UNIVERSITY POST.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19567, 21 February 1927, Page 12

UNIVERSITY POST.

PRINCIPAL'S FUNCTIONS. NO PROVISION FOR SALARY. DEFECT. IN THE ACT. MORE LEGISLATION NEEDED. By a strange oversight the New Zealand University Amendment Act of last year, which reconstitutes the university on a federal basis* and incidentally creates the office of principal, makes no provision for the payment of the principal's salary. The University Council on Saturday resolved to ask for amending legislation, arid to. invite applications throughout the Empire for the post as soon as authority had been given by' Parliament. The committee, - on the appointment of a principal reported that the principal was required by the Act to,preside over the Academic Board, and in the absence of the chancellor to preside also at meetings of the University Council. The committee recommended that the principal should also (1) have charge of the university office and officials; (2) have the duty of giving decisions on academic matters riot involving questions of principle hitherto undecided by the council, subject to ultimate review by the chancellor or council as tho University Acts prescribed; and (3) generally offer advico to the council on matters relating to university education. Duties and Salary. As in the opinion of the university's legal adviser, the council had no power to appoint a salaried or paid principal, the committee recommended that the Minister ■ if Education should bo asked to have the Act amended accordingly. It expressed -'the opinion that the salary to be offered bould he not- less than £1250, per annum. It recommended that in tho event of the Act being amended as recommended the position should be advertised in Great 'Britain/ Australia and New Zealand, and that steps should be taken to bring the proposed appointment under tho notice of the universities of the Empire through tho Hhiversities' Bureau. 1 ■- Mr. T. Iv. Sidey, convener' of the committee,' said' that the list of duties was not necessarily complete. Probably experience would be needed before the full scope ;of the principal's work' could be determined. It was possible that further ■ legislation, dealing with the constitution of the. university colleges, would be intro- , duced into Parliament this year. In the present state of the law the principal would have no administrative control over the colleges. The latter were naturally jealous of their independence, but the principal, even if he had no control, might nevertheless be of much service. A great deal would depend-upon the man selected, Mr. H. D. Acland moved that the re-, fefence to salary should be deleted. Seyeral members objected to this on the ground that steps must be taken to make the, appointment immediately authority was received, from Parliament to pay the salary, They held that if nothing were decided about salary there, would be delay. Mr.; Acland's proposal was lost, .and the report was adopted, with dn amendment- by Mr. T. U. Wells that the suggested salary be not less than £ISOO. . Constitutional Questions. The committee set up to consider the new constitution. in its first report stated that - amending legislation was needed to deal with a number of points. As under the constitution there-were now no-recognised or affiliated,institutions, the council should be empowered by legislation'to accept for the time being certi-f ficates in subjects for the degree of bachelor of , agricultural science from the New Zealand College of Agriculture and Canterbury Agricultural College. 1 This was adopted, except for the reference to the two agricultural colleges, which was deleted. The committee recommended that the 1926 Act should be amended to provide that Canterbury Agricultural College should be a part of Canterbury University College and that the New Zealand College of Agriculture should he deemed a part of Auckland University College, and of Victoria .University. College. This was agreed to, the matter having bejm previously discussed by the council. It was further resolved, on the committee's recommendation, to suggest that the constitution-should be amended so as to permit the creation of new.degrees not now provided for. It was agreed, after discussion, that the chancellor should, as far as possible, perform the duties of .vice-chancellor, pending the appointment of tho principal.