UNIVERSITY SCOPE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 171, 21 July 1936, Page 11

UNIVERSITY SCOPE.

GEOGRAPHY COURSE.

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

PROPOSALS BEFORE COUNCIL.

The council of t'.ie Auckland University College met yesterday, the president, Mr. T. U. AVells, presiding.

A letter was received from the chairman of the professorial board forwarding a resolution, which stated that the board was not in favour of the establishment of an independent department in geography until existing departments were less inadequately staffed. The matter had been discussed following the council's reference to the board of a memorandum from the professor of geology and a remit from the Association of Heads of the Registered Secondary Schools of New Zealand.

The resolution was:—"That while the board views sympathetically the need for teaching geography in the college, it feels this should be considered in relation to the needs of the development of other subjects, and that the only special need stated for the establishment of a lectureship in geography is to meet the needs of teacher training; but in view of the proposed training course for secondary teachers, this particular training could be left in abeyance until such time as the scheme for training secondary teachers is elaborated. The board is therefore not in favour of the establishment of an independent department in geography until existing departments are less inadequately staffed."

The registrar of tlie New Zealand University, Wellington, forwarded the following resolution: —"That provision be made so that .the University Colleges may have funds to provide a full degree course in geography. Whereas in Cambridge there is a chair lor geography, provision for a full honours course, with specialists for six different branches, in this isolated country with peculiar needs 'for geographical knowledge, there is provision either for nothing at all or for stage 1, the teaching being in the hands either of overworked geology professors or of lecturers without special geographical training." • The letters were referred to the education cominittee. Details of a proposed memorial to the late Hon. Sir George Fowlds were submitted by Sir. R. A. Lippineott. It was proposed that this take the form of a bronze panel, suitably inscribed, to be let into the walls of the vestibule at the college. A discussion ensued as to the best place for the placing of existing memorials and others, and it was decided to refer the matter to a special committee. Cost of Engineering School. The professor of engineering, Professor S. E. Lamb, submitted a case for the retention of the Auckland School of Engineering. The total number of day and evening students enrolled, for 19:56 was 135, of whom 04 students were taking graduated engineering courses that could lead to their becoming professional engineers. I One of tlie special classes, navigation, was probably the only class of its kind in New Zealand. The equipment necessary for teaching physics was commensurate with the total cost of the equipment in the school of engineering. The annual maintenance cost of such a, complete, engineering school and each of tlie_ four physics "iicrt'ycrf''STffer6n€,ybt a comparison was made between a department teaching one subject only for a B.Sc. course, and the equipment for a complete school teaching for the TS.E. degree. Auckland was provided in a proper manner for the training of civil, electrical, mining and metallurgical engineers and registered surveyors, as well as providing essential training ■ for architects. ,'Tho annual maintenance required was about £2300: The letter was received.