MEN OF WEALTH

Evening Star, Issue 21945, 4 February 1935, Page 3

MEN OF WEALTH

TRUSTEES FOR POORER BRETHREN CARNEGIE'S THEORY EXEMPLIFIED BY TRUSTS The Carnegie Trusts are the second largest, and in some respects the most remarkable group of charitable foundations in the world, Andrew Carnegie’s theory of wealth is summed up in the following sentence:—“This then is held to be the duty of the man of wealth; to set an example of modest, unostentatious living, shunning display and extravagance; to provide moderately for those dependent on him; and, after doing so, to consider all surplus revenues which come to him simply as trust funds, which he is called upon to administer . . . the man of wealth thus becoming the mere trustee and agent for his poorer brethren.’’

In this spirit he founded four trusts in the United Kingdom and five in the United States of America. In the United Kingdom there are the Trust for the Universities of Scotland, the Hero Fund Trust, the Dunfermline Trust, and the United Kingdom Trust. The trusts in the United States are the Carnegie Institute of Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Institute of Washingon, Hero Fund Commission, the Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Endowment for International Peace, and the Corporation of New York. The aims of the United Kingdom Trust and the Carnegie Corporation of New York are analagous. _ .They seek to promote adult education in the widest sense of the term, to make accessible to the public at large the cultural resources of the community, and especially to finance carefully-devised pioneer experiments for which, without practical demonstration, State subsidies, and private liberality cannot be expected. . GRANTS TO DOMINIONS. It is the Carnegie Corporation of New York, and not the United Kingdom trust, in which New Zealand is interested. This is the largest in size and scope of all the Carnegie foundations, its capital being 135,000,000d01. At the outset it existed for the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding among the people of the United States, but in 1917 its scope was extended to include the British colonies, 10,000,000d0l of its capital being set aside for this purpose. It may spend its large revenue through the other five American trusts or through any other suitable channels. Its policy is in fact, fluid, the founder having said in the deed: “ Conditions upon the earth inevitably change ... I give my trustees full authority to change policy or causes hitherto aided when this, in their opinion, lias become necessary or desirable.” The corporation has made large grants to universities • for endowments and buildings, made large appropriations in ■ the _. interests of library training and service, has carried on a programme including the encouragement of adult education, fine arts, modern languages, and engineering education. i

The total amount paid out last year for the British dominions and colonies was including 250,000d0l for the continuation of the Australian Council of Educational Research and the establishment of a similar institution in New Zealand, an amount of 136,250d0l was set aside for British Empire surveys of workers’ education and museum development, and, following conferences in London in 1933, 166,500 dollars were allocated for scientific research in the British Empire. WORK IN DOMINIONS. “To an ever-increasing degree the programme of the corporation in the British dominions and colonies can best be understood in connection with its programme in the United States, rather than as a series of separate enterprises,” states the fast annual report of the corporation. “ This is particularly true in respect to library and museum activities, adult education, the arts, and educational and scientific'inquiry. The manner of approach,, the degree of. Government participation and control, and other factors may be quite different, but fundamentally the objectives are the same, and the* similarities between corresponding activities in the United States and in the British Empire outweigh the differences. ’

“ There are, of course, exceptions, to this statement. Certain fields of interest 'are adequately financed in the United States by other foundations, but these foundations cannot operate in the British Empire, and the Corporation occasionally finds its best opportunity to be useful in connection with some enterprise which is un related to the programme in the United States. As an example, we can take the extension programme in domestic science in New Zealand, or the creation of temporary opportunities in Canada and elsewhere for professors exiled from Germany.

“ In its dealings with the separate dominions and self-governing colonies, the • Corporation can rely upon local initiative arid upon local direction, control, and report. In the Crown colonies, on the other hand, this is very seldom possible, and in connection with these, and also ■in other matters affecting one or more dominion, the Corporation has, after consultation with the Carnegie United Kingdom Trust, turned to agencies at the heart of the Empire. ■ FINANCIAL ASPECT. “ For some years the Corporation has been expending in the British dominions and colonies programme not only the current incomes of the endowment set aside for this purpose, but also balances carried over from earlier years. . . . These balances have now been reduced to 850,000d01, and it is obvious that the Corporation must promptly return to its normal scale of annual expenditure. “ It may be said that the grants of the Corporation in the British dominions and l colonies as a rule receive greater public attention than_ those made in the United States. This may be accounted for in part by the relative absence of other foundation support, in part also by the freshness of the field, for in many instances the dominions provide virgin soil for the application of modern techniques of inquiry (as, for example, in the case of the Poor White Study in South Africa), but it is also a tribute

to the care and intelligence shown by tlie various local bodies in the selection of enterprises to bo recommended to the corporation and in the supervision of such enterprises.” LAST YEAR’S ALLOCATIONS. Among the appropriations of the corporation last year were the following amounts oi special interest to New Zealand:—s,ooodol for a survey of New Zealand libraries; 52,500c101, payable in various amounts, 1934-39, for home science activities in New Zealand; 12,500d01, payable in various amounts, 1933-38, to Maori Purposes Board for education in arts and crafts; 30,000d01. payable in varying amounts, 1933-38, University of New Zealand; 2,500d0] for adult education, libraries in New Zealand; 63,000d0l for museum development in the British dominions and colonies; 20,000c10l for arts teaching equipment in secondary schools in the British dominions and colonies, to be allocated ; 5,000d0l each to Auckland University College and Victoria University College for sets of equipment for arts teaching; 87,500d0l in New Zealand Council of Educational Research (support of research 70,000d01, payable 14,000d0l annually, 1933-38, general expenses, 3,500d01, payable annually. 1933-38; 14,500d0l for plant research station, Palmerston North, New Zealand; 7,000d0l for the oi Scientific and Industrial Research, New Zealand; 50,000d01, exchange of visits between the United States and the British dominions and colonies.