WELLINGTON COLLEGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 1 September 1909, Page 33

WELLINGTON COLLEGE.

GIRLS' FREE PLACES. WELLINGTON, August 27. An important matter which has for some time awaited &ettlement was decided at to-da*y's meeting of the "Wellington Board of College Governors. The board having declined to admit " free place " pupils tc the Girls' College, a deputation attended to make representations. It was decided to discuss the question before receiving the deputation. The Chairman, Mr A. de B. Brandon, moved — "That in order to meet the wishes of the Minister of Education in the matter of enabling female holders of proficiency certificates to obtain instruction at a secondary school (1) girls be admitted to the Wellington College on the same footing as boys; (2) that the Hon. the Minister of Education be informed that both male and female holders of proficiency certificates will be received at Wellington College to the extent permitted by existing arrangements ; (3) that on the ent-ry of female pupils at the Wellington College a female teacher be appointed to the staff of the Wellington College, and that, in addition to her instructional duties, such female teacher be entrusted, with the supervision and disciplining of female pupils, but subject in all respects to the directions of the principal of the Wellington College." The mover said he wished in the 1 first place to say .that he did violence to his personal opinions in the matter. He did not at al) approve the education oi boys and girls in the same classes. He had put his proposal before the governors and it would be for them to determine whether they should continue to carry on the Girls' College as a separate institution. That involved a question of land. The endowments of the institution had been, as it were, put into a common fund, and it was still a question whether that was the proper course to have adopted. If co-education wae established at the Wellington College, It would be for the governors to consider whether they were willing to dispense with the present separate institution. In the same manner it was possible that the Government might be inclined to take the girls' school as an adjunct to the Training School, which it was understood was very cramped for room. One institution could be managed much more economically than two. He moved his resolution as a matter of duty, being compelled by circumstances to find ■ some medial way, and that seemed to him to be the only one they could adopt. Mr Warburton seconded the motion, so as to admit of discussion, but he did not think the parents of a female child v would care to send her among a lot of boys.' The Hon. f Dr Findlay moved as an amendment — "That the board agree to receive- female holders of proficiency certificates at the Wellington Girls' High School to the extent of any existing vacant accommodation,- and of any further, accommodation provided by the Government under section 10 of ' The Education Amendment Act. 1908.' He cfesired, he said, to refer to the present situation. He did not want to labour the legal side of it at all, but he thought that some understanding of the legal side was essential to any proper understanding of the problem that they had to discuss. He thought it was probably correct that the two institutions were separate institutions as regarded the system of firee places. The governors had decided to place the Boys' College under the free place system and had taken free place scholars. They had refused, as he understood, to take female free place pupils at the Girls' High School. That refusal, it seemed to him, involved an obligation that the board was not discharging. He learned from the secretary (Mr Powles) that £1000 a year was devoted out of endowments to the education of girls at the High School. He understood that they were giving six scholarships in the form of free places, but if the governors were to discharge their duty under the act, in his view of the law, they should be contributing one-fifth of the average of the net amount contributed from endowments during the last three years, which would be roughly £200 a year. It seemed, therefore, to him that on the first place the board was not discharging its legal obligations. But the legal side of the matter was, he thought, of very minor importance compared with the side touched upon by the chairman when he said that in moving the motion he did violence to his own feelings. He was very glad to hear it, because it seemea to him (Dr Findlay) that the proposal to take a number of girls and put them under one teacher at the present Boys' High School was a proposal that would violate the feelings of most people — certainly of most parents. The girls' school wa6, he thought, large enough for methodical management, but to place then all under one teacher Mould present, difficulties of management which would bs almost insuperable. Moreover, to separate a number of girls in the proposed fashion, who were free place pupils, would be an invidious distinction, antagonistic to the very spirit which underlay the free place legislation as he underdstood it. The spirit of the legislation was that it, should be another step towards the removal of that species of class distinction which every democracy attempted to get rid of, and he could not help thinking that the opposition shown to the legislation was due to an endeavour to preserve and perpetuate class distinction, which they, as a Board of Governors, should get rid of if the> were to administer the lawe as they should administer them. What was the position ? They had the Girls' High School, which at present had 25 vacant places that could be filled by free female pupils. His amendment was to the effect that tht Government should fill those by free place holders, and that

if more accommodation was required it would be promptly provided by the Government. Before coming to the meeting he consulted witb the Minister of Education, and speaking without any qualification at all, he (Dr Findlay) was in a position to inform the board that if it would adopt the amendment, the Government would provide all the further accommodation which might be necessary to furnish room for the female free place students. It was the plain duty of the Government to do so. This matter of the Government giving higher education to the most promising children of the poorer people was one of the cardinal aims of the Government, and it would, he thought, be failing in its duty if it did not provide free place accommodation for girls as it had done for boys. Mr R. Lee seconded the amendment. In the course of further discussion, the Chairman said he was sorry that the Hon. Dr Findlay had made mention of matter which, after all. was a mere matterof prejudice — the question of class distinction. There were classes and classes of all kinds. There were certain members of the community who had their own. traditions, and no amount of democracy would wipe out those . traditions. In his opinion the stability of any nation depended not upon the mere extent of its education, but absolutely upon its traditions, and the traditions of the family. Do away with these traditions, and they had a mere struggle for existence— no nation and no family The Son. Dr Findlay having replied, the amendment was put to the meeting and carried. In answer 1 to a question, the Hon. Dr Findlay said : " I can only express the earnest wish of the Minister to provide adequate accommodation at the earliest moment. I have no doubt that, the governors having passed this resolution, the Government will be as handsome oyer the matter as it was over the Boys' High School. The deputation was later informed that its wishes Sad been acceded to. It is understood that pubsequently, when the board was in committee. Mr Brandon resigned the chairmanship of the board. Consideration of this matter was deferred till next meeting.