DEVONPORT MANUAL TRAINING SCHOOL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13456, 5 June 1907, Page 5

DEVONPORT MANUAL TRAINING SCHOOL.

Sir,—Some time ago an application was 1 made to the Dovonport Borough Council for j a,contribution to the Auckland Technical School. This was refused on tho ground I that the Council preferred to assist "m establishing a manual training school at Devonport. Since then a new Council has j been elected, the members of which seem disinclined to curry out the good resolutions j of their predecessors, on the plea that the * borough cannot afford it. Now, the financial 1 facts are as follows:—The borough, bv raising the small sum of £300. would secure the ! payment of the same amount by the Co- j vernment, thus supplying the £600 which ! would suffice to establish and equip a suitable manual training school, too* cost of j maintaining which would then be undertaken by the Board, of Education. This £300 is the only outlay required from the ! borough, and this would be met by a rate] of id in the £ for one year only. One! really feels ashamed of the niggard cheese- • paring of those who hesitate to secure this j boon for the children of Devonport, in face ; of the fact that since 1900 the laud value has increased from £209,652 to £301,788, representing an annual gift to the ratepayers If ovei £15,000. The children ask for ai discount of less than 2| per cent, on this unearned wealth, and they are refused. Could meanness 01 want "of capacity to 1 grasp the situation be more fully exempli- j fled? Some of the councillors have put for- j Ward tho plea that the rates in the borough J of Devonport are already too high, whereas the last official Year Book shows that the] general rate in the borough of Devonport is ! one of the lowest that rate on the unimproved value in the colony. The general rate in Devonport now stands at l£d, while in Hamilton it, is 2jd, Hawera 2d, Feilding j lid, Woodville s|d, Pahiatua 3d, Mastorton \ 2id, Lower Hufct 2gd, Karori 2fd, Picton I s|d, Blenheim 2£d, Greyinouth 4|d, Hoki- ! tika 3|d, Christchurch 2d and upwards, Woolston 3iu, Sumner 2|d, Waimate 4d, North East Valley 2gd, West Harbour 3£d, Balelutha. 3d, Gore 3£d, Winton 2£d, Inver- I cargill 2£d. North Invercargill 3fd, South Invercargill 3£d. The only boroughs that are a trifle lower than Devonport are Grey Lynn, Wellington, Palmorstou North l|d ' sach, and Onslow l£d. Unless a local training school is secured for' Devonport. it is more than probable that this branch of education will be lost to our children, as the difficulty of attending . classes in tho Auckland school is too great. At present only eight out of 38 girls are attending classes 111 tho Auckland school, and tho attendance, of boys is similarly hindered. ■■■•- F. M, King, , Member of Devonport School Committee.