UNIVERSITY OF NEW ZEALAND.

Evening Star, Issue 12726, 1 February 1906, Page 4

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ZEALAND.

MEETING- OF THE SENATE, The Chancellor (Sir Robert Stout) resumed tho chair at 10 a.m, Conferred.— The degree of Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering was conferred on James Ernest Leliot Cull and Thomas Gurney, and the degree of Bachelor of Science m electrical engineering on Charles Henry Croasdaill© Bowen. Y j >lt ' asor whose motion the degrees were conferred, mentioned that these candidates bad preferred to take the degrees mentioned rather than the new degree of B.ii. (Bachelor of Engineering). ih© degrees of Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery were conferred cn Archibald Turner MW Blair, William Elliott Caiswefi, Gabriel Michael Joseph Last, Thomas Of ray, Edward Harold Jeffry Eric Lachlan Marchaut, William Fulton Gertrude Paterson, Thomas Charles Patterson, Hugh Edward Webb and James Thomas Wellington Wilkin Repoets. —Honors and Research— The interim report presented by the Honoro and Research Committee recommended:

Th.it. tie coarse M any subject for honora should be such as to involve at standard,! 3 yeaßß ' Wood the pass 'That this recommendation, be «. *l° prpfessorkil boards of the am hated institutions for suggestions as to carrying it into effect by suitable modihcations ol the requirements for honors. that the present regulations as to doctore degrees be retained. That the scale of marks for Greek snonid not be altered without opening the Whole question of tho scale of marks in aJi subjects. , That in the course for honors in political science, “political economy” b© replaced by “economics” (two papers), and that a candidate be required t6 pass in economics and in any two of tho other subjects in the group. The Committee reminded tho Senate that lost session it adopted a recommendation of the Committee on Economic dealing with the degree of doctor of philosophy, and recommended that tho resolution of last year be canned into effect. The adoption of the report was moved by Professor Maclaurin clause by clause. Considerable discussion took place over the regulations as to doctors’ degrees. Professor J. 11. Brown (Wellington) moved as an amendment—That the doctorate degree be open to all graduates who have taken the master’s degree with the equivalent of first or second class honors. That candidates for the doctorate (a) he exam hied on the branch of knowledge directly connected with the subject of theii thesis. The intention to sit for such an examination is to be signified to tho Senate before the meeting of the Senate previous to the examination, which will be held in November, (b) Present a thesis. The standard of tire thesis will be, as near as may be, that required by the University of London.”

This amendment was seconded tjy Mr G. Hogben. The Chancellor pointed out that under the proposal there would be a long delay—perhaps two years —in obtaining a doctor’s degree, owing to the distance of the examiner from the writer of the thesis.

Professor Sale thought that the proposal entailed a most undesirable cheapening oi the doctor’s degree. Mr Baume said that a thesis appeared to be regarded as an unsatisfactory test for a candidate for a doctor’s degree—it was not regarded with respect. Mr Hay instanced on example of a student writing a thesis on a subject of which the examiners in England had no know ledge. Ho was sure that there would be great difficulty in finding examiners. He did not think that there was any hardship in excluding all but first class honors men from the doctor’s degrees, as the candidate could sit again for first class honors. The amendment was rejected on the voices, and the clause was approved, as was, finally, the rest of the report, —Ad Eundem Degrees.—■ The Ad Eundem Committee recommended : That, having regard to the difficulty of appraising" honors granted by other universities, such honors shall not be recognised, but that graduates admitted to a degree ad eundem shall comply with the regulations of the University of New Zealand as to passing the honors examination before proceeding' to the doctorate decree. That a list of all universities hitherto recognised be inserted in the calendar, and that this list be kept up to date from year to year. That Edward Herbert Mann, a bachelor of arts of the University of London, be admitted to the degree of bachelor of arts in the University of New Zealand. Th;it George William Von Zedlitz, a master of arts of the University of Oxford, be admitted to the degree of master of arts in the- University of New Calami. That tho application of the M.D.C.M. of Manitoba be referred back to the office for further information as to the refused, on the ground that the Universrity; that tho application of the M.A. of .the Wesleyan University, Illinois, be refused, on the ground that the Nnivereity of New Zealand does not- see its way to recognise that university for the purpose of ad eundem. Professor J. R. Brown, in moving the adoption of the report, said if the nature of the degree of an applicant for anad eundem degree were investigated and found satisfactory, such a candidate should be allowed to proceed to a higher degree in tire same course in the University of New Zealand. There was certainly a difficulty in appraising tho value of a degree, but he tbomrht that a i'ttle hardship would be entailed if the first of the Committee-s rcoom-mendatio-ns were insisted on.

