Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

At the present rmment we have 206 beds in the large School , and according to calculation ( one ) we ou ^ ht to have 172 beds ; calculation ( two ) 143 beds ; calculation ( three ) 119 beds . In the Junior School we have 39 beds . According to calculation ( one ) we ought to have 31 beds ; calculation ( two ) 25 beds ; and calculation ( three ) 2 J beds . REPORT ot < THE SUB-COMMITTEE

appointed to consider and draw up a scheme for uniting the three buildings , consisting of Lycombe House and the two houses recently purchased , into an enlarged Junior School with one general frontage ; also , with any general improvements in the main Building ; and the construction of a Drill Hall and Gymnasium . The Committee haveheld several meetings , and begto report as follows : —

The first subject to which they gave their attention was the two houses , lately purchased , adjoining the Junior School . Many suggestions were made and , after giving full consideration to each , the Commiitee recommend that the Junior School and the two new houses be made into one large Junior School—the communications , & c , being adapted as laid downs on the p lans marked A , prepared by Bros . Clutton and Hunt . By this scheme ,

a large extra School-room , Dining-room , Play-room with lockers , extra Dormitories to accommodate about 35 more children , greatly-improved kitchen arrangements , enlarged Lavatories , Baths , Bed-rooms for extra staff , & c , are obtained , and at an approximate cost of under ^ 2000 , which includes drainage , water supply , ventilation , & c , and they further recommend that this work be carried out at once .

The Committee then went into the consideration of a Drill Hal and

Gymnasium , which has , for years past , been a want in the School , the present Hall not giving room , during the Calisthenic exercise , for more than about 160 children . It is also desirable that not only the whole of the Senior but the Junior School should , on occasions , meet together . They have also had under their notice the very cramped state of the Domestic Offices which were originally planned to supply 80 children only , whereas , in consequence of the increase of the School , it now very inadequately

supplies the wants of 205 in the main building only . Bearing in mind these facts , the Committee think that in building the new Drill Hall and Gymnasium , these two matters should meet with the anxious consideration of the General Committee . They find that it is impossible to carry out an enlargement of the Domestic Offices without very considerable alterations , and they have had , therefore , under their examination two Schemes , which they beg to submit .

The first Scheme ( plan marked B ) is for the removal of the whole of the Domestic Offices to a convenient building in the new ground latel y purchased by the Institution and bounded by the public road . Tne new building will contain : 1 . New Kitchen Offices with Matron ' s room , Cooking Class-room , House Dining-room , and Servants' Bed rooms .

2 . Converting the present large School-room in the Alexandra Wing into a Dining Hall ; this is urgently required , as at present the children are crowded into two rooms during meals . 3 . Converting the present Dining Hall and Cooking Class-room into one large Schoolroom , by removing the intermediate wall , and thus enlarging the Dormitory over ,

and gaining space for eight more beds . 4 . Building a new large Srhool-room about 76 feet by 22 feet adjoining the last with—5 . Large Dormitories over , capable of affording sleeping accommodation ( with 45 feet superficial area to each ) for 76 child * en , with the necessary Lavatories , & c „ & c . 6 . Constructing new wide hard wood staircases , in place of a small circular staircase , and a stone staircase with manv winders .

7 . Budding a large Hall , for drill assemblies of the whole school , and recreation . 8 . Covering the present Asphalte Court with wide and airy passages , Day Lavatories , Latrines , and Boot-room . The Main Entrance to the Building would lead through a Cloister direct

into the new Drill Hall and Gymnasium , which would then be available lor the Stewards' Day and Distribution of Prizes , in lieu-of the present most inadequate accommodation . This scheme would cost about £ 20 , 000 , without lighting and warming , but will provide accommodation for about 40 additional children , besides giving increased space to the others .

The Committee have also had before them an alternative scheme marked C , which , shortly stated , is to alter the present Kitchens , nearly doubling them in size , and building over them extra Dormitories , containing about 17 beds , Work-rooms , extra Servants' rooms , which are much needed , also a Cooking Class and Work-room combined , and building the new Drill Hall and Gymnasium on the ground lately purchased by the Institution .

This scheme would cost about £ 5000 , without the large Hall , and about £ 1 2 , 000 , including it ; but in this scheme the Drill Hall must be somewhat inconvenientl y placed , the approaches and detached design rendering it more expensive in buiiding ; and , after providing additional space for those children already in the building , there will be room for ten more beds only . In any alterations made , the Committee suggest that better means ol

egress should be provided in case of fire . They take this opportunity of drawing attention to the fact that the windows as at present arranged are set in fixed iron frames , no part of which can be opened sufficiently wide to admit of the escape of a child much less an adult , and they recommend that the whole of the windows in the Institution be inspected with a view to meet this difficulty .

It appears to the Sub-Committee that in the interests of health and cleanliness , and safety from fire , that electric lighting should be used instead of gas . This is , however , a matter for consideration on some future

occasion . They also think there should be some system of warming the corridors , which , during the winter months , are far too cold . The Commiitee have given both these schemes very careful study , and although not wedded to either , would strongly recommend the adoption of the former , for , although the cost is more , it is a perfect scheme in itself ; it will

place the whole building in greater uniformity , and give the means of '" creasing the number of children at a future period , without overstraining the Domestic arrangements , whereas the latter scheme , though sufficient for Present wants , would , in case of increase of the number of children , involve very large additional expense .

