SCHOOLS OF MINES.

Evening Star, Issue 7484, 31 March 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

SCHOOLS OF MINES.

Professor Black, addressing the committee of the Lawrence Athemcum on this subject on Tuesday, said that the Government had decided to continue the school at Reefton and the school at the Thames, confining the work of mineral chemistry, so far as Government assistance was concerned, to these two places. It had been pointed out to him at Wellington that the cost of maintaining these schools in all mining centres was far too great for the department to bear —that they had cost as much as L 3,000 in one year. This was not correct ; for of the L 3.000, fully two-thirds went in plant, buildings, apparatus, etc., so they would see the expenditure on these things would not be annually recurring. Not more than LI.OOO had been spent out of the L 3.000 in salaries, travelling expenses, etc. When he heard that the Government were willing to give LI,OOO to support the two schools at Recftou and Thames, he proposed that they should increase the amount to L 1,500, and with this sum he undertook to keep schools going all over the colony. On the West Coast the movement had been taken up with great enthusiasm, the school there comprising 1,160 members, each paying a fee. At the Thames equal success had been attained; but, he regretted to say, in Otago, where the movement may be said to have had its birth, the School of Mines was almost extinct. He proposed that independent schools bo established at Waipori, Lawrence, Blue Spur, and Waitahuna, which would in a measure be self-supporting. At Waipori, for instance, they had Ll6 on hand, and this, augmented with LlO from the Government, would give them L 26 towards a teacher. Mr Goodlett had been invited to take up Waipori to start with, the miners there being very anxious to secure his services. As to Lawrence, they had a capital man in Mr George Braik, who was an old pupil of his at the University, and who was fully qualified to take charge of a chemistry class, If the Lawrence Athemuum would subscribe LISa-year, the Government would give another L2O, and this could be devoted to the teacher's salary. They had a sufficient stock of chemicals to last for one year at any rate, so that no further expenditure would be required under this head at present. The session might last for six months in the year. He also proposed that examinations be held onco a year, and that certificates be given. He pointed out that the valuable sheelite and antimony deposits at Waipori had been brought to light mainly through the instrumentality of the School of Mines, In the discussion that followed diverse opinions wero expressed as to the amount of good the local School of Mines was doing, and more than one speaker blamed the miners for the apathy they had shown. Ultimately, on the motion of Mr Brown, M.H.R., it was decided to endorse Professor Black's proposals and to take steps to carry them out.