UNIVERSITY FEES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 92, 18 April 1913, Page 9

UNIVERSITY FEES.

.. RESULT' OF A WELLINGTON ESPHRIIIENT. (By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, this day. Fees at the Victoria College, Wellington's University, have been raised this term, bringing them more into line with the fees at other New. Zealand universities. The result has been a decrease, in tl_f number of students. They total 420, as compared with 540 last year. In the opinion of the Professorial Board a tendency to continual decrease of the college numbers over a period of years, in part due to more stringent conditions of matriculation, has been cloaked for the past two years by the large influx (1) of law students in 1911-12, (2) of commerce students in 1012. As to (1), the reduction of some 30 per cent in the number of students taking New Zealand law subr jeets in the present year must be regarded in the light of the fact that the proportionate increase of fees is greatest in'this department, while attendance at its clasps is not a necessary qualification for the law degree. There is no anxiety about the matter in the minds of the college governors. The chairman (Mr C. Wilson) said at their meeting that personally he did not think the college had any reason to regret the diminution in tho number of students so long as the quality was good. Mr Aitken: Is the average quality better?

The Chairman: I believe it will be. Tt remains to be seen. I think one consequence of the raising of the fees has been to weed out a number of students who simply came here to take advantage of the social life of the institution, and did not take the work of the college very seriously.