THE SEDDON MEMORIAL.

Evening Post, Volume LXXII, Issue 68, 18 September 1906, Page 2

THE SEDDON MEMORIAL.

IMPORTANT DEBATE PENDING. A very important question— deciding the form of the Seddon memorial — is to be settled soon. The opinions of various organisations throughout the colony have been sought by the Central Committee, and the majority favour the establishment of a colonial technical university. The adoption of any plan will necessarily arouse keener public consideration than th© nation appears to be giving to the matter at present. Some opinions favour the strengthening of the technical schools in the four chief centres, which 'scheme, it is contended, would best benefit New Zealand as a whole? ,One gentleman, conversing with a reporter this morning, mentioned that there were two aspects of the matter— one involving the training of masters and leaders of industry and the other making for raising the average ability of workmen. He considered that the greatest good to the greatest_ number could be best effected by subsidising the technical schools in the four centres. There the students would have better opportunities to combine practice with theory than if they were assembled in one city. Then there was the question of expense. He maintained that a sum of £200,000 would "be needed to provide a technical university on a colonial scale, with departments embracing oil industries. In addition, students outside the favoured area would have to live away from home, and would be put to greater expense in getting their training. He quoted as a parallel case the New Zealand University, which comprised four university colleges, thus enabling persons in all parts of the country to get an education with a -minimum of inconvenience. He submitted that a system scholarships could be instituted in conjunction With an improved fourcentre plan. ■ Engineers, for instance, could, thus go to Canterbury College, and other students could complete their course at special schools abroad. It might be argued that New Zealanders who wont to foreign lands might not return, but he contended that the majority would come back to their native land.