THE New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, MAY 17, 1907. THE UNIVERSITY QUESTION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13490, 17 May 1907, Page 4

THE New Zealand Herald. AND DAILY SOUTHERN CROSS. FRIDAY, MAY 17, 1907. THE UNIVERSITY QUESTION.

We ask the attention- of the public of Auckland to the convincing' 'arguments advanced by - the Students' Association on behalf of a new University College building in the Metropolitan Grounds. 'In the 'letter signed by their president and secretary which we publish this morning the students succinctly demonstrate that it is quite impossible to carry on the university work with _ efficiency in the antiquated and inadequate building' now in use, and clearly prove that the Metropolitan Grounds are a public reserve and not an integral part of the Government House ' property. That' this site is the most advantageous for the purpose that can possibly be obtained we have repeatedly, urged. We again repeat that it would be quite detrimental to the work, of , a popular university to place it! away from the centre of our transit systems, and that the authorities are thus compelled, if they desire to give the best possible opportunities to : our young men ' and women, to obtain a site within easy reach of the main thoroughfare of the. , city. The . Metropolitan Grounds :; possess every advantage ' and not.a single drawback, for we decline to consider that the erection of a noble university building in the vicinity of Government House can in any way interfere with the comfortable use of that .vice-regal residence. Nor is it respectful to so underestimate the public spirit -1 of our New Zealand Governors as to think .that they would wish to hold as an occasional grazing paddock a piece of public land which is SO peculiarly fitted for such an educational purpose, and which. is not, \ as the . students show, an actual part of the Government House; grounds. Close to the convergence of the various tramway lines; near the railway station . and the ferries convenient to Museum, Library, Art Gallery, Law : Courts, Park, and Domain; commandingly situated and at the ; same ; time retired from the bustle of commercial streets; the Metropolitan Grounds cannot be i in; any ; way equalled for the proposed purpose. The only possibility of better situation would be found in a confiscation of park land, and we are sure that the students would be the first to agree with ;, us that not for any purpose whatever, either police court or university building, should a single inch of our far too scanty park space be] taken from. the citizens of Auckland. [The Metropolitan Grounds have

never been publicly used, although i ! Crown property, and may with en- < I tire consistency and without any ] | hesitation be dedicated to a Unxver- i sity College. . . I 1 The need for prompt and decisive 1 action in the matter cannot be too < urgently impressed upon the public, Money is now available wherewith;] to" commence the erection of 'a ; ere- i ditable building, and if the site sug- i gested were obtained a few J months ought to see the work in hand. There is nothing to be gained by our enlarging upon ; the plain statement of the existing university conditions put forward by the Students' Association: We may very properly say that these conditions are a disgrace to Auckland Province and reflect very little credit upon anybody connected with them. We are all very fond of proclaiming our devotion to the cause of education and of debating the rival merits of the classical and the scientific sides. But , neither the authorities nor the public, ', nor the students ■<■: nor the. Govern: ment, seem to be able and willing to ; take the bull by the horns and put right what we all know and recognise to be disgracefully wrong. If the students* will only take up the question with the zest and ardour j they pleasantly display on cappingday we may soon see a change in the situation. For as far as can be seen all that is wanted is for some j representative body to galvanise in-! to active life the universal feeling that something ought to,, be done. j And: "while,." something "is being done we maintain that it is just, as easy to do it well as to. do it badly, just as easy to obtain a fine building upon-a central site and with suitable surroundings as to waste energy and money upon an ugly edifice out in the suburbs. For if a university is to fulfil its mission it must become a fountain of culture in the broadest meaning of the term. We do , not want to turn out, from dingy classrooms, round-shouldered students who will . have neither the physical strength nor the mental equipoise to make the fullest use of the knowledge they have gained at the public expense and for the public good. Without sufficient recreation ground, so situated that spare half-hours can be employed in the health-giving athletics without which health is impossible, our -most diligent students must necessarily ; fare worst, ; to the depreciation of their talents and the future loss of the State. . And we can entirely and unreservedly agree , with the contention that a university college should not only afford , adequate accommodation for instruc- ' tion, but should "present to the '. eye a symbol of the greatness of the ' institution." ~v: That community is poor indeed which houses individuals in mansions and the arts and ! sciences, in hovels, which can spare . hundreds of thousands for gambling but grudges magnificence to its pub- ■ lie buildings. If Aucklanders are indeed "citizens- of no mean city "■ they will; see to it that the crowning ' edifice of their educational, system is represented by a building which can be pointed to with pride and 'which rears itself in-some; such central locaI tion as the Metropolitan Grounds. |