UNIVERSITY SENATE. REGISTRATION, CERTIFICATES, AND LOW FEES.

Evening Post, Volume LXXV, Issue 25, 30 January 1908, Page 2

UNIVERSITY SENATE. REGISTRATION, CERTIFICATES, AND LOW FEES.

Several maltera of minor importance came before the University Senate yesterday, after The Tost had gone to press. Among them were the questions of registration, and plurality of voting, the introduction of agriculture as a subject of tho matiicukOion examinations, mining certificates and, «m anomaly in the matriculation j\nd solicitors' general knowledge exainiiution. REGISTRATION. Tho question of university registration and voting in different places was involved' in two motions by Mr. Baume : (1) "That in the opinion of the senato 'The University Act Amendment Act, 1902,' section 6, should bo so amended as to prevent the abuse of power to transfer." (2) "That this resolution be transmitted .to the Hon. the AttorneyGeneral. Mt. Yon Haast seconded tho motion. Dr. Fitchett opposed, on the ground that no great harm resulted. A graduate of Canterbury 'College who had since resided in Wellington ought to have both places. ' Mr. Hay tnoted as an amendment that tho words "and shall not bo entitled to have his name transferred until one year after a previous transfer," be' added. After further discussion Mr. Bauino said that there were more graduates assembling in Wellington than in any other college centre. The full motion was ca-rried. MINING CERTIFICATES. Mr. Gordon moved: "That tlie senate' deem it desirable that -tie Government should Tecognise , the high standard of qualification that graduates in mining engineering have before obtaining their degree, and amend the Mining and Coal Mining Acts to enable those graduates .to obtain -mine manager's certificates on the production of certificates from authonsed managers that they have been employed in the underground workings of a mine for a" peiiod of three years." Mining, in the opinion of the mover, should be carried on more scientifically in New Zealand! than ever before. Experience in the management of men was most 'essential. The period of threo years was 1 likely to qualify the man absolutely for' this position of manager. Professor. J. M. Biown seconded the motion. Professor Sale considered five years excessive as a period for working in tho mines, aa at ' present specified by the law. The country had lost many valuable mineral products through ihe ignorance of mine managers at present. There was only one country outside New Zealand in which a time underground was required, and that waa Tasmania. Three years was none too much an a coal mine, but it was too long in a metal j mine. The motion was carried. ELEMENTARY AGRICULTURE. Mr. Hogben moved "That 'Elementary Agriculture' should be added to the list of subjects in the Matriculation Examination, and that the matter be referred to *$i e| .Sconce Cclmmittee to frame a syllabus." Professor 0. M Brown seconded the motion, which was carried. AN ANOMALY. A clausa in the La-w Committee's report, as presented by Mr. Hay, recommended that any candidate who had passed the matriculation examination in Latin under clause 4 of the Law Professional Examination Regulations should be entitled to a pa6S in .the Solicitors' General Knowledge Examination. Tho chancellor said that if the recommendation- were adopted,- 78 ,adY ditibirtil "candidates would pass their solicitors' general -"knowledge this year. The Hen % J. A. Tolo moved, as in amendment, that the word ,"not" should' be inserted before "entitled" in tho rec6mmend.ition. After a warm discussion, Mr. Tolo's amendment was carried, and the recommendation reversed. 1 TO-DAY'S SESSION. LAW FEES. At this morning's meeting of the eanata Mr. F. Baume, K.C., 1 moved, "That a fee of £3 3s bJ charged in future- for the degree of Bachelor of Laws." Almost the- whole cost ,of examination for Now Zealand was,' he said, borne by the law etudents. Examiners' fees amounted to Jbt)i4 15s, to which the law students contributed 5639 3s. Professor Shand pointed out that £914 15s was not tho whole amount, as to that had to h<> -added more than £400 to make up the amount for one year. The B.A. did not entail any great expense outside fees. Great expen-se was laid upon law students, and out of this the university made a [profit. Seven guineas wero charged for tho law diploma, and additional to that he had to pay £15 or £20 to bo admitted to practice. Dr. Fitchett seconded the motion. Mr. yon Haast gave a list of fees charged at other universities. Mr. Baume asked for too great a redaction. If, however, tho fees wero too high, students would be content with their professional examinations alone. Ho would move, as an amendment, that the matter should be referred to the Finance Committee. ¦Rev. Mr. Cameron seconded the amendment. ¦ ' Hoii. Mr. Tole did not think 'there waa any popular outcry for reduction. The senate's finances could not stand this reduction. Mr. Cohen supported the motion. r ihi4 chancellor wondered what tho senate would do if the fees were icduccd all round. It was like a, man accumulating wealth for a son to di-;-. sipato. Fees in agriculture and mctiiciiio were far heavier than- thbso for Professor J. Macmillan Brown said ho wonted lo protsct tha legal gentlemen from themselves. Tf the fee& were reduced, there would be numbers tof ¦ unemployed lawyers in tha community. He would bo quito eatisfied if the proposal came beforo the Finance Committee-. Mr. Gordon objected strongly to tho proposal as invidious. . Professor Shand thought the matter could bo settled this year. There was no great profit on tho Jaw examination. ¦In fact there had 'been a considerable loss. ' Mr. yon Haast asked leave to withdraw tho amendment. Agreed. Mr. Baunre eaid ho would reply in ihe sentence from Dr. Starr Jordan's rpport, "Taxation of university students was the most oppressive of all taxation." Tho motion" was lost o*l the voices