The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Thursday, April 21, 1898. THE VICTORIA COLLEGE.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIII, Issue 93, 21 April 1898, Page 2

The Marlborough Express PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Thursday, April 21, 1898. THE VICTORIA COLLEGE.

— ♦ The establishment of a Middle District University College, a college which shall offer more readily accessible means of obtaining higher education for the youth of Wellington, Nelson, Marlborough, Westland, Hawke's Bay, and Taranaki, is. now well on the way to become an accomplished fact. The bill passed by the House last session constituted the new college under the title of the Victoria College, the change of name from Middle District to Victoria being suggested by the fact that last year was the 60th of Her Majesty's reign. According to the bill, the governing Council of the College consists of sixteen members selected as follows : One group of three members nominated by the Governor m Council, that is, by the Government of the day; a group of three elected by members of the Legislative Council and House of Representatives resident m the provinces named above ; and other groups of three eaoh by the graduates of the New Zealand University or by holders of other University degrees ; by the primary school teachers, and by the Education Boards m the said districts. The elections took place recently, and the results of the various polls were made known at Wellington on Monday last. As Marlborough is interested m the College, we may make some brief reference to the composition of the Oounoil which will have m its hands the < very responsible work of setting the new educational machinery m motion. The graduates have elected Sir" Robert Stout, Bishop Wallis, and Mr J. Firth. Sir Robert Stout's long and valuable experience m connection with educational matters renders him a peculiarly suitable person for a seat on the Council, and we look forward to his doing equally good work m Wellington as he has done m the past m connection with the University of Otago at Dunedin. Bishop Wallis is art ex-Oxford don, and Mr Firth, as Principal of Wellington College, is also a man m the right place as a member „of the Conncil. The Parliamentary poll includes the names of Messrs Pirani, Hogg, and Wilson, M's.H.R., Dr Chappie, of Wellington, Mr 0. Prendergasfc Knight, nephew of the Chief Justice and the Rev. Dr Watters, principal of St Patrick's College, Wellington. Of these six gentlemen Dr Watters, Dr Chappie, and Mr C. Wilson have been eleoted. Dr Watters is greatly respected m Wellington, where he has proved himself a most successful organiser of educational work m connection with St Patrick's College. Dr Chappie is a medical man of standing, who takes a deep interest m secondary and technical eduoation ; and Mr C. Wilson, M.H.R., for Wellington suburbs, and a wellknown journalist, was for some years a master at the Wanganui College, one of the best secondary schools m Australasia. The teachers have eleoted Messrs T. R. Fleming, assistant Inspeotor of schools for the Wellington distriot; Mr Clement Watson, 8.A., headmaster of the Willis Street school, Wellington ; and the Rev. W. A. Evans, whose name is well-known m connection with what is called " The forward movement m the Empire City." The three gentlemen representing the Eduoation Board are Mr J. R. Blair, now and for many years past Chairman of the Wellington Board; Mr A. P. Seymour, Chairman of the Marlborough Board, and a gentleman concerning the value of whose service to the oause of education it is unnecessary for us to say anything here; and Mr Bauchope, Chairman of the Taranaki Board. It will be seen that m almost every instance the members of the Council are specially qualified to deal with educational matters, and we may be reasonably certain the first Counoil of the Victoria College will leave no stone unturned to establish the institution on a proper basis. The college is not too heavily endowed and the Council will have to be severely economical at the start. The revenues consist of a yearly grant of £4000 from the colonial exchequer and of other monies, and rents accruing from 4000 acres of Crown v Land m the Wanganui district. We are not aware what proportion of the revenue it is proposed to spend on professors' salaries, but we trust that every effort will be made to secure the best teaching talent that the resources of the college will allow. We look forward to the college becoming a factor of great importance and utility m our social and educational life, and we hope that the Marlborough Education Board may be able at no distant date to offer for competition two scholarships to be taken up by the winners at Wellington. So far we have been unable to ascertain where and how the new college will be housed. There has been, we know, a movement to secure that vast but intensely ugly edifice the Mount Cook gaol, for the purposes of the college, but so far the Government seem to fight rather shy of the proposal. When the council settle down to work and the college gets fairly under weigh we may return to what we consider is a very important subject, namely, the difficulties which present themselves m the path of clever but poor boys and girls m this and other districts outside the big centres, who are anxious, but not financially able to go through the college course of study and win a university degree.