UNIVERSITY FUNDS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19275, 13 March 1926, Page 14

UNIVERSITY FUNDS.

VERY FEW PRIVATE GIFTS. APPEAL BY THE PRESIDENT. MUCH LEEWAY TO MAKE UP. The necessity for benefactions to the Auckland University College was made plain by its president, Hon. George Fowlds, at tho opening of the Arts Building yesterday. Mr. Fowlds showed that the College Council had received about £IB,OOO in gifts toward tho cost of the building, and approximately £120,000 in grants and subsidies from the Government, leaving about £12,000 still to be found. "With regard to the question of finance," said Mr. Fowlds, "this college and, in fact, all the other New Zealand university colleges, are a long way from receiving grants sufficient to allow it, or them, to function fully and to be of as great assistance to the public as a university should be and as wo desire it to be. The recent commission on university education pointed out such matters as tho lack of funds for research and the need of the immediate strengthening of all college libraries. The aim of this college is not only to turn out good graduates, but also to keep in touch with the business community and the general public, and to be of practical use to them. I his is possible only if our science departments are adequately financed for research. A Call for Generosity. "The total cost of the buildings we are opening to-day, including furniture and equipment, will be about £150,000. 'loward that amount we have received from tho Government in grants and subsidy on voluntary contributions approximately £120,000. Wo have received from local institutions and citizens contributions totalling approximately £IB,OOO. "This means that we are still some thousands of pounds short, and we have a large programme of very necessary buildings and extensions to face in the near future, but we rely with perfect confidence on the well-proved generosity of the Auckland public to respond liberally when we come to it with our appeal. Although Auckland yields' place to no city or province in respect to public generosity and civic piride, it has yet, in comparison with the Southern cities, a great amount of leeway to make up in regard to financial contributions to its university college." List of the Contributions. The contributions xeferred to by .Mr. Fowlds are as follow': — £ s. d. Auckland Savings Bank .. 10,000 0 0 Auckland City Council . .. '2,000 0 0 A.U.C. Students' Association - 1,800 0 0 Dr. T. W, Leya 1,000 0 0 Sir Henry Brett .. .. 1,000 0 0 Sir Arthur Myers . .. 1,000 0 0 Smith and Caughey 500 0 0 Mrs. Wilson .. ■. .. 50" ® 9 TSJilson and Horton., Ltd. .. 250 0 0 dolletre Staff .. •• 121 2 0 District Court of Convocation . 106 15 0 D. Mv Dingwall . . . . - 100 0 0 N.Z. Dental Association .. 10 10 0 Auckland Rotary Club .. .. 10 0 0 St. Mary's High School . 5 5 0 £18,153 12 0