under the .guidance of J)r Hansen (director) and Mr Hendry (inspector). The classes were those devoted to cooking, cabinetmaking, plumbing, wool-classing, carpen tor. y, sowing and art and the various buildings used in connection with the work were also visited. Subsequent to the inspection the chairman (Mr Fisher) addressed those present. The college (ho said) was supported by pupils' fees and grants from the Government. When outsido money was subscribed it carried a subsidy, and if a few local bodies subscrilied to the schc«>l this would go a long way towards extending and widening the influence of the classes. He read a lengthy list showing how local bodies in other parts of the Dominion assisted such institution 3. He stated that the Board of Education would probably place before the town and country councils, the Employers' Association and the trades unions some proposal as to representation, and ho asked them to give "the matter j their 'earnest consideration. Mr Fisher j pointed out that such a change would . 'liavo the very desirable end of dispelling tho idea which had gained currency that moneys intended for primary education purposes had been diverted to tho purposes of technical education. Hei assured them that such a tiling had

not 'Leon done, but pointed out thai the chango would place the mutter beyond quer 7 tion. Dr Hansen (Director) addressed the gathering oil the nature of the work taught. He said that out of the 148 pupils attending the classes last yean

77 came from outside Invercargill and! had to travel by train.

Afternoon tea having been provided! by Miss Wilson <of the cooking class), the party journeyed by special car to? the agricultural plot at Gladstone, and spent half an hour in inspecting th» work which is being done there under the direction of Mr Moodio, who is an enthusiast in his work, and is achiering very satisfactory results.