PASSAGE HOME

Evening Post, Volume CXXVI, Issue 127, 25 November 1938, Page 11

PASSAGE HOME

SHOULD IT BE PROVIDED?

SHIPBOARD WORK

. Should Rhodes Scholars be given the passage money from New Zealand to England? The question was discussed at last night's meeting of the . Victoria University College Council. It was raised by a motion moved by Mr. M. H. Oram, of Palmerston North, who said he felt the time was opportune to do so because of the meeting of the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee today to select the Rhodes Scholars from this Dominion to go into residence at Oxford University next year. Th? council decided unanimously to approach the s University . Senate with a view to steps being ' taken for the provision of the passage money. The text of the motion moved by •Mr. Oram was as follows:—"That this council is of opinion that New Zealand Rhodes Scholars should be pro.vided with passage money to enable Ihem to* travel from New Zealand to 'England under reasonable conditions and. urges the University Senate to .take the necessary steps to ensure that this ls done." The Rhodes Scholar, said Mr. Oram, "did not receive any payment under "the scholarship until after he had taken ,up residence at Oxford. That meant yin the case of some scholars that they had to work their passage Home; that *,they had to go almost cap in hand to the various shipping companies to I obtain a passage under varyihg condi-! "'tiohs, such as a ship's writer or stew- I *ard. It seemed to him that that kind .of thing was not in accordance with the dignity attaching to the position '.of Rhodes Scholar, and the honour of "the selection, He thought that the least that should be done in recOgni» .tion of the honour bestowed on those was that the small amount *of money required to send them Hoffie 'should be provided either by the Senate of the University of New Zea* land Or in some other way. It was a matter, he felt, which scarcely admitted Of argument and he had moved ih this direction that the resolutiO-. might be placed before the Senate for Consideration and for the Senate to take whatever steps it in its wisdom deemed necessary. The motion was seconded by Mr. H .A: Huggins, who said that to him the made was incontestable. He thought it would also be a good idea if thei.e were a fund from which to pay the passages of Rhodes Scholars back to New Zealand. If that were possible more would return to New ••Zealand on completing their stuides. The Rhodes Scholars did not have - much money left when they finished .at Oxford. He heartily supported the •resolution. OTHER TRAVELLING SCHOLARS. Professor F. F. Miles, a former Rhodes Scholar, said that while he was in rpomplete sympathy with the motion if the course suggested were practicable, he felt, and he thought probably other Rhodes Scholars would feel, too, that all the travelling scholars of the University should be treated the same way if anything of this sort was • done; in other words, that a distinction should not be made between Rhodes ..scholars and* other post-graduate scholars of the University. "My own feeling about this and of . all the travelling scholars," continued Professor Miles, "is that if it is not possible to find the money for all of them I do not think money should be found for some." An alternative method which ho thought had a good deal to , commend it would be to have a fundit would not need to bo a very big , fund—4o advance scholars the money. .an advance, say* of £50, without interest, but on the understanding that the

•money would be repaid in the course of five years or so. That would get over the real difficulty Mr. Oram had mentioned, but he thought that was an alternative scheme if it was not possible for the University to find the money to help all travelling scholars who needed it. •* It would get away also from the difficulty of distinguishing between scholars in the matter of whether they needed it or not. SHIPPING COMPANIES' HELP. Professor T. A. Hunter said he did not know whether members of the council were aware of it or not, bui a certain number of free passages were . provided by the shipping companies to ' post-graduate scholars who otherwise ' would have difficulty in going abroad. ■ The free passages were granted only ■ In necessitous cases and the reason for the scheme was that the scholarships to which he referred were of a smaller amount than the Rhodes Scholarships. ! He did not think it possible for the University to provide the money. The shipping companies had given very generous assistance, provision being made for five free passages from and back to New Zealand. They were not given to Rhodes Scholars but to postgraduate scholars whose emoluments were so small that they could not pos* sibly provide the passage money. In reply to a question it was pointed out that the annual value of the Rhodes Scholarship was £400. Professor Hunter stated it should be said, how* ever, that the expenses; of a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford were'greater thai) those of a post-graduate scholar. Professor Miles suggested an amend* ment of the resolution to provide tot the passage money being advanced as an alternative to the passage money being granted, Mr. Oram said he was unable to accept the amendment. /Professor Hunter suggested that the motion might be differently worded, by asking the Senate to look into the question of means which would enable Rhodes Scholars to travel to England under reasonable conditions. Mr. Oram said he would be quite content with that. Apart from the point made by Professor Hunter that the expenses of Rhodes Scholars were greater, Mr. Oram said there was another point, the most important, he thought, and that was that the Rhodes Scholars should not be asked to refund anything from what they received because it was necessary that a Rhodes Scholar should have enough money to travel in other countries to investigate conditions there and so obtain the broadest background possible. A Rhbdes Scholar could not hope to get the full benefit of his scholarship by staying within the four walls of Oxford. Mr. Oram referred to the greater value of some of the scholarships given by some of the American colleges and the encouragement given to and facilities provided for those to whom they were awarded to travel. A Rhodes. Scholarship was the highest honour that could be given a New Zealand graduate and he thought he should not be.asked to pay back a miserable pittance of £50. ADVANCES UNSATISFACTORY. The chairman (Mr, P, Levi) said he did not think a system of making ad* vances would be satisfactory. He thought Mr. Oram's motion as it stood should be passed and that it should commend itself to the council,. Mr. W H. P. Barber said he thought the matter should be brought under the notice of the Government. The University* Senate could: take . such action, pointing out to the Government that a Rhodes Scholar travelling as a ship's steward or in some other capacity did not reflect* credit on New Zealand. , '.''" .? « _. Professor Miles said that naturally he would be pleased if what was proposed in the motion could be done and was practicable. It was only in case it was not that he had suggested the other method of approach. He did not think a Rhodes Scholar would have difficulty in repaying £50 in five or six years. ' The chairman: 1 certainly do not like the idea of a Rhodes Scholar having a debt hanging over him the whole time he is in England. ■ Mr. Oram's motion as moved was passed unanimously.