Page image

E—2

Feilding.—During the year the Memorial Library given by Mr. James Knight, a founder member of the Board and its Chairman for the last twelve years, was completed. This munificent gift is in memory of old boys of the school who have fallen in the war, and a more fitting monument for this purpose could hardly be imagined. The library is a beautiful building designed in every way to be as perfect as it was possible to make it. Ultimately it will house from 6,000 to 7,000 books, besides magazines and pamphlets, with ample space for study and research, and with all the necessary ancillary services for cataloguing and repair of books. The thanks of this and of future generations of boys attending the school are surely due to the generous donor. Petone. —At Petone additional workshops for the Hutt Valley Memorial Technical College were commenced. These were first planned in 1940, but shortages of labour and material made it necessary to defer building until 1945. The new shops comprise a senior engineering shop, with a bay where foundry practice may be taught; a weldingshop ; a plumbing shop ; a motor-engineering and heat-engine shop; a woodwork shop; and ten class-rooms. These are all to be erected in reinforced concrete. Masterton. —Wairarapa College. During the year a girls' hostel was established on a splendid property in Essex Street, utilizing a noble residence in a beautiful setting, augmented by a range of modern dormitories and other facilities. The accommodation provided was immediately taken up and was in fact unable to meet the demand. Timaru. —It has been realized for many years that the accommodation provided at the Timaru Technical School is unsuitable and inadequate for the needs of the district, especially so as the school has shown remarkable growth in the last few years, and it was therefore agreed that the Board's Architect should draw up sketch-plans for necessary additions and alterations so that building can proceed as soon as conditions permit. Ashburton. —During the year two class-rooms were added to the school to replace very old and unsatisfactory rooms which had been in use for many years. Dunedin. —A permit to proceed with the erection of the new home-science block after it had reached the foundations stage was refused by the City Council on the grounds that it was planned to be a wood-framed building in a brick area, and after considerable negotiation this decision was upheld. As a consequence it was necessary to redesign the building in reinforced concrete and call for new tenders, resulting in further delay in the provision of these necessary facilities for this school. This school is extremely short of both class-room and playground accommodation, and in •consequence it has been found necessary to limit the enrolments of new entrants,, with the result that some intending pupils have been unable to gain admission. During the year temporary class-rooms were erected at many schools which served to tide over immediate necessities, but acute shortages of corresponding laboratory and workshop accommodation remained in many schools. Technological Examinations As in the four previous years, schools continued to accredit candidates for the preliminary and intermediate stages of all subjects. Final examinations were held by the Department in the subjects of — Cabinetmaking (1 candidate; 0 passes). Carpentry and Joinery (15 candidates; 5 passes). Mechanical Engineering (3 candidates ; 1 pass). Motor Mechanics, minor (4 candidates ; 4 passes). Motor Mechanics, major (1 candidate; 0 passes).

11