CLASSED AS ABSURD.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 25 January 1929, Page 5

CLASSED AS ABSURD.

UNIVERSITY CHANCELLOR’S CHARGES.

DEPARTMENTAL REPLY

(By Telegraph—Press Association.)

WELLINGTON, Jan. 24. The Department of Education lias made an official reply to the Chancellor of the New Zealand University who, in his address at the opening of the council's annual meeting, made an attack on the late Government, for what he described as “removing the fixed annual subsidy instead of increasing it,’ and for “socialising the slowly increasing scholarship fund at the very moment- when funds, were needed most'.”

The Chancellor also spoke of the mutilation of the finances and State interference with the liberty of the University as one of the greatest disasters to the education of the country. He said the University would be on the verge of bankruptcy and would be in danger of becoming absorbed by the Education Department. As the result of bureaucratic curtailment of privileges and liberties of local bodies the spirit of generosity would be annihilated and disastrous results would follow.

Last year says the department, the Government found it necessary to provide additional assistance for "the professors and to strengthen the staffs of the University colleges and increased the grants to these institutions by about £IO,OOO per annum. The total income of the University institutions from Government sources, including endowment income but excluding grants for buildings, amounted to many thousands and is now nearing £200,000 mark.; The income of the New Zealand Uni-, versity for 1927, including a Government grant of £3845, Was £35,144, while the expenditure was £4292 less than that sum and this expenditure includes nearly £BOO for administration. At the same time the University has accumulated funds of over £71,000 not £32,000 as mentioned by the Chancellor) and these funds are being rapidly increased. Clearly, no Government should load the present taxpayer to provide funds to build up large capital sums so that posterity would be relieved of its responsibility. It was, therefore, decidjed not to deprive the University of its (subsidy as the Chancellor states but to allow Parliament to vote annually the sum that was considered, necessary, and as a matter of fact the reduction in the grant for the current year is only £961.

The difficulty in the past has been get the New Zealand' University to function and to exercise any control over its department of the education of th© country beyond acting as a mere examining body for degrees. To charge the Government with usurping the powers of the University, with mutilating its finances and with interfering with its liberty merely be-

•ause its income is reduced by 3 per lent, is too absurd for serious consideration.

The department has no desire to interfere with the University so long as it will assume reasonable and effective control of its work.