COMMERCIAL EDUCATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 12784, 7 February 1905, Page 6

COMMERCIAL EDUCATION.

4> . THE EXPERIENCE OF ADELAIDE. [by ti;lki;bai'H. OWN COnRKSPONDEKT.] CrmisrcHCKfiH, Monday.. The Tress, in an article on the ntroduction of the teaching of commerce in the University of New Zealand, says:-— decision of the Auckland College Council to establish a school of commerce gives special interest to the scheme which has been in operation in the Adelaide University for v sonic three years. As long ago as 1901 that university and the local Chamber of Commerce instituted independent inquiries into the teaching of higher commercial education in other countries, and as a result a Board of Commercial Education was set up by the University Council, who placed thereon the president and vice-president of < the Chamber. The Board as now constituted comprises, among others, three professors, a banker, two accountants, and a merchant, nil leading men in their respective classes, its programme is divided into two partsjunior commercial education and senior commercial certificates. Every candidate in the former examination must pass in .commercial arithmetic, commercial geography, book-keeping, and business correspondence, failure, in any one of these subjects carrying rejection in all. ; The examination for the'seuior certificate is a much more serious affair. Candidates are required to attend lectures at the University on business practices, accountancy, commercial law,= economies, and commercial history, banking and exchange, and commercial geography and technology. The course covers four years,' and the total lecture and examination fees amount to loss than £15 paid in instalments during the course, so that, the charges'cannot bear heavily . on anyone. The teaching staff exhibits a combination of professional and amateur cciucationalism. Thus, while Professor Salmond, formerly of New Zealand, tires on commercial law and another professor on economics and commercial history, banking exchange is dealt with by a gentleman who was for many years a prominent bank manager, and the University librarian has charge of commercial geography. Leading business men also help m the" examinations—the general manager of the Bank of Adelaide in banking, and a member of an important mercantile firm in business practice, while a prominent accountant assists in the examinations in accountancy. The lectures arc well attended, mainly by clerks who take up the subjects in which they are most interested, for it is not necessary to take, all th« subjects, certificate* being granted in any one of;them. The business men of Adelaide, who have so heartily supported the whole scheme, give proof of the faith that is in them by displaying a preference for holders of certifiv eates when filling, vacancies on their staffs.