HIGHER EDUCATION.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXVIII, Issue 6025, 9 October 1906, Page 3

HIGHER EDUCATION.

POSITION UN V.T LLTNGTON.

"■ ■.•.-!‘NT f OUK .SITE. A UKPUKSKNT\TtVE DEPUTATION. Tho Premier (Sir Joseph Ward) and tho Hon. G. Fowlds, Minister of Education, yesterday received a very largo deputation of Wellington citizens relative) to tho utilisation of the Mount Cook site for the purposes of a high uchoul and technical university. The local bodies represented were Urn Wellington Education Hoard, Technical Education Board, City Council, Suburban Councils. Chamber of Commerce, Harbour Board, Employers’ Federation, Indust rial Association, Trades and Labour Council, Wellington Employers’ Association, Now Zealand [Jmve aity Council, Victoria Collego Council, Wellington College Board of Governors, and tho City and Sub.ubun School Committees. Messrs Aitkon, Barber, Fisher, and Stevens, M.K.It/s, an dthe ilon. Mr Uigg, M.L.C., were present. VIEWS OF THE DEPUTATION. Tho Hon. T. W. Hislop (Mayor) said this question was almost us old us ho oould remember It was generally admitted that a great mistake had been mado in not devoting such n noble site to hotter purposes. lie dare eay they wore all somewhat to blame- in allowing this mutter to go so far without taking action.. No doubt it was important to provide for tho housing of those who aero prepared to defend the oolony if occasion arose, but there was a nobler purpose for which tho site could bo put —that was for defence against ignorance and tho influences which might bo brought to bear to prevent this city from taking its proper position, in the development of industries and in matters of learning.

Mr Robert- Luis chairman of tho Wellington Education Hoard, pointed out that tlio establishment of district bigh schools in tile city of Wellington was only a makeshift. It was not desirable to carry on those district high schools hero for a very long period, because they aero persuaded that the head masters had tjnito sufficient to do to carry on th,e requirements of the primary work. What was wanted was a high school for Wellington, with a properly equipped technical school alongside of it. This city was the contra of tho colony, and it was admitted on all hands that development in the direction indicated was-absolute-ly .necessary. There was required secondary accommodation for live hundred pupils. Tho Mount took site, after careful inquiry into the land available, seemed to them tho only site suitable for this purpose. Mr Pisher, M.H.R., quoted the remarks of tho late Minister of Education, in a speech delivered in April last at Mastorton, in which ho stated that Wellington, in respect to high education, was worse situated than any contra in the colony, and that the Government had come to tho conclusion that tho solution of the dilhculty was tho establishment of a high school for tho city of Wellington and district. Tho growing requirements of Newtown, Miramar, Island Bay, and Wellington »North, South, and Bast, together with tho suburbs generally, claimed, Mr Fisher demanded, immediate attention. The Mound" Cook site was eminently adapted for the establishment of a high school.

Air W. Allan,-chairman of the Technical School Board, said it was desirable that if they erected a high school, a technical school should bo put alongside of it. The Technical School Board had temporarily met Hie difficulty of providing for those pupils, who ivero entitled to free places, and who oould pot get into tho Boys’ or Girls’ Colleges. Tho Technical Board had now nearly three hundred secondary pupils attending its classes, and this number would bo very largely increased by tho end of the year. Air Westbrooks, representing the Trades and Labour Council, said the Council was entirely in sympathy with fcho development of technical education, as it felt that in' the immediate future technical education would to a largo extent take tho place of the present system of apprenticeship, and a boy would bo graded on his merits according to his technical knowledge. Air J. Stevens, AI.H.R., ns a representative of the country districts, blamed the people of tho city of Wellington for the condition of affairs which prevailed at present, by originally allowing the erection of a great gaol ■building in tho most prominent part of tho city. With respect to the technical school, he had always held the opinion that every lad should have an opportunity of learning, as part of the technical system, agricultural pursuits, and as Wellington was the centre of the middle university district, a technical school should ho established in some place whore at least two hundred acres of land could bo obtained, ,in order that pupils might be able to learn that branch of education which would in future bo most highly necessary to prevent tho congregation of tho people in the cities, and thus having more consumers than there were producers. . THE lyjßAlirai IN REPLY. SO- Joseph Ward said he could only nay, on behalf of tho Government, that tho important matter which had boon placed before him and the Alinister of Education would receive the closest consideration, because the Government recognised fully that the work of higher and technical education in fcho oity of Wellington required to bo favourably considered in some form. In a report on secondary education in Wellington furnished to the late Air Seddon, on this matter in April last by the Inepector‘Generol, Air Hogben note: —“A large number of pupils (pro.bably 400 or 500) have qualified during last year and the present year for free places, some of them being tenable at a technical school, and the rest cither at a district high school or at a secondary school which give free places * cording to the regulations. These pupils have available for thorn at tho present time the following means of obtaining some degree of secondary education free—tho Newtown District

