THE AUCKLAND SCHOOL OF MINES.

Auckland Star, Volume XL, Issue 51, 1 March 1909, Page 4

THE AUCKLAND SCHOOL OF MINES.

The members of the deputation from the Auckland University College, which waited upon the Minister for Mines on Friday last, suffered a somewhat painful surprise when the official head of the Mines Department informed them that he had never even heard of the Auckland School of Mines. More than three years ago, after considerable public discussion, in which the jealousy of Dunedin in regard to the establishment of a School of Mines at the Auckland University College was strongly in evidence, it was finally decided by the College Council, with the approval of the Government, to start the school. The new departure was part and parcel of a scheme of specialisation in University education, by which each of the affiliated colleges of the University of New Zealand should select a special subject, or subjects, which should be made the characteristic feature, as it were, of the curriculum of that institution. Our late lamented Premier strongly supported this principle of specialisation in the interests of public economy and efficiency of teaching. In furtherance of the idea, Mr. Seddon, in his capacity of Minister for Education, made provision for a special grant of £2000 a year to each of th-e four colleges, to be treated as a specialisation account for the purpose of carrying on the work of education in the special field of study selected by each centre. He then invited the several governing bodies of each College to decide upon tho subjects on which they would specialise. Canterbury College had already made a prominent feature of her School of Engineering; Otago had her efficient School of Medicine; Wellington, it was thought, would devote particular attention to Law; while Auckland, as by far the most important mining centre of the Dominion, naturally chose Mining Engineering, and, as another special subject, Commerce. It is true that Otago University had years ago established a School of Mines, which in the past has done good work. But in the course of time the chief centre of the mining industry sh'fted from Otago, and the South Island, to the Provincial district of Auckland, in. the North. Although the Hon. Mr. MeKenzie, in his remarks to the College deputation, questioned Mr. Peacocke's statement that Auckland province was the leading gold mining centre of Xew Zealand, the fact remains that official figures show that nearly three-fifths of the gold exported from the whole of the Dominion in 1907 was produced in the Auckland district. From three mines alone in the Hauraki goldfields gold to the value of £1,053,212 was exported in that year, while the number of men employed in the industry in the Auckland district was more than three thousand. Xo other part of Xew Zealand can approach these figures with reference to the mining industry, and therefore it is idle for Mr. McKenzie, or any one else, to question Auckland's supremacy in gold mining, while her Waikuto coal fields will probably prove to lie more extensive than the coal measures in any

The new building of the Auckland School of which the for Mines apparently never heard of till last week, was formally opened oa the 21st of September last by Sir Robert Stout Chancellor of the University, and ,Ckief Justice of New Zeakad, in the

presence of a large attendance of representative business men and mining experts. The erection of this building was unfortunately delayed for some time after a Professor of Mining Engineering had been appointe , , owing to difficulties in regard to a suitable site for the purpose. However, although on a comparatively modest scale, the School of Mines building and equipment is admitted by experts to be thoroughly up-to-date and complete. The building, it may, be stated, consists of a drawing office, lecture theatre, mechanical laboratory, crushing room, assay laboratory, balance room, exclusive of store-rooms and lavatories, etc. The drawing office accommodates 12, and the lecture theatre 32 students at a time. The equipment has -been carefully selected from modern apparatus, giving the proper facilities for a sound training in the principles of the science and practice of mining. Besides the director of the School of Mines, Professor Jarman, who came to us from the mining engineering department of the University of Sydney, having been previously a member of the leading staff of the Royal School of Mines, London, there is also on the teaching staff, as lecturer in engineering, Mr. Sidney Lamb, of the London Royal College of Science, and late head of the engineering department of the Portsmouth Technical College. It seems necessary to state these matters on account of Mr. McKenzie's remark in replying to the request of the College deputation that the Auckland School of Mines should be placed on the same footing as that of Dunedin in respect to mining University scholarships , . The Minister said he thought it better to have one good School of Mines than three of four bad ones, the inference being that the Auckland School was one of the three or four bad ones; for the Dunedin School he asserted was the most up-to-date in the country. As Mr. McKenzie admittedly knows nothing whatever about the Auckland School of Mines, never having heard of it until a few days ago, it would be a mistake to attach much importance to this expression of Ministerial opinion. But with regard to the mining scholarships question over which the discussion arose, the present position is that if a student at the Waihi or any other of the Auckland goldflelds Schools of Mines, gains one of these scholarships lie is compelled by the regulations of the Mines Department ti> go to Dunedin to enjoy the educational benefits of his scholarship, although we have on the spot a fully equipped University School of Mines subsidised by the State to the tune of about £1,000 a year. This is surely a highly anomalous state of things that needs to be promptly rectified. Whether Oi' not it was a mistake to encourage the Auckland College to establish such a school it does not concern us to discuss at present. We have already pointed out facts which seemed to justify what was done in this respect; but the point is that it is too late for the Minister of Mines to re-open the question now. There is a School of Mines established by the Auckland University College with the approval and assistance of the Government. It is efficiently equipped, and if Sir Robert Stout -was right when he remarked at the formal opening of the School that it was the teachers and not the building that determined the value of such institutions, then we need not fear comparison wifch even the Dunedin School of Mines. It, is, at all events, quite certain that there is no official justification for forcing our Auckland mining students, who may win these scholarships from time to time, to go to Dunedin to complete their University course while the Auckland School of Mines offers them «it least the same educational advantages at their very door.