TECHNICAL COLLEGE

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11249, 29 June 1922, Page 4

TECHNICAL COLLEGE

THE GOVERNMENT CRANT CHAIRMAN OF BOARD COUNCIL REPLIES. “BUSINESSLIKE METHODS.’” “I have no intention of entering on newspaper correspondence with tlie Minister for Education on the subject of grants for the new technical college,” said Mr W. H. Bennett, chairman of the Technical College Board of Governors, to a ‘'Times’’ reporter, “far it gets nowhere. But facts are facts, and a few will not hurt anyone and may help some. One can scarcely throw his memory back to tlie time when the necessity for a new" technical college in Wellington was first brought before the authorities. Tlie whole subject was then shelved year by year owing to the difficulty of finding a site. Eventually, through the kind offices of the Honourable T. M. Wilford, who held the portfolio of Minister for Justice for a short period in the National Government, the present site under his department was secured, also a personal promise that over a million bricks made by prison labour would be available, and that the site would also be excavated by prison labour. It is only fair to say that these two promisee were never verified by the Government, and as a result the. bricks were carted to another Government contract in the city and the board had to cart others hack to the site for the new oollege. Ido not think even the Minister for Education would call this good business. Then the Government, in its wisdom, decided on a policy of paying the prison labour or its dependents for the work done, and: so we have paid back to the Prisons Department the sum of £1542 for excavating work, and the job is not yet done. WORK BY DAY LABOUR. “Now we come to the point where the question of building the new college arose, and - our late director, Mr La Trobe, got out sketch plans of the general requirements which were submitted to the department and adopted as a basis for the new work. Messrs Swan and -Gray Young were appointed architects, and it being then the war period and almost impossible to let a contract owing to the uncertainty of both labour and material, it was decided that the work should be carried out by the day labour system, contracts being let as far a® possible for tal parts. At this stage, Mr X» Trobe accepted a position on the staff of the Education Department, and Mr Howell was appointed in his place. Permanent plans and specifications were drawn np and approved by the -Government, the estimated cost for the first half being £45,000, and for the completed work over £IOO.OOO, these estimates being based on the prices then operating and the -provision of the bncks and prison labour aforesaid.

FIRST HALF AUTHORISED. “We were authorised to proceed with the first half of the work, £15,000 having been previously voted for a start. The hoard had no reason to think or expect that when the £15,000 was expended in foundations and walls partly up that the Government was going to call a halt, and so, as good business men (not bad, as the Minister for Education would make out) looked forward to a time when certain material and works appertaining to the finished half of tho college would be required, and ordered by indent from the Old Land the necessary material. They also let contracts for- tlie whole drainage, as certainly of it could not be done and left, and prooeeded with the work, with a result- that when they had spent between £13,000 and £14,000 and made commitments as above for another £6OOO or £7OOO we were told that there -was no money, and we had been most unbusinesslike in going beyond the vote. '

IF THINGS HAD BEEN NORMAL. “Now, supposing that things had been, normal and the authorities had been- able to vote the further sums to complete the first half of the college as authorised, and the board had neglected to look forward to the time when this material and drainage work was required for the due performance of the work, and it had to be stopped for this reason, what would have been said about its business methods then? As a master builder, it is no good for the Minister for Education talking to me about the unbusinesslike methods under such conditions.

AN URGENT WORK. “The hoard has it right to expect that the work would never be allowed to stop after waiting so many years during which the students of this city attending our technical classes we-re doing 60 under conditions that were a crying scandal to the Government of the day—conditions that, if they had been known, would have caused tlie parents themselves to rise in anger against the authorities. Tlie board have struggled along and have removed the worst conditions by taking the pupils to tlie new building, unfinished aa it is. The building is now in such a position and state of construction, that, unless it is proceeded with, it will rapidly deteriorate.

“REMOVE THE SCANDAL.” “Whilst I do not personally care what Auckland or - any other centre succeeds ill getting by way of public expenditure, I do say that no work in the Dominion can be more urgent than this part of our technical college that should be proceeded with, nay, the whole work finished. Surely it is better to finish something, rather than have large works partly done all orer the Dominion and nothing completed. Quite ouside my position as chairman of this board, as a citizen I call upon the Government to meet its responsibility and remove this scandal from oui midst,”