CANTERBURY COLLEGE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 186, 1 May 1908, Page 5

CANTERBURY COLLEGE.

- v ' SCHOLARSHIP SCHEME,

ENDOWMENTS AND RESOURCES.

In his annual address, tho. Chairman of •tho Canterbury Collego Board of, Govemors not only dealt fully with the financial position of tho Collego, but placed before his colleagues a number of proposals by means of which tho institution might bo further popularised. ' The year, l:o said, had been most successful in every way. Tho summary of receipts, and expenditure showed a turnover of £33,050, as compared with £27,155 for 1006. . Fees recoivcd, including capitation for free places, showed an increase, of £978, whilo Government grants and subsidies had increased-fr0m,£3272 to .£7740" (including £3000 for tho Girls' Hir;h Schpol .building, and £328 for hydraulic laboratory).. On tho< .entire; operations of tho Board for tho year, an.actual profit:of £2G38 was made. The. year,opened with a credit balance of £12,609, and closed, with a credit balance of £15,29.7/: Tho profit mado on various accounts during 190/ was as follow:—School of Art, £279; Boys' High School, £103; Collego maintenahco, £182; Schcol of ISngineering, £1920; Girls' High School, £275; museum, £162; total, 1 £2921. •» Ho felt' that ho' was. justified in taking an optimistic vifcw as to the College finances, and thought that t-h'o time bad-pome .when the Board could at.onco' establish a, chair of physics. The Schcol of Engineering was now sufficiently strong to be able to do with a less, grant from tho College funds than tho £550 per year, which for a number of years had been voted to the mairitenanco fund of that school. Tho.time was also approaching, if it had not already-corao, when tho Board could well consider the elevation of tho lectureship of commerco to a Chair.- Tho returns of attendances in connection v/ith this department of work afforded' satisfactory proof of' the increase in .'popularity of thoso classes. His opinion was that the more tho practical side of the College was developed, the more, closely it. would keep stop with modern requirements. 'In. 1907, thero,were 342 students at tho Collego, as compared .with 225 in ; 1902. -A"further gratifying feature was that 253 of these: matriculated, as compared witli 151 in 1902. .The School of Engineering account opened with'a debit balance of £260, and closed-with a 'credit balance of £1660,, , representing a nominal profit of £1920 oii tho year. • This, however, was ~morb apparent than real, as commitments wero; constantly taking place, which would prqbably absorb tho- greater . part of • the credit.' He, however, estimated that thero • was ..a normal iiicomo for the institution of £5198, and a normal expenditure, of £4255, leaving .a working actual credit of'£943 for the year. ' -r Referring to the endowments, tho Chairman said tfiey showed a total area of 219,181 acres: The rental received last year was £14,437, and this.had increased to £15,126 per year.. The capital value' oomputed on a 5i per ceiit. basis wjis £302,510.' As "to fiituro possibilities/ :tho letting values might be expected, to steadily increase; further,- 1 they could not say- what -mineral wealth might be found on tho' Board's mountain land. 1 !. It owned tho Graigieburn, Grassmere, and I-ake Coleridgo ' runs in Selwyn. County, mounting to; 99,294. acres, as well as Mount Possession (Ashbiirton County), Haldon and Gray's Hills ;(Mackehzio County), amounting to 93,787 acres, a total of 193,081 acres of pastoral land. Thcso' runs worn lot. solely for pastoral purposes, but it would probably bejound that valuable mineral deposits existed in tho mountains,; which, would provide for the College. vastly increasing rentals over their pastoral, value. . In this-year's balanee-sheet' the sum of £2 12s, was credited -as royalty on ' coal taken ■ from . Craizipburn : run. In ad.dition, , . to.' , the . . seam' upon , ..which ■ the, ; royalty,. ,' was ' .paid, there , was'; an-, otherlarge ■ \ deposit, of- , coal upoiii |'the', same.,-.property.;, • ~..;Another.: interesting •point' in' the' address;,..was on..reference-.to-. ,the . necessit.y. someone ".to <actv:as'>hcad' of tho College, in. loco parentis to the beginnor. - Someone should be at tho College, Jwhose,..business ;it Ghquld .-be to advise, the - intendingstudent ; .as ito the- lines of study that-.would-.he most, suitable—to exercise in fact, a- watchful; care .'over the collegiate career of, as far as possible,' each person who within the walls. The head •of the'.College' : proper at presorit was, of course, the>chairman ; of the Professorial Board, but there was ■ no. fixity of 'tenure; in that;office, .and .-it,', woiild' not' be • possible ; for • any oho professor, to • .spend .the' , time necessary. ■Whether ' the;;:title.- of- .the A officer -.he I had vontured/to . suggest ; should bo "Dean" or "President''was a matter of-no importance. Wh'at<-he was; arguing for was ' that; thero should', be someone who would stand at tlio head of the educational portion of the College, and have'equal responsibilities'placed upon him .in connection "with, that portion as ;he : (the ;'chairman) 1 had in, connection with the financial .portion. ". The effect, ■ lio believed, would ', be to, securo a greater amount- of individuality ;in conncctioii ,'with the, training of the. students.

If 'the .wishes, and -aims.of tho. founders of; the Colleae were to bo given . effect; .tho- scholarships.;in, all departments, of its work .must be. materially increased. .'■■■ Mr., Russell then dealt.exhaustively with; tho scholarships and prizes already awarded, and claimed on. the facts presented that up, to the present Canterbury College had not dono its'.'duty, to _ any of the institutions under its control' in providing scholarships either as-a reward industry and ability or as a means of assisting deserving.youth to gain higher education., The time had-come when they should, endeavour to bracked the/three systems, of education together. The primary and the secondary systems were already well connected. The more, important question was .Whether they could not devise a schemo by; which; the ; university classes could'' be 1 thrown open much more largely than at present to those who were in attendance at the secondary schools, and others who should also' bo oligible. ' He proposed,- therefore, a schemo by which, by taking certain sums fromtho funds of tho Boys' and: Girls' High Schools, r and supplementing them by grants from tllo College accounts, the sum of £400 a;year could bo devoted to paying the Colloge:> or School of Engineering fees of students,: together .with t£s a .year for books,; tho winners qualifying by a 'special examination. ... In; addition, ho proposed that another.' £100 should be devoted to open competitive scholarships,' The candidates for'. these should be pupils attending, any other school than the ' highVschools under the College v/ithin the' provincial district of Canterbury —not only Government ; schools,,. but also cither Roman Catholic' or other private, schools,; or youths who had received private tuition. The School of 'Engineering should also' be able, to ; devote' a : considerable sum towards .exhibitions and scholarships.' Ho. proposed t|iat ten additional open competitive scholarships, of,the value of £20 each, should-bo established. These should be open ■to any youth resident'.in.the; Dominion. As to tho School of. Art scholarships, something should be done beyond granting free education to the winners. The scholarships lie had proposod amounted in value to £800 per year. Ho suggested that it would be..well within the. scopo of the Minister; for Educa-. tion to bring down legislation to enable tho local authorities of tho Dominion to devote portions of their funds to scholarships at the various colleges in their districts, and also at the, institutions of a national character. The: expenditure of £50 or £100 per year by each local body for such a purpose would never be felt by the individual ratepayer, and tho institution could bo made to turn out : scores of men where now tons r<ero turned out.