OUR UNIVERSITIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXV, Issue 180, 29 July 1904, Page 8

OUR UNIVERSITIES.

THE SCHOOL 'OF MISHES. v - ** [C\ i PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE. \ (By Telegraph—.Faiiijiiueutary Keporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. Mr T. K. Sidey. member for' r (javershani, replying to Air Jt»a.uine's contention that mc Otigu Onivei-say iiau. a niuen laiger gross; income than that oi Auckland, admitted that j\ir iiaume's figures were correct, but he considered tuat some of tne items, such as tne fees which were paid to the professors, should not be included. He contended that the only fair comparison was that •based on the amount oi public money received by the two Universities as grants and incomes from endowments. On thatr basis he declared that the difference in Otago'3 favour wouid not be a one. Baume had made a similar comparison on the total values of the buildings, but only the total assistance given by the State should be considered. Tiie utago University had been put to the expense of practically erecting its own buildings, having raised a loan of £ 10,----000 to/ the purpose. At a later stage Mr Arnold (Dunedin) . referred to the same question. There ' had, he said, been considerable sion as to the grants to be given to the Otago and Auckland Universities. He could not understand for one moment the arguments that had been used. It seemed preposterous to him that the member for Auckland(Mr Baume)should look on the question of education from a provincial point of view. For his part, he believed that every University in the colony should be thoroughly equipped, and that it was the duty of the Government to see that they were. As to the question of whether the mining school should be in Auckland or Dunedin, that was a matter for experts, and r ße was quite satisfied that the young .people of the colony should receive as thorough an education in the particular work intended to engage in as was possible for them to receive. SCHOOLS OF MINES. In his speech on the Financial State- ' ment, Mr iSaume urged the claims of the Auckland University College , to a school of mines, expressing the view that its claims outweighed those of other colleges, and pointing out that the output . of gold from the Auckland district was ( larger than that obtained from any other part of the colony. Mr Sidey, who defended Otago's position, stated that, though the quantity exported from Auckland was greater, the value of the j gold sent from Otago exceeded that of Auckland, the figures being £780,000 and £721,000. He contended that from a colonial point of view Otago should retain the school of mines. In Auckland . there were four such schools aireaay, and the amount of public money spent on mining education was greater in Aueklard than in Otago. The Premier: But they Lave no endowments. Mr Allen: Dunedin has no endowments for the mining school. Mr Sidey said that the actual amount , voted by the Government was greater in Auckland than in Otago. If the school were taken from the latter University they left the district without any provision for mining education. Mr Jas. Allen: Not a single school. Mr Sidey contended that the position was scarcely arguable, and that the - school should undoubtedly be retained at Dunedin.