THE HIGH SCHOOLS.

Taranaki Daily News, 11 July 1923, Page 4

THE HIGH SCHOOLS.

MORE ACCOMMODATION SOUGHT. REQUESTS TO GOVERNMENT. FINANCE DIFFICULTY. (By Wire—Parliamentary Reporter.) Wellington, Last Night. The cliairman and secretary of the Board of Governors of the New Plymouth High Schools and the principal of the boys’ school waited on the Minister for Educatipn this afternoon to as>k him for financial help in connection with urgently-needed developments at the school. The deputation was introduced by Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P. Mr. L. A. Nolan (chairman of the board) placed before the Minister voluminous facts and statistics in regard to the progress of the school, and also with regard to the proposal for the amalgamation with the Technical College. The needs of the deputation were £ new boardinghouse to accommodate 53 girls at an estimated cost of £12.500, a new boardinghouse to accommodate 20 box’s at a cost of £4750, a grant of £350 for gully improvement and drainage at the Boys’ High School and a subsidy of £ for £ on an amount of £360 collected by the Old Boys’ Asosciation for a shelter-shed. Subject to the accommodation required being provided for vocational training the deputation stated that the board was favorably disposed to the amalgamation. The Minister, in reply, said that requests he had received in connection with secondary education had already amounted to a sum in excels of what was likely to be available for the whole of the education systems, primary, technical, high school and university. While he did not regret to see this passion for secondary education, as he termed it, he explained that he must deal only with urgent ca-ses immediately, and he did not hold out much hope for the grant of £1’2,500. In fact, said the Minister, he thought he had done so well bv New Plymouth that he did not expect to hear from them for a long time. However, he promised that as soon as the session came to an end ho would take an opportunity of visiting New Plymouth and going into the whole question. He strongly urged the deputation to go ahead with the amalgamation, which he hoped would become a policy throughout the Dominion. Asked by the Minister for his views on the question of amalgamation, Professor Marsden, Assistant-Director of education, had said that he saw no difficulty in the way, except that it would ho in connection with the finances, which came through different channels. Mr. Parr added that this should nbt be a stumbling-block to the amalgamation.