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this area should become the ultimate home of all faculties of the college. Sketch-plans for new permanent buildings for the School of Engineering on this site were prepared in 1946, but early in 1947 it became apparent that buildings could not be erected until 1953 at the earliest. This gave rise to the interim proposal of removing the school to the R.N.Z.A.F. Station, Ardmore, which has now been put into effect. The school has now ample area for immediate needs, and accommodation which, though of a temporary nature and far from ideal, is immeasurably better than that which it has hitherto occupied. 166. The portion of the Tamaki site reserved for the School of Engineering is understood to be about 12 acres in extent. The Committee thinks that future developments may well prove this area to be inadequate, and that the most careful consideration should be given to the alternative possibility of developing the school at Ardmore. This alternative has many attractions, but should not be followed unless permanent tenure can be assured. 167. One thing is certain: in order that planning may be properly carried out, and permanent buildings erected as soon as possible, a decision as to the future site should be made immediately. (b) Canterbury 168. The National School of Engineering at Christehurch occupies buildings on the main college site. Eew, if any of these buildings measure up to modern requirements, and most of them are crowded, poorly lighted, and inconvenient. Temporary buildings, alterations, and additions have given some relief and have enabled the school to cope with heavily swollen numbers. The Committee was informed that the present policy of the College Council is to erect eventually a new engineering school on a portion of the city block lying to the north of the present site. It was also informed that the proposed building does not at present stand high in priority in the building requirements of the College Council. 169. A decision as to the future location of the Canterbury school should not be delayed. The Committee has some sympathy with the views expressed by those Canterbury witnesses who stressed the advantages of alternative sites within four miles from the city. Such a site should allow for flexible planning on modern lines and would allow ample room for future developments. Against this must be placed the disadvantage of separating the school from the other faculties of the college. It is easy to exaggerate such disadvantages, particularly when the new site would be within easy cycling distance of the main buildings. The problem of providing adequate laboratory space has been solved in many cases in Great Britain by the building of new engineering schools at a considerable distance from the main University buildings. Birmingham is an example. 170. The north block site may be justified if the Canterbury school is thought of as having a relatively stable enrolment considerably lower than that of 1948, and as a school covering a limited range of courses. The present accommodation, however, should not be made a criterion of future, and largely unpredictable needs. The laboratory space in the existing building was considered sufficient twenty-five years ago, when it was thought that 200 students would be the maximum capacity; even for that number present-day standards require much more equipment, largely because of the rapid advances in all branches of engineering science. In present conditions, with large numbers of students requiring laboratory instruction in rooms where the equipment is too closely spaced, classes have to be repeated as many as six times, and even then with too many students in each class. 171. To meet modern requirements it is necessary to provide for the increasing needs of honours students and for reasonable research by members of the staff. Something like 250 square feet of space for each student is not an extravagant allowance. If, as is suggested in Table H, the school is to accommodate upwards of 230 students,

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