Established 1866. The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Thursday, October 2, 1902. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF WEALTH.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVI, Issue 230, 2 October 1902, Page 2

Established 1866. The Marlborough Express. PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING. Thursday, October 2, 1902. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF WEALTH.

At the last meeting of the Council of the Victoria University College, Wellington, the Chairman, the Rev. W. A. Evans, expressed a hope and a belief that when once the new college building were in course of erection donations would doubtless be forthcoming from the wealthier and more public-spirited citizens of Wellington which would be available for the erection of special lecture halls or other additions to the University buildings. We only hope that the optimism of Mr Evans may be justified by events. In the past the wealthy citizens of Wellington have been singularly " backward in coming forward" with financial assistance to their local institutions. With the exception of a handsome donation made to the Wellington Free Library by the late Mr Levin we can remember no instance of any liberal private gift to a public institution in the Empire City. In Dunedin, Christchurch and Auckland very generous gifts have been made to local institutions by wealthy residents of these cities. In Dunedin within the last three months a sum of nearly £5000 has been subscribed by the public for the purpose of making additions to the University buildings, but Wellington has always acted upon the principle of getting as much as it can out of the Government, whilst never displayiug any public generosity on its own account. Tbe Victoria University College affords a most worthy object for the exhibition of private liberality on the part of citi zens who have amassed large fortunes in the capital city of the colony. The College Council has asked the Government for the sum of £30,000 for tbe purpose of erecting and furnishing suitable buildings, but so far the Government has not seen fit to grant more than half that amount. Later on, we hope that an additional sum of £15,000 will be voted, but with the ever present and ever-increasing demands for new roads and bridges the Government cannot, it may be, spare such a large sum as £30,000 for University buildings in any one centre; and, even were Ministers to put such a sum on the Estimates, it is very doubtful whether the amount would not be reduced by the House, which, in secondary education, is apt to err on the side of undue economy. Now is the time, therefore, foe private liberality to supplement the parliamentary grant. We trust that the good example set by the citizens of I?unedin w^l be copied by the wealthy merchants pf Wellington, and that the operations of the Middle District University College will not be cramped or the cause of University education in Wellington sufer through the economy > necessary and proper, which the Government has seen fit to exercise.