OTAGO SCHOOL OF MINES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14144, 20 August 1909, Page 6

OTAGO SCHOOL OF MINES.

INCREASED GRANTS WANTED. [BY TELEGRAM!. association.] DtrNSDiN, Thursday. A deputation waited .an Mr. R. McKenzie this morning, in order to bring under his notice several matters concerning the Otago School of Mines. Mr. Sidey, who introduced the deputation, asked that the Government subsidy, which had been reduced from £750 to £500 last year, be again increased to the former amount. The next point referred to was that of equipment. The sum of £5000 voted for the building had all been spent in construction, and £600 was required to adequately equip the school. The deputation also brought up the matter of the underground requirements, and urged that graduates of mining schools and holders of diplomas be exempted from two years' service underground. Reference was also made to scholarships. lb appears that the Government offered four scholarships of £50 each—two to the North Island, one to the West Coast, and one to Otago, but the Otago one was a dead letter, because there was no Government mining school to take it up.

The Minister, after stating that the. Otago School of Mines was probably the best in the Dominion, said he felt inclined to assist in getting the subsidy back to £750. As for equipment for applied mechanics and applied electricity, he would be willing to assist if Parliament would vote the money. The question of reducing time underground had been many times before the Mines Committee, and they never listened to the proposal. He found throughout mining districts that miners considered five years necessary. He agreed with them that there ought to bo a distinction made between the time required for mineral mining and that for coal mines. If men from other parts were admitted here, after only three years' experience, he would try to have an understanding arrived at s» that either they should be brought up to the status required here, or that ours should ho brought down to put our men on an equal footing, but any attempt to bring down the standard would be strongly opposed by every mine in New Zealand. As for the scholarship regulations, he would see what could be done without altering the general regulations.

The new School of Mines building was opened by,, the Minister in the afternoon.