UNIVERSITY TRAINING.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13737, 19 May 1910, Page 7

UNIVERSITY TRAINING.

SOME'RADICAL SUGGESTIONS. United Press A-Mxr'-t'dn—By Electrio Telegraph—Copyright. PERTH, May 18. Dr. Hackett, Chairman of the Royal Commission appointed to consider the establishment of a University for West Australia, has submitted the' Commission'- report. It states that if a University is to be established, its chief solicitude must be lor the primary arts of production, on which the life of thc State depends. Instead of putting classics in the chief rank, it must aim at teaching living languages and purs science. Professor MacCallum, of Sydney University, returned in Seotember last from v. three weeks' visit to West Australia, with a high appreciation of the "go" of the people of that State, and a cheery optimism regarding its future (reported*.he "Daily Telegraph" at the time). '-It is quite a mistake to imagine, as we are apt to <lo in the east," he said to a representative of "The- Daily Telegraph,"" "that West Australia is a desert. There is a lot of _ooel land. It is patchy, certainly, but there is much of it, and it is going mor_ and more under cultivation. Generally the farmers can depend on their rainfall. It comes at tlie right time, and they know when to expect it. Even their bad years are by no means bad when judged by our standards. I am speaking, of course, of the districts which aro under cultivation, or - are going to be. Nor have the possibilities of the State in regard to mining been by any means exhausted. And the people are alert and enterprising. They impressed mc very much in that respect.'' Professor MacCallum went to West Australia as a lecturer under the auspices of the University extension system of the State. "I gave seven lectures in Perth." he saiel, *'two in Boulder, two in Kalgoorlie, two in F remantle, and one in Northam. In Perth I hael my biggest audiences, averaging about '150, I think, while in the other places I should say thc average was about 100, except at the goldfields, where, by special reouest. I" lectured twice on Sundays, and had huge audiences of about 500 on each occasion. .Tho fact that my lectures wero so well attended, after the previous course, shows the interest that West Aus--trahans take in such matters, and I was told that such lectures aro invariably attended by largo audiences."