IRISH UNIVERSITIES.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 80, 2 April 1908, Page 5

IRISH UNIVERSITIES.

GOVERNMENT MEASURE. WELCOMED BY Ail, PARTIES LONDON, April I. By 307 votes to 24 leave was given M A. Birrell (Chief Secretary for Ireland to introduce his Irish University Bill i the House of Commons, and it was rea la first time amid loud cheers. The bill creates by Royal charter tw new universities, one in Dublin and tl other in Belfast. Dublin University will comprise thre colleges, the reconstituted Queen's Co lege, Cork, Queen's College, Galway. an a new college, Dublin. The Belfas University will consist of one colle" only. There will be no religious tests fo professors or students, though Mr. Bi] rell thought the first president of th new Dublin college ought to be a Catholi layman. The sum of £20,000 a year fror the Irish, churches fund, now allocated t the Eoyal University, will be divide equally between the two new universitie: •which will receive £80.000 from the Es chequer, instead of the £3G,500 at pr< sent granted to Irish university eduea tion. Apart from the churches fund, Belfas will receive an annual endowment o £19,000, and the new Dtiblin colleg f 32,000, Queen's College, Cork, £18,00( and Queen's College, Galway, £12.000. A building grants Belfast receives £00,00 i and Dublin £150,000. Mr. Birrell affirmed that the new uni versities would be undenominational though Dublin might have a Catholic am Belfast a Presbyterian complexion. OPPOSITION STJPPORT. Mr. Balfour (Leader of the Opposi tion), Mr. Dillon and Mr. O'Brien (Na tionalists), Mr. S. H. Butehei; and Si K. H. Carson (Conservative members fo Cambridge and Dublin Universities re spectively), and Mr. George Wyndhau (ex-Chief Secretary for Ireland), ex pressed general satisfaction with th( scheme, and applauded the spirit ii which Mr Birrell approached the problem Mr. Balfour declared that, broadly speak ing, no better plan could be devised. Tin Government were wise in leaving Trinity College alone. He questioned the pru ience of handing over the whole tutoria patronages to the senates. Commenting .on the scheme, " Th( Times" says that if Mr. Birrell carrieit he deserves well of Ireland. Thougl Mr. Dillon states the scheme is accept ible to Catholics, it will be well, it is idded, to await the opinion of the Irist Bishops. MEANING OF THE LEGISLATION Mr. Kettle,, M.P., speaking on July 4 1907, answering his own question as tc ■vhy the Roman Catholics had so periistently refused to join Trinity College, Dublin, said because, apart from religious Ejections to that establishment, there vas the insuperable objection on the jround of national feeling. They asked or modern scientific education for Ireand, as at the- modern Universities of Liverpool, and Manchester. Trinity College was neither modern nor rish in its ideas. It was a University rithout tests, but it was Protestant. The toman Catholic bishops and laymen sked for a university that would "have io tests. Roman Catholicism would aturally predominate, but only through preponderance in the population. MR. BKYCE'S SCHEME. Mr. Bryee's scheme, propounded on anuary 25, prior to his appointment to Vashington, for a new college n Dublin University, which would bo nlarged to form a national university or Ireland, while the Royal University •as to be abolished. The new college ■as to be entirely free from theological ests, and no public money was to be aid for religious instruction. The Go-1 ernment proposed to furnish the college ' 'ith adequate buildings and laboratories nd scientific apparatus. The new col>ge would be entirely free from any kind f religious tests with regard to tenchers, tudents or employees. The Royal Uniersify of Dublin would be dissolved and he University of Dublin would be turned ito a national university for Ireland.