Moral Problems Of Twentieth Century

Press, Volume C, Issue 29696, 14 December 1961, Page 16

Moral Problems Of Twentieth Century

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, Dec. 13. Some of the gravest problems of the 20th century were moral, not economic, the Prime Minister (Mr Holyoake) said tonight in proposing a toast to the University of New Zealand. “In solving these problems we need men with welltrained minds, with balance and judgment, with wide, human sympathies, not just men with professional skill.”: said Mr Holyoake. “Of course, we would aim at seeing the two combined, but I stress the need to encourage a wide and balanced outlook because the contrary tendency is very strong today,” he said. The Prime Minister was speaking at an official dinner tr mark the dissolution of the University of New Zealand and in honour of officers of the Senate who will receive the university’s last honorary degrees at a unique ceremony in Wellington Town Hall tomorrow night. Nearly 100 persons were present at the dinner, in the cafeteria of Victoria University of Wellington's new Student Union building. Guests of Honour The guests of honour were the Governor-Genera! (Lord Cobham), visitor to the university, the Chancellor (Sir David Smith). the ViceChancellor (Sir George Currie), the former Chancellor of the Auckland University (Mr W. H. Cocker), the Chancellor of Victoria University (Mr T. D. M. Stout), all of whom will receive honorary doctorates of laws, and Professor I. A Gordin, chairman of the Senate’s Academic Board, who will receive an honorary doctorate of literature After saying that “education is not my province” and

paying tribute to the men who had helped found and built the university and 30,000 graduates of the last 91 years, Mr Holyoake said the university was more than men and women, more than bricks and stones, courses of instruction and achievement. At its worst a university was a machine for turning out trained technicians in the various subjects, but at its best it was more than this. “Much of our training today is highly technical, and in relatively narrow fields Because of ‘his it car narrow rather than broaden the mind,” he said. Although the country was seeing an end co one era. it was an end that was in fact a stage of growth and development. “I believe it is a mark of vitality and progress that four universities will rise from the body of the old,” said Mr Holyoake. He expressed the hope that the high ideal for a university mentioned in the report on Australian universities—“not merely technical training but a full and true education fitting free men and the citizens of a free society”—would be realised by the successors to the present body. Mr Holyoake was supported in the toast by the Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nash), and Sir David Smith replied. The toast to the honorary graduates was proposed by Dr. G. E. Archey, director of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, and replied to by Lord Cobham. Sir George Currie proposed the toast to the visitors, the Minister of Education (Mr Tennent) replying. The Pro-Chancellor (Dr L. J. Wiid) proposed the toast to the four universities which will be autonomous on January 1. This was replied to by the Otago University Chancellor (the Rev. H. J. Ry burn).