SCHOOL PLAY AREA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20105, 16 November 1928, Page 14

SCHOOL PLAY AREA.

WELLESLEY STREET LAND.

TECHNICAL COLLEGE MATTER.

Consideration was given by the Board of Managers of the Seddon Memorial Technical College yesterday to a report by the principal, Mr. G J. Park, upon tho action he had taken in notifying tho Minister of Education of the board's decision regarding the extension of the school playing area, and tho subsequent attitudo of the Auckland Education Board. At the last meeting of the Education Board it was decided to pro. test against the acquiring of any land by the Technical College to the detriment of tho Wellesley Street primary school, and to point this out to tho Minister, who suggested the playing area now used by the Wellesley Street School should be transferred for tho use of the college as from February 1 next. "I think it is heartless to ask tho board to take away the land from the primary school children —they have less than an acre as it is," said the chairman of the Education Board, Mr. A. Burns.

Stating the position had been misunderstood Mr. Park said Mr. Burns knew that the Technical College Board proposed to the Director of Education that a conference of representatives of the Education Board, the Grammar School Board and the Technical School Board should be called to discuss the matter, and therefore his remarks reflecting upon the board's action were not warranted. The cause of the error was apparently to be found in the fact that the Minister of Education considered a conference of the three boards was not advisable. His letter stated: "The chairman of the Auckland Education Board has verbally expressed his sympathy with the needs of tho Technical School and his willingness to do everything in his power to assist in this respect. I have accordingly written to him asking him to give instructions that from the opening of the school next year the area immediately behind the Education Board's offices should cease to be used by primary school pupils from tho Wollesley Street School and should be handed over for use by pupils of the Technical School." . The board passed a resolution to tho effeel that tho principal had not exceeded his duties, but had carried out the instructions of the board, and the misunderstanding that had arisen was due to the interpretation put upon the situation by the Minister in his letter to tho Education Board. Mr. C. A. Watts said it would be necessai7 to give serious consideration to the position and to decide whether ex-ten sions should be made or a branch school opened. The matter was referred to tho executive committee.