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PROPOSED STATE HIGH
SCHOOL
RECOMMENDED BY PUBLIC
WORKS COMMITTEE.
ELECTRICAL HEATING RECOM
MENDED.
The report at the Parliamentary
Standing Committee on public works on
the proposed State High School in
West Hobart was submitted to Parlia-
ment yesterday. The report is as fol-
lows:-
The proposal to construct a State
High School having been referred by
His Excellency the Governor for inves-
tigation and report, the committee has
the honour to report as follows to the
House of Assembly, as provided by sub-
section (1) of section 16 of 'The Public
Works Committee Act, 1914.' - The com-
mittee, having heard the evidence of
the Director of Education, the princi-
pal of the State High School, and the
headmaster of the Elizabeth-street
Practising School, and having visited
and inspected the schools named, con-
siders that there is a necessity for in-
creased accommodation for scholars
generally, apart altogether from the
rapidly growing requirements of the
State "High School. Evidence in support
of this shows that over 200 children
of school age have been necessarily re-
fused admission to the Elizabeth-street
school owing to insufficient accommo-
dation, the school having an average
attendance of over 1,000 children out
of a total of 1,250 on the roll. Some-
what similar conditions apply to most
of the other State-schools in Hobart
and the suburbs.
"This lack of school space has been
intensified by the success which has at-
tended the establishment of the State
High School in Hobart, which, so far,
has been conducted in the old Trinity
Hill State-school building. The commit
tee is pleased to note that the certainty
of further increased accommodation be-
ing required in the future has been re-
cognised in the preparation of the
plans for the new building. These plans
provide for extensions and for a greater
number of classrooms when needed.
The site selected for the new school
is, on the whole, fairly well situated,
being adjacent to the Queen's Domain
on its Park-street frontage, and to the
North Hobart recreation ground. A
municipal tramway is to the front of
the school in Letitia-street, within a
mile of the Hobart railway station, and
will connect with the main tramway
system, while the New Town line is less
than a quarter of a mile distant, via
Federal-street. The area of the block
is about two acres, and this, if space
is conservad in the location of the
buildings, should be ample for both
school and yard or playground accom-
modation, and, to some extent, for
future extensions.
"The plans prepared by the Govern-
ment architect, and submitted to the
committee, were drawn in accordance
with the ideas of the Director of Edu-
cation, and are stated to comply with
the most modern standard of hygienic
requirements as regards space, ventila-
tion, lighting, etc. As designed, the
provision for heating the classrooms
and the building generally is by the
use of wood fuel in open fireplaces, but
the committee, after hearing the evi-
dence of Mr. J. H. Butters, the chief
engineer and manager of the Hydro
Electric Department, recommends that
the possibility of utilising electrical
energy, supplied from the State works,
should be immediately and fully con-
sidered, as there appears to be little
doubt that electrical heating would be
both economical and healthy.
"The necessity for this school, or, at
the least, for further school accommo-
dation, is really self-evident, and the
committee is therefore pleased to re-
commend the appropriation of a sum
sufficient with that already voted to
provide for its construction, which
should be proceeded with at the earliest
practicable date. The building, as de-
signed, will provide accommodation for
from 400 to 500 pupils, and will, inci-
dentally, by the release of the old
Trinity Hill School, relieve the conges
tion of other city schools, and provide
for the large number of children un-
able at present to secure admission."
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