High School, tho Terrace? D’strict High School, the srvoiidaiy cla/«-.eC attach, d to tho Training College, ThonrJon (limited to 40/, or tin* day c!<i.v-os at the Technical School. All except the Training College must be considered, in my opinion, a.s temporary expedients in a place like Wellington: (a) the district high schools because? the primary departments of those schools are finite u'trgc enough to occupy the whole attention of their headmaster without tho addition of large secondary de-

irtmcnis; moreover, tho ce«t of education in a district high school is not h.Ks than it d in a secondary school; Co) as regard/* tho day classcw at the Toohmcal School because that school is not suited for the accommodation oi 290 boys and girls who are doing what is practically secondary school work. It ha/* no playground and hardly any of the conveniences of a secondary school. Still, the parents who arc now making complaint would probably find that their children would suffer no disadvantage for the first two years o! their cmiroo if they vent them to one or other of tho district high schools. It is obvious, however, that substantial increase must be made in the facilities for secondary education in Welington. If tho Wellington College governors decline to give free places, this could be done most satisfactorily | by the establishment of a separate high school under Section 88 of tin* act. The parents of pupilw and the Education Board have mado applica- , tion in accordance with that section. Tho Government would probably have to provide, say, a sum of £4OOO for a building in brick to accommodate say. 300 pupils. Possibly it might have to provide a site also, unless the City Council or the Education Beard could provide one, which is doubtful. If tho Wellington College Board of Governors were willing to come under section 87 and give free places it is possible that the .additional accommodation require:] could easily he provided for the same sum of £4OOO, and the governors, I have no doubt, could fincf the necessary site. On the whole, I think the second of these ways would be by far the most satisfactory solution cf the whole difficulty, as X do not see any advantage in having two governing bodies and two sets of secondary schools m Wellington. There would inevitably ho a large amount of overlapping and oonseq uently i ncrcoscd expenditure without corresponding gam.*’ , fcho light of these facts, continued the Premier, authority was previously given for tho establishment of a high school in Wellington, and so tho whole position resolved itself into a question of site. He was informed by tho Secretary for Education that Wellington and Wanganui were the only two places in the colony without provision for secondary education under the act. So far as the Government was concerned, it was quite favourably disposed towards the establishment of a high school, and also towards increased facilities being given in respect to technical education in thi« city. _ But what was proposed to he done in respect to the present site and buildings used for technical education? They knew that the City Council had granted at a peppercorn rental a site valued at £12,000 for technical education. They did not know whether that site would revert to the City Council if another scheme was adopted, nor whnt would become of the present buildings, towards which Government grants had been given.

Mr Aitken: That could be easily arranged. Sir Joseph Ward said he would like to have full details placed before him. Tho Government was very favourably disposed towards giving assistance to a technical university as proposed, but it was necessary that some practical suggestions should be laid before them. Regarding the Mount Cook site, they had, of course, to think of the futureIn tho matter of defence, tho city of Wellington could not be ignored. Personally, ho suggested that tho Ministerial residence sice in Tinakori road, comprising five acres (at present occupied by himself) would be admirably suitable for a high school and technical school, and he would be only too glad, for his part, to get the authority of Parliament to set it aside for this purpose. However, ho only put that out as a suggestion, it was a matter for consideration. Ho would place the whole of the representations made to him on this question, before his colleagues. MINISTER OP EDUCATION.

Tho Hon. G. Fowlds said, so far as he and the Education Department were concerned, they were quite in sympathy with the movement that a secondary school should bo provided, and his only hope was that they would not indefinitely bang up the selection of the site by striving after something that was nob attainable. He only wanted to add that if a suitable site was acquired the ■building would be erected as soon as possible.