BRINGS UP THE REAR.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 51, 29 February 1916, Page 4

BRINGS UP THE REAR.

. . ' . ' ■ '•'■-.; '-■] AUCKLAND'S UNENVIABLE PLIGHT; ■■"■■'■;■■■■;■?s IN UNIVERSITY iUTTERS. SIR EOBEKT STOUT'S ADVICE, ■ USE METROPOLITAN GROUND. -' Taking advantage of the .presenceis Auckland of Sir Kobert Stout, Chanced lor of the New Zealand Univereity l -;" " "Star" reporter waited on morning, and interviewed him regarding the position of University education'b New Zealand. \ Sir Kobert Stout said that considering that we were at war; rfc *~' surprising that the number of .tibwho passed the entrance examination-: was larger than it was last year m all through the various affiliated 'iiS i tutions there seemed good work beiii ! done, though, of course, many abieW dents had left for the front,*-and'mm professors had also gone. Onthe 'whole 1 university education was goin" qn a ceedingly well. ° "And what position does Auckland occupy?-' asked the interviewer. "Auckland is in a very satis'factoir position," replied Sir Robert Stout "mJ the amazing thing is that Auckland has done such excellent work in viewof it many disadvantages. Auckland is tto~ ! unfairly treated in the matter of tin? I versity buildings than any other of tb three centres where there are affiliate institutions. Otago has very fine ings and a very fine site. has the same. In Wellington they S suitable buildings «and eurrouS' Auckland, unfortunately, has neither ,? ; "To what do you attribute this!" " All I can say," remarked the Ch- MceUor, 'is that, when the late 31r Sed don was Premier he agreed to give too Metropolitan Ground, and to lid th» College Council, in purchasing the Chora! Hall for university purposes. When a bill was introduced to give Parliament ary sanction to the proposal to devo*. the Metropolitan Ground to University purposes it. also included the Govern ment House site. That was unfortunate but if the people of Auckland" had beea anxious to obtain the llefropoKtan Ground lam of opinion that,they could have obtained it long ago. "I believe," continued Sir r-w Stout "that every Minister of " : Edition nas had to come to the conclueinV that the Metropolitan Grouna ; is t y beet site to be found for a university i Auckland, and it is much to be«<relted that some people in Auckland, not realising the benefits that would ferut to the city from having a university jnits midst, have'opposed the setting apart of this ground for-college purposes. Ui e fact is that for many years to come we must have in our university -colkscs provision for evening classes." If we 4) not we restrict to a very large extejt the number of students that can jvjl themselves of university tuition. line ie> also every, reason, why it; shdujd-.be near a centre of population, in fact, ; that it should be in the city. To give tlie Metropolitan Ground for this purpose would be an injury to no one. toii need not disturb Government Hotise. , There are five or six acres of''\gn)und' that would be. ample -for- qj-60 yean to I'cdmeHofroobeg&PfSfpgsk^ jl cannot understand why there, should have" ita the slightest opposition to the propoai It may be that people, having oncecil 'tlfey were opposed to the suggestive not like to admit that they wereiiiinj. Lean, see no. reason for it. Peopltiv not realise ttie enormous advantage oi having university institutions in a ciiy. To make it an effective university it must be in the city and easily 'ice* eible. It is ■unnecessary tb.;jefer tojwlst has taken place in the past. One illastration will suffice. When the Glasgow University was founded Glasgow; wkei town of only 2,000 or ,3,000 inhabitant!. It was not so big as Onehunga. That university attracted to it able men, and as the years went on it had able professors, and it has taught hundreds of thousands of able men. I have /.wondered why Onehunga, seeing the disinclination of Auckland to have a university in its midst, lisis not come forward and offered a site in Onehunga. "Nowadays we realise that even thoee who 'have to earn their bread by; the sweat of their brow and by the ability of their hands have the right to enter the halls, of learning as they please. - It ■will be readily understood that a great deal of thia teaching must be given ,in tin evening. If this feature of a university be kept in mind I believe there would lie less objection to the granting of tie Metropolitan Ground. 1 have, said tint every Minister of Education, during tte last ten or twelve years has come to the conclusion that the Metropolitan is tie proper site. Only one of those Minieten has been an Auckknd«r, so that -you nitj say the decision of the Ministers of Ed* cation.has not been swayed by any o> triet or personal question. - ■ "I am exceedingly anxious ioi see « proper site and proper buildings in Auckland. I was Premier when the Auckliiii University was started, and, I recott mended in Cabinet, and Parliament approved of, the present site and being granted. I think it is not Ho our credit as a nation nor to the district of Auckland that Auckland has been left in this present unsatisfactory position M long, and I am airaid that" in apportioning the blame for tnis I cannot free the people of Auckland from hearing * .great share. If they bad approved of the Metropolitan Ground for a site it 'Would have been granted long ago, and they would by this time have a suitable building- for University purposes ■in their midst. It appears to mc that Auckland is behind all the other districts, yet H ought to be first. Its site, its population, its magnificent institutions, and every: thing'would have led one to believe tfat it would not have 'been so behind in Uw - versity matters, and it is time the matter was settled by adopting the Metropolitan Ground as a site. As I said before, I will not interfere with Government, House. It does not interfere with an? buildings, and the site, is not likely to * affected by the introduction of mahufie- g tories. Until the Auckland people get * proper building they cannot expect tw University to attain the ' position B should attain.!' <