SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXI, Issue 15451, 1 November 1910, Page 4

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING.

THE- STAFF AND SALARIES

At the meeting of the Board o. Governors of Canterbury College yesterday Mr L. B. Wood moved— * that a special committee bo sot up to report to the Board on the follows _ matters, connected with the Engineer |jj School: (u) The positions and en ara - Cj the members of the stall; (b) revision o the prospooius the school. He said tint recently it had come to his knowledge that Olio of the hardest worked teachers in the School of Engineering had been badly treated, and he could not help thinking that it was done in ignorance of members of the Boaid as to tho internal working of the school. It was one of tho departments under tho control of tho Board, and tho Board had to confess tho most lamentable ignorance of tlie school. The members knew nothing of the duties allotted to each member of the staff. They knew something, but not what they ought to know, of tho work of eight out of tho ten masters connected with tho school. There wero four teachers on tho staff known to tho Board as demonstrators, who ranked bolow a professor in status. Wero those demonstrators not entitled to a higher status and salaries? There was no doubt that tho Board, te a great extent, although it displayed much business aptitude in dealing with all tlie other ’departments of the College, seemed to fail altogether when it came to tho School of Engineering. The Board could come as closely into touch with that institution as with tho School of Art and the other departments under its control. In regard to the second part of the motion, ho understood from the Registrar that that subject was being dealt with, and ho would ask leave to withdraw it. Mr C. Opie seconded tho motion. Ho said that although ho did not go ns far as Mr Wood he thought that something should be done. lie was afraid that in the School of Engineering there was a good deal of retrogression, owing largely to overlapping. If a special committee was set up it might lead to some improvement. Mr J. L. Scott said that the motion, if passed, would be tantamount to a vote of want of confidence in tho committee that was in charge of the school. Tt was not correct to state that members of the Board were ignorant of tho internal working of the school. Outside of his position ns chairman of tho committeo lie had a good deal of knowledge of the internal working of the school. Ho was afraid that Mr Wood had received information that was not quite correct. Tlie chairman (Mr J. C. Adams) said that as chairman of the Board and also as a member of the committee ho had tried to keep in touch with what was boing done at tho School of Engineering. Other members of the Board had kept themselves in touch with the institution.

Mr Wood, in reply, said that if tho committee was appointed lie would ho prepared to substantiate before it tho statements ho had made. Tho motion was lost by a largo majority on tho voices.