UNIVERSITY CONGRESS

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 63, 8 December 1936, Page 10

UNIVERSITY CONGRESS

New Zealand Represented at Cambridge “I think that much closer co-opera-tion should be brought about between the University of New Zealand and the universities in Australia, both in the co-operation of examiners and in the exchange of teaching staffs and students,” said Mr. H. F. von Haast, prochancellor of the University of New Zealand, who returned to Wellington, via Australia, from a visit abroad by the Awatea yesterday. Mr. von Haast represented the University of New Zealand at the celebration of the centenary of the University of London, and visited all the chief institutions of that university. From there he went to Cambridge to attend the congress of the Universities of the Empire}, which meets every live years. He was there the guest of Lord Rutherford of Nelson, who was a colleague of his at Canterbury University College. Mr. von Haast presided over a discussion on post-gradu-ate studies. Many questions of mutual interest to the universities of the Empire were discussed. On the subject of examinations, Mr. von Haast said that the view at the congress was that there should be associated with the teaching professors an examiner from another university That would be difficult in New Zea land. Mr. von Haast said he would like to pay tribute to the excellent work done by Dr. A. J. Harrap, as agent for the University of New Zealand, in London, and as a member of the Universities Bureau of the Empire. He assisted in the making of recommendations for the appointments to chairs and other positions in New Zealand, and his house ' was a home for the many New Zealand students who found themselves in Lgadon. AUCKLAND DELEGATE Political Leaders Attend Dinner Dominion Special Service. Auckland, December 7. UniiHylsity problem,s are very much the same in all parts of the British Empire, according to Mr. H. J. D. Mahon, formerly headmaster of the Auckland Grammar School and now vice-president of the Auckland University College Council, who has returned to Auckland after an absence of about 12 mouths spent visiting Great Britain and Europe. While he was in England, Mr. Mahon attended two conferences, one of which was that of the universities of the British Empire, held at Cambridge in July. Ab official dinner was given by the British Government to the members of the conference, and Mr. Mahon said it was very evident that the Prime Minister and Mr. Ramsay MacDonald were feeling the strain of European affairs, and that they were very keen to see liberty maintained. When he was proposing the toasty of the guests, Mr. MacDonald referred to the necessity for the preservation of freedom in these words: “We are sitting as it were in a temple and breaking bread in common service to the go:Awtis of freedom.” Mr. MacDonald also emphasised the important part played by the universities in establishing and maintaining free institutions. O®S©®®®©®®®®®©®©©®®®®®®®®®