UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO.

Evening Star, Issue 25419, 26 February 1945, Page 6

UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO.

TO THE EDITOB. • -, ! Sir, —I was very pleased to read “ Looking . Forward’s ” timely- letter. Most people will agree that the retiring Chancellor, Mr W. J. Morrell, has rendered good service to the University of Otago', ■ but surely it is a reflection upon the business and professional men in- this city that it should have, been necessary to ask Mr Morrell, a man in his later seventies, to carry on for so long. Presumably his resignation would not now have been accepted bad he not been an extremely sick man. We have been told upon innuriierable 'occasions that the University is the . largest enterprise in the city. We learn that our University has been suffering for years because of insufficient staff, poor salaries, inequitable superannuation' schemes, and other .drawbacks, not the least of which is the deplorable shortage, of accommodation for students in this city. May I suggest that some of these things 'may have been tackled and rectified years ago had the members of the University Council been younger and more progressive? It would be interesting to learn how many members of the council, are over 65 'years of I age, and whether any members are under 50 years. I cannot help thinking that the late Sir John Roberts did a great disservice to this city when he established a record of, I think, 60 years as a director of the Mosgiel Woollen Company. Far too many directors of Dunedin’s commercial enterprises seek to emulate this record, with the result that we see the “lame, halt, and blind” being renominated to directorships and otherboards whenever the occasion arises. This Dunedin custom is largely responsible for our lack of enterprise. Young business and professional men in this city are eager .to show their ability, but what chance have they whilst the present custom continues? ' Must we wait for a war to show the latent leadership ability in our midst, or is Dunedin, going to continue to provide executive heads for the leading businesses in the north?

I warmly support “ Looking Forward ” in the hope that the new Chancellor will not be appointed hurriedly, and that a man of the calibre of Dr F. G. Soper (probably the . youngest man on the University Council) will be seriously considered. His vision, .wellbalanced judgment, tact, and driving force would do much to develop and bring added prestige to our beloved University. It would be necessary for him to receive added assistance in his department so that he could devote two of three hours daily to. the work of the Chancellor, but this would be more than recouped in. other affections. No person who is already overburdened by a big job can do justice to the chairmanship of an organisation as large and important as the University of Otago.—l am, etc., Son of a Pioneer. February 23. TO THE EDITOB. Sir, —I desire to add to the letter written by “ Looking Forward.” It might be deduced from your correspondent’s letter that there was- a close analogy between the retirement: of the Hon. J. A. Hanan, Chancellor of the University of New Zealand/' and the resignation of Mr W. I J. Morrell/ as Chancellor of the University of Otago. The Hon., J. A; Hanan, displaying his customary breadth of view, retired at the height of his powers, leaving a vacancy for another to fill; On the other hand, Mr Morrell still retains his seat on the Council of the University of Otago and the University Senate. It seems a great pity that any body should have members whose attendance may be, to say the least, irregular. It is manifest that the University Council have many problems to solve immediately, problems that concern the well-being of the University of Otago for perhaps 20 years or more. I do not believe that ‘ brilliant success will attend their efforts if they are hampered by absentee members.—l am, etc., Afraid to Look Forward. February 23. BRIGHTON PICTURES. TO THE EDITOR. ' Sir, —Please allow me space for comment on the picture show which we hare to suffer in Brighton. We pay.ls 6d for a show that breaks down every 10 minutes, and. if it is not broken the picture is silent. Then, when it breaks down, there are several'feet of film cut out each time, so. by the time it is all over you have paid to see only half of the programme. It is the only pleasure the old, people have to go to, also the youiig people of the district. I would like to ask if it would be possible for those who run the pictures to charge less or find some other way of fixing the matter up,, as the present state of things is a disgrace.—l am, etc., Fair Thing.

February 22. [The management regrets that one machine developed a fault on Feb. 17, and was made worse by a repair being attempted -while the . picture was in progress. Under war conditions. replacements and skilled labour are difficult to obtain. In addition to this the operating 'box has been broken into on several occasions and damage done to delicate machinery. In future this trouble will be put in the hands of the police.—Ed. E.S.]