THE PREMIER WARNED

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 808, 4 May 1910, Page 5

THE PREMIER WARNED

AUCKLAND GOVERNMENT HOUSE. MR. FOWLDS REPLIES TO CRITICS. HE EXPECTED NOTHING BUT PRAISE. . (By Teleeraph.—Special Corresnondent.) Auckland, May 3. The Government' House question haa now been taken up by tho "Herald," which remarks to-day in concluding a leader on the subject:—'"We warn Sir Joseph Ward that any refusal to proceed with the university building on the ample site available, without touching Government House or its own grounds, will bo a distinctly unfriendly act. By andd Provincial Act thb metropolitan grounds can be applied to public purposes, and they are quite sufficient to accommodate as large a university as the Government can think of building, of as ■ Auckland will need for another generation." ■ ' -

In tho course of an interview on the Government House matter, the Hon., Geo.. Fowlds to-day said: '

"I am, to say' the least, very much surprised to find such an agitation in Auckland over this question of erecting a new university in Auckland on Government House grounds. Ever since I became Minister for Education I have been working to secure this site for a university, and I, expected nothing but praise from tho people of Auckland when I succeeded. I am quite sure that would have been the result of such a gift to any other city in New Zealand.' It indicates to mo a want of appreciation of the value of higher education to the community, and I can only account for it by the fact that the university buildingß in Auckland havo so long been inconspicuous. Take the case of . Queensland, where an exactly similar thing has occurred quite recently. The Queensland Government'received no end of kudos from the people of Brisbane for handing over Government House and 35 acres of land as a site for a university. In the case of th(,' Governor's residence in Auckland, it must be remembered that the building is now very old. Portions of it have been in existence for sixty years. It costs a good deal to keep it in repair, and it would. require a considerable expenditure to mate it habitable for th» new Governor if he were to take up his residence there. In fact, that question of renewing it would sooner or later have to be considered, and I do not think any New Zealand Parliament would sanction the expenditure that'would be necessary. Tho idea of a great commercial city like this basing its reasons for the continuance of Government House on the expenditure on grocers' and bakers' • bills is not calculated to raise Auckland in tho eyes of the rest of tho Dominion.

"With regard to the hbsnTd statement that the Government has been guilty of doing things surreptitiously," continued J the. Minister, "it was clearly stated in the Budget of last year that the Admin- ; istration had decided to take that course i of action. An attempt has been made to J make capital out of a statement which I emanated from me on the floor of the House. The matter I was at the time . i debating was the proposal for setting -3 apart portion of the ground for university ; college purposes, and portion for grammar school purposes. It had nothing what- j ever to do with the question of retaining j Government House: It must be surely i apparent that havijig suitable buildings j and equipment for, university college j purposes is of infinitely greater. importance than reserving Government House . j for a comparatively few social functions j in the .course of the year. The necessary, buildings for an up-to-date universitycould not be provided for less than ■'.; i£loo,ooo, and that amount the Govern- : i ment proposes to spend. You cannot . gauge the. value of a university college ; merely by the work of the students. The value to the community of one wellequipped and trained student might • bo greater than all the expenditure of a generation. In the days to come univer-. sity colleges are going to be much closer in touch with the life, of democracy than- , ' they have been in the past. Therefore, it is essential that we._ should ...provide suitablo accommodation" right in the heart of the city. The gTeat mass of the people would be able to get moro enjoyment out of the grounds * through their being thrown open* as a university, as those in. other -cities are,. than through ,having them closed up for Government ' House purposes. Glasgow has devoted tho best i site it possesses for university purposes, . -; and Ido not consider that the whole. o» : Government House grounds in Auckland : are any too large for the future needs of higher education in Auckland province. In any case, the final decision must rest with Parliament, seeing that the cost of maintenance is to fall on the whole of the t of New Zealand. My own' opinion is fixed and decided, however, in the be-' lief that the Government's proposal is in , the best- interests of the whole of tha people of Auckland."