The Vice-Chancellor (Hon. C. C. Bowen) moved, as an amendment to the first clause —“ That the graduates of other universities admitted to a degree ad eundem may proceed to the doctorate degree on proof that they have obtained first class honors at a university whose standard for honors is recognised by the university as sufficiently high.” Professor J. Macmillan Brown seconded this amendment, saying that insisting on an examination in connection with ad eundem degrees was paradoxical. Dr M'Dowell said that it would be for the benefit of higher learning in this colony that those in the ad eundem status in New Zealand should be encouraged* to proceed to the doctors’ degree. Professor Sale contended that the most cnyibcnt graduates of Home universities held the masters’ degree only. The doctors’ degree was to a large extent (except in cerschools) a degree of courtesy. There was considerable further discussion, several members of the Senate affirming that the doctors’ degree should not- be cheapened. At length Professor Cook moved the .adjournment of the debate on this clause until next Senate, saying that the matter was a most difficult one to deal with. This course was adopted unopposed. —Ad Eundem Committee.— The report of the Ad Eundem Committee contained a machinery clause altering the enumeration of recognised universities to include any British chartered university, or any British or foreign university recognised by the Senate in connection.'with ad eundem degrees. Professor Brown (Auckland) thought that only British chartered universities should be recognised. The Chancellor thought that if this were. done an. injustice would be done to graduates of universities of \mquestioned standing because they did not hold a British charter. Professor Cook asked if colonial universities would be recognised. The Chancellor presumed that they would. Professor Sale urged that the' Senate should draw up a definite list to assist the Ad Eundem Committee in their work. The list could be added to or amended. The Rev. A. Cameron raid that if such universities as Yale and Harvard or German universities were not recognised, they might retaliate, and not recognise degrees , of the New Zeals nd University. He in- I glanced two New Zealand .graduates .. who- 1

had proceeded to Tale, and who, if Yale had not recognised our degree, would not have been allowed to sit for their degrees at Yale.—(Hear, hear.) ~On the question being put, it was decided not to exclude all foreign universities from -the list of recognised universities. • The rest of the Ad Eundem Conunifctee’s report was adopted. —Law Committee,— The further report presented by the Law Committee stated they had considered the letters from candidates “Race,” “Ravage,” “Pattern,” “Osmium.” “Renown,” “Reply,” “Origin,” and “Recreate,” and had' no recommendation to make. Mr Hav (who moved the adoption of the report) explained that the letters bore on illness during examinations and failure in one subject. The Committee recommended— That a second examination be held in the four principal centres for candidates who may have failed in their final examination in New Zealand law at the previous annual examination, provided that the cost of such additional examination be paid by the candidates applying for the same, v That the definition of jurisprudence in the statute “Honors in Arts” (page 89 of the Calendar) be repealed, and the definition of jurisprudence in the statute “ Honors in Law ” (page 165 of the Calendar) be adopted in lieu thereof. The report recommended that candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Laws, after passing the matriculation examination and keenmg terms for two years, shall pass three university, examinations in November, bnt the first and second examinations shall not be taken in the same year, instead of as heretofore, their being allowed to be taken in any order. In regard to the proposed second examination in law, Mr Hay said that it was not proposed to insist that only those recommended by the examiners should be allowed to sit for a second examination, as was the case in medicine. The report was adopted. —Commerce Committee.—. In their report the Commerce Committee recommended that tie subjects of the second examination shall be—(l) Commercial law (one paper); .(2) statistical method (one paper), including among other things data and forms of returns, tabulation and other forms of reduction of data, averages, etc., the uso of index numbers for the determination of changes in prices or wages, and the commoner forms of statistical fallacy; (3) commercial French or German (one paper); (4) accountancy (two papers); (6) and (6) two of the following subjects: (a) actuarial mathematics (one paper), including graphical methods applied to economic problems, (b) industrial law (one paper), (c) economic history (one paper), (d) currency and banking (one paper). They also recommended the addition of a proviso that a graduate of the New Zealand University in arts or science shall be exempt for examination in this degree from subjects lie has already passed in the arts or science course.

ihe report was adopted practically as submitted. THE. ENGINEERING COURSE. The Engineering Committee presented a report embodying the remoddelling of the engineering course. With a view to obtaining recognition of the engineering deS- rees New Zealand University by the Institution of Civil Engineers, they recommended that every candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Engineering, Meahanical, Kkctrical, and Civil Engineernig must matriculate by passing an engineering preliminary examination, and keeping terms for one year at an affiliated college must pass an engineering entrance examination, and comolete a four-years’ course of study in "the eng!neering school of an affiliated institution. Professor R. J. Scott, who presented the report (afterwards adopted) said that the course would be a five-years’ one, and explained that the course in mining engineering had not been affected by the proposals contained in the report. The subjects for the preliminary engineering examination are - English (including questions in geography and English history), as for medical preliminary examination; arithmetic, as for medical preliminary examination; algebra, as for medical preliminary examination; geometry, as for medical preliminary examination ; French or German, as for medical preliminary examination; and drawing, as for matriculation examination. The subjects for engineering entrance ex--p-minatien are : —Pure mathematics, as for degree of Bachelor of Arts; mechanics, as for degree of Bachelor of Arts; physics, as for the medical intermediate examination; chemistry (inorganic), as for the medical intermediate examination,; and French or German (grammar, composition, and translation), as for the degree of Bachelor of Arts, paper (a) only.. Graduates of the University are not to be compelled to repass in subjects already passed in when Bitting for the engineering degree, nor are students who have obtained honors in a subject required to repass in it.

A number of details of subjects in the various later examinations ax© set forth. The report states that the questions relating to the courses in mining and metallurgical engineering have not been dealt "with by the Committee, as they are of opinion that a modification of these courses is necessary, and that it will be advisable to consult the directors of the Otago and the Auckland School of Mines before making a final report. Professor F. D. Brown, Mr Gordon, Professor R. J. _ Scott, and Professor Shand were appointed a recess committee to deal with this matter, and report to the Senate at the next annual meeting.