DOUBLE DUTY TO STATE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16502, 30 March 1917, Page 5

DOUBLE DUTY TO STATE.

TEACHER PREFERS TO FIGHT COLLEGE APPEAL NOT GRANTED. [by telegraph. --OWV CORHE.NPOVPFNT ' nUNEDIN, Thursday A.v appeal wa.- mad-. to-day to the Otaro Military Service board by tho T>v. Andrew Cameron, Chancellor of Iho University of Ota jo, fc; the exemption til the end of October of Thomas' Duega-i Adams, professor of Latin and Greek, who had voluntaiily enlisted. Mr. Adamswanted to go, si'd Mr. Cameron, but was prepared to stay if the council desired i:, and obtained exemption. Tho Chairman, Mr. IT. V, Wuldowson, S.M. : If I enlisted .nothing would stop me. Mr. E. Eellett, a, member of the board It seems a peculiar position to take up. Mr, Cameron said the council was a ,. ( . 1112 in the public interest. Mr. Adam, had thought it better to enlist rather than to be called up. Efforts had been ma-ie, ,as , far back as a year ago, to obtain a substitute, but it had been found imnr*. sible. It was not altogether a question of Mr. Adams and th- 1 university, but it largeh affected teaching m the secondary schools. hi all. Mr. Adams had' 52 students: front those students would come the teachers in the secondary schools. If teachers were to tea-h English and other modern languages they must have had a thorough grounding :'n Latin.

Empire Claim Greatest. j The Chairman: It seem? a- sweeping ! thing to fay. hut cannot honors stand | over for a. year? These are times for i alteration of the regulations. if it ho I necessary for the good of the Empire. The I university could give honors in another | way. i Replying to Captain Free, the military j representative. Mr. Cameron said : There j is a large number of graduates in New j Zealand who have passed with honors. I The senate knew it could not find a man in the Dominion to take Mr. Adams's place. Mr. A. D. Bell, a member of the board : j Then you wish -us to understand that, after I the university has taught Latin for 40 I years, there is nobody in the community with the necessary combination of patriotj ism and learning to take the place of a I professor for a few months. Mr. Cameron: Only those who have kept up their studies: would be capable of imparting the knowledge. Mr. Kellett: Pardon my ignorance, hut if that is the case what is the use of it? Impartial Guidance Sought. Mr. Adams said that when he enlisted i he knew the needs of the university, and | also the needs of the Empire, but he conI sidered it his duty to leave the question ! of the relative need to an impartial triI bunal. Asked for his personal opinion, Mr. Adams said he would much prefer to co jto the trenches at the earliest possible j moment, but he had wished to avoid sav- | ing anything that would influence the ' board in its decision. His assistant, a [ young lady, would possiblv be able to I carry on under a modified programme. Her students could take honors. The chairman said the board recognised that it was not composed of men in the high ranks of education and science, but j tbev were competent as a board to deal with the matter. The board was of opinion that it should make no recommendation that would interfere between Mr. Adams's desire and his military service. Mr. Adams would not to into camp ■until May 30, and probably some arrangements could be made by that time to carry on till the end of the term in October.