OTAGO UNIVERSITY.

Evening Star, Issue 12732, 5 August 1907, Page 4

OTAGO UNIVERSITY.

Tho ordinary meeting of tho Council was held this afternoon; present—Dr Shand (presiding) and Messrs L. Harris, John Roberts, D. Stewart, Dr Hocken, Professor Sale, tho Rev. W. Hcwitson, the Rev. A. Cameron, and Dr Church. The F : nanco Committee recommended that, accounts amounting to £1,237 18s bo passed for payment. The total receipts amounted to £1,075 15s Bd, and the credit baiauce at the batik was £449 14s Id. The expenditure on the Dental School was £731 19s lOd, and tho Committee recommended that the sum of £378 14s 7d, capital moneys remaining in the current account, bo invceted as soon as passable.—The report was adopted, the investment of the surplus funds to bo left in tho hands of Dr Shaud and Mr Roberts.

The Committee set up to confer with Dr Batchelor regarding the Maternity Hospital reported recommending that a fee of £1 Is be charged tor each student atr tending at tho Houpital; that a 6uiu of £25 be annually set aiiidc bv tho Council for tho purchase of materials used by the students, this sum to be donated to tho Hospital and Charitable Aid Board in aid of the Maternity Hospital; I hat'the rcgulations regaiding the hospital submitted by Dr Batchelor be approved of.— Adootod.

The Auditor-General wrote stating thai he considered that the Council had no legal authority to pay the fares of country members travelling into town by rail to attend Council meetings.—Received. Messrs Smith, MacGregor, and Cowrote forwarding tho deed of trust in connection with Dr Hocken's collection for the approval of the Council, and suggesting one or ti\ alterations in the agreement as originally drawn out. —Mr D. Stewart raised the question of the amount ol maintenance which the Council would be called upon to pay annually on account of upkeep and repass. He was of opinion thai this cost shoul(Lbe Iwrno by the City Council, not by the University. He explained that he had no wish to balittlc the value of the gift: it was its magnificence and value that made him desirous of seeing it properly cared for. —Dr Hocken said that the apparent unwillingness of tho bodies interested to expend the amount necessary every year for the proper care of tho collection astonished and amazed him, particularly in view of the amount that hud been so generously subsciibod by the public for the initial cost of housing the collection. It appeared a case similar to that in which a man refused a valuable jewel because he was unwilling to pay for a suitable setting. Had he not offend tho collection to tho City of Dunedin ho would have had not the sligutest difficulty in disposing of it elsewhere.—i Members apparently deplored tho discussion that had arisen ; the amount neceasarv for tins upkeep of tho collection was small compaicd with tho educative value of tho gift. The time, also, was not opportune for raising the question of upkeep. That should have been brought up when it was resolved to add to the Museum and p'aco the collection there.—After some further discussion it was resolved that the deed, submitted by the solicitors, bo approved of.—The Rev. Mr Hewitson suggested that as the University Council had accepted the trust of the collection a committee of the Council should bo set up to confer with the City Council relative I to the proper housing and upkeep of tin collection.

(Left, sitting.)