NELSON COLLEGE

New Zealand Times, Volume L, Issue 11648, 12 October 1923, Page 5

NELSON COLLEGE

DEPUTATION TO MINISTER GIRLS' PLAYING GROUNDS AND BOYS’ CLASSROOMS. JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS. A deputation from tlis Nelson College Board of Governors—Dr. S. A. Gibbs (president), and Messrs C. R. Fell (member). and C. H. Broad (principal)^—waited upon the Minister for Education (the Hon. C. J. Parr) yesterday morning to place before him the needs of the college. Dr. Gibbs first asked the Minister for an indication as to how the now junior high schools were going to affect the high schools already in existence in centres like Nelson, with a population of from 5000 to 12,000. The Minister replied that at present we had only one .junior high school in Now Zealand, that at Auckland, so that the idea was only in the experimental stage as far as the Dominion was concerned, though junior high schools were now a recognised part of the educational systems of America, most of the provinces of Canada, and Great Britain, especially Scotland. Tn the opinion of educationists in Auckland, the junior high school had proved an unquilified success. It was a separate institution with 6CO pupils, and next year, so great was its popularity, they had got to provide accommodation for 300 more. In the smaller centres, however, he thought it would bo necessary to tack the junior high schools on to the existing high schools. Mr J. Caughlev (Director of Education) : That would be necessary; otherwise you would have a very truncated high school or technical school, as the case might be. Mr Fell: The question of technical schools is also one that we want to discuss. AMALGAMATION POLICY. The Minister: In the smaller centres the high school, the junior high school, and the technical school will all have to go together. The aim of the department must he ultimately to. amalgamate them under one control in the smaller towns. Mr Caughley: That has been accomplished in Masterton. Certain members of the joint board are elected in the same way as members of the high school boards are elected, and two or three others are chosen by the employers and the employees, respectively, as in the case of the technical schools.

The Minister: They want that done, too, at Hamilton, Napier, Timaru, and other places. Dr. Gibbs said the board could not understand why a second high school need be established. They thought it was only a question of altering the syllabus to meet the case of the younger students.

The Minister: No; it is not only that. You want quite different courses. But, in combination with the technical school, you could do that. Mr Fell stated that the Nelson Education Board said that it was trying to work to a suggestion, or instruction, from the department to establish a junior high school there in connection with the technical school, or present central school.

The Minister and Mr Caughley both assured the deputation that the board had no instructions to that effect'. Mr Broad: It is not your intention, then, to make the present college a truncated school, traefc as was referred to by Mr Caughley ? The Minister: No; I value the present secondary institutions too highly to hurt them.

THE PLAYGROUNDS QUESTION. Dr. Gibbs: "We take it, then, that the present facilities for physical exercise for the pupils will not be decreased, but increased, if anything. YVe therefore ask you to consider the purchase of 2( acres of comparatively flat land, within three minutes of the college, all of which is cut up with a view to selling, but we have got them to hold it over for a week or two, pending this interview with you. ' The land, he added, gave room for six tennis courts and a ground for hockey, whereas the college now had only two courts for over 200 girls. The total price was £2340—£1500 for an acre and threequarters, and £B4O for the balance.

The Minister: How do you propose to finance this? Dt. Gibbs said that the question was rather a shock to him. They suggested a gTant from the department.

Air Caughley : The local people generally find half the money in these cases.

SWIMMING BATH WANTED. Dr. Gibbs added that they also wanted a swimming bath; and in regard to that they suggested a pound for pound subsidy up to £4OO. The local people would raise their share. There was no swimming bath at Nelson. They also wanted repairs to the giour.ds of the Boys’ College, and the levelling of the ground at the back The Minister had offered a £IOOO subsidy for that purpose: but the lowest estimate for the crude levelling only was £SOOO to £6OOO. That was altogether beyond them, so they asked, instead, for a grant of £SOO for grading, redraining, and top-dressirig the present playing field. It was all over pools of water in wet weather, and they had to hold their drills in the public street. The ground was smelling, too, for lack of proper drainage. Mr Fell pointed out that, for the oast fifteen years or more the boat'd bad not had a grant either for the boys’ or the girls’ grounds. Dr. Gibbs said that two new class rooms were also needed. They had at present to use some of the lavatories as ordinary class rooms, and also tho library ir. the hostel, which was very awkward. QUESTION OF SCHOLARSHIPS. Then, there was the question of ihe scholarships. Nelson had made provision for a generous number of scholarships; but all tho bright boys took national junior or senior scholarships, and, as by regulation they could rot have other scholarships besides, the local scholarships had to go to tho dull boys, the dregs of the classes. Why, ho asked, should not the bright t-oys he allowed to take both; or was the board entitled to make the local scholarships into money prizes. They felt very strongly on trie point. The Minister: I don’t see why wo should not meet them on that, Air Caughley. I think we shall have to alter that.

Dr. Gibhs very earnestly recommended tho securing of the playing area for tho Girls’ College, because they would never liavo the chance of getting a playground there again. MINISTER’S REPLY.

Tho Minister replied that ho would go very carefully into the matter, though such an item as £2340 for land for one school hit him very hard. Thirty-nine of these institutions throughout the Dominion had awakened to the need for bigger plnjfirig areas, and were making similar requests. it was a large amount for

f round for one school in one year. he primary schools had swamped him with applications this year. Could the deputation suggest anything? He was over the mark already, and would have to go canny till March 31st. Dr. Gibbs said that if the Alinister could manage £ISOO for the acre and three-quarters, they would be content; and £SOO, or perhaps £250, would be all he would liavorto find this year. The Minister said that the difficulty was that the who-lo £ISOO, even then, would have to go down against this year’s vote. He would be able, he added, to help them a little with tho su framing bath; but ho could not find £SOO for repairing the boys’ ground and £ISOO for* the girls’ ground m one year. He might run over to Nelson shortly and have a look at the grounds mentioned. Ho thought he would have to givo some heed to their request with- regard to the class rooms — portable classrooms might meet the case. As to the scholarships ho was inclined to agree with Dr. Gibbs, and they would amend tho regulations, as a matter of fact, so that State scholarships would not bo a bar to the beard giving a hoy additional encouragement in the way of a scholarship or prize.