The Committee have also to report that they have latel y had submitted 0 them a very full report from their Medical Officer as to the stale ol the chool , and they regret to find that , according to the Government calcula-S ° h ' " establishment is overcrowded . This embraces also the Junior chool . They are happy to state that this danger can be overcome by the ^ aoption of the plans A and B or A and C , whereby they will be enabled ot onl y to take in an increased number of children , but to give increased Pace to those alread y in the Institution . The calculations in this report are D ased on this hypothesis .

inv . Committee cannot conclude this Report without referring to the who h assistance lhe y have received from Bros . Cluiton and Hunt , dUo 1 unresefvedl y placed their valuable professional services at their V ?* ? ' - _ , FRANK RICHARDSON , 'Sth September . 1 S 87 . Chairman .

Royal Masonic Institution For Girls.

Bro . FRANK RICHARDSON ( Chairman ) , in moving that this report be approved and referred to tne Quarterly General Court with a recommendation that tne suggestions contained therein lor celebrating the Centenary of the Institution be adopted , saij he thought it would be necessarv to make some few remarks about the contents ol the report , wnich he considered

very full and complete . Those who knew the Institution well as the House Committee did were aware of the enormous disadvantages under which the Managers of the Institution would be working for several years past . One difficulty thev had now to contend with in connection wiih

the domestic affairs . I hese were planned years ago , when there were only 80 children in the establishment , Some years afterwards part of these were taken away , and the accommodation was thereby decreased , and now they had to do the work for 206 children with these diminished offices and an

increased staff of servants . For a long time past it had been felt almost impossible to do it , and the children might be said to suffer from the want of proper space to cook the meals in , therefore that was one of the principal considerations the Committee had in their minds . They found also that the School accommodation itself was insufficient and most inconvenient , for at

the present time if they warned to pass into the Alexandra wing from other parts of the building there was no possibility of getting there without disturbing the classes in the large class room . It must be obvious to anyone that a disturbance of the classes for the sake of passing from one room to anoiher must be an enormous disadvantage . Last Tuesday night while he was in the middle of one of his science lectures all the children

who were not engaged in those classes who were in the other room had to pass through his class room to go to prayers . Well , however quietly they went —and they were very good indeed —they must make some amount of noise , and as the passage occupied some few minutes , everyone's attention was drawn off the studies . The

Committee , theiefore , had all come to the conclusion that the time had atrived for remodelling the Instiiution . All of it was inconvenient . For the large number ot cnildren novv in the Institution tney had only one little stone siaircase winding round in Iront . There was another , certainly , at th e lelt hand of the building , but it really would be a death trap if a lire were

to take place were the children to come down to the spiral staircase . But in the Alexandra wing there was a good btaircase . The majority of the children were housed in the other part . The Committee proposed to take away , this , and to make one large wide staircase so as to prevent any loss of life , and then have another refuge

staircase in the middle of the room . Various schemes were suggested , and the Committee thought it would be much belter to recommend to the General Committee and to the Quarterly Court some perfect scheme , even although it might cost more , rattier than go on continuing to do patchwork at a less expense . By this arrangement , as recommended by the Centenary

Committee , if approved , it could be carried out . There would be room to take in 40 more children , and if at any future time it should be necessary , the building could be altered at very little expense so as to accommodate more children . So the scheme was a perfect one of itself . With regard to that part of the junior school which was referred to , it was—if these

houses were thrown into one large junior school lhey would be ab e to take in 35 more children . 1 herefore , though the sum proposed to be expended , £ 30 , 000—might appear to be a large sum of money , it would really enable the Institution to accommodate 75 more children—a number which was really a school in itself . But irrespective of this , the House Committee had

been advised lately by the Medical Officer of the Institution that the school was enormously overcrowded . That gentleman had gone very carefully into the statistics of the space allowed by Government for hospitals , for workhouses even , and he found the Masonic Girls' Institution had more children in the dormitory than they had any right to have . In the

case of an epidemic or illness—of course they knew it was the conduct of the excellent staff they had there who kept the school so scrupulously well cleaned and ventilated which averted its dangers , otherwise lhey would have a very serious outbreak ; but it they had 75 more children they would be able to give to every child in the building a proper amount of air space

With these lew remarks he begged to move inat the report of the Centenary Committee be approved , and referred to the Quarterly General Court , with a recommendation that the suggestions contained therein for celebrating the centenary of the Institution oe aJopted . " Fjro . THOMAS FENN , P . G . D ., seconded the motion .

The CHAIRMAN having enquired whether any brother desired to make any observations on the report , Bro . C . F . MATIER said he did not think it was at all necessary . They all had confidence in the House Commiitee , who from time to time had been elected and re-elected , and lhey saw it was fit that these things should be

done , and ^ therefore he most earnestly supported the motion of the Chairman . The motion was carried unanimously . Bro . THOMAS FENN , P . G . D ., President Board of General Purposes , then gave notice ol the lollowing moiions he would propose at ihe Q jarterly Court on Saturday , October the 8 th .

NOTICES OF MOTIONS .

On the presentation of the Report of the Centenary Committee as ap = proved and recommended by tne General Committee by Bro . THOMAS FENN , President Board ot General Purposes , Vice-Patron , 1 . " That the Report be received . " 2 . "That Scheme A be adopted , and be relerred to the House Committee to carry out at a cost not exceeding ^ 2000 . " be

, 3 . "That Scheme B be appioved , and th ^ t the Craft and are hereb y earnestly solicited lo lurnish the necessary fund-, at the forthcoming Ceutenial Festival to enable this Scheme also to be carried into effect . " 4 . " i he ihe windows of the Institution be inspected forthwith , with the view to the provision of a means of egress in case of fire . " 5 . "That in addition to the Premium Votes conferred under Clause 1 ,