UNIVERSITY WORK.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 19798, 19 November 1927, Page 14

UNIVERSITY WORK.

[THE FEDERAL SYSTEM* ENGLISH PROFESSOR'S VIEWS. NEED OF LARGER 1 * LIBRARIES. . Interesting impressions of New Zealand, and more particularly of its universities and their work, were given by Professor A. J. Grant, of Leeds University, at a luncheon at the Auckland University College yesterday, The president, the Hon. G. Fowlds, presided. Professor Grant is to return to England I shortly, having completed a year's exchange lecturing with Professor, J. Hight, of Canterbury College. " After 30 years' teaching in Leeds University, there was one aspect of your university life that interested me very much," Professor Grant said. " I refer to your federal system. I know I touch upon an extremely burning question, but whatever I say on this matter is without any reference to your problems, on which I would not presume to pass an opinion, even were I s.ure that I had an opinion to pass. I was at one time a member of a federated university just as you are members, and before Manchester and Leeds formed their own universities I was a strong advocate of the federal system. I found very considerable advantages to our teaching in it, and I was in the forefront of the resistance to break up the Victoria University system. Although none of the "consequences I anticipated came from the disruption, nevertheless, I still adhere to my previous point of view. " I valued the intercourse and co operation between people teaching the same subject in different universities. I feared as a consequence of doing away with the federal system that we would be cut off, the one from the other. However, other ways have been .found to establish that intercourse, so that many of the disadvantages have not Arisen. The disruption of the federal system led to a tremendous effort to establish greater uniou. The Value of Libraries. -' It is a great pleasure to come back to Auckland after my last visit 14 years ago, when I was shown over the old university, with its depressing architecture, and to find you so delightfully Situated in theso buildings. I believe you will find a real influence from fine buildings upon the teaching and tho wholo spirit of tho college. I was also pleased to find you have made provision for a library, but I wonder if you have made" sufficient preparation for it. " I have often been asked how I would like to have spent my university life here. I can answer that tho idea seems very attractive to me, as I have fallen in lovo with tho land and tho people. Ono thing I have been struck with is that everyone you meet seems to know something about England, and conversation even in tho remote parts turns to England, showing an extraordinarily closo intercourse between New Zealand and tho Home Country. There is one great drawback in the pursuit of what I might call a career of learning in New Zealand, and that is tho absence of books. " Tho pioneers of tho Dominion did look forward and make provision for its development in so many directions, that I rather wonder they did not lay the foundation of really fine libraries. It camo as rather a shock to mo to find I was cut off from some books necessary to my work by almost the whole diameter of the planet. Nothing seems more necessary, especially to the historian, than tho development of tho library. I havo made one suggestion which I think might bo of valuo. In England conditions are quite the opposite. There is such an enormous amount of printed matter and the libraries are many and now very good."

Keenness o! the Students, Largo and valuable bequests were continually being made to the English libraries, and it would bo possible, perhaps, to divert some part of these to the Dominions. Professor Grant said he had recently visited a great historian at Oxford, who had a wonderful library of historical works, numbering about 10,000 volumes. Ho had no one to leave them to, and it would bo just such works as these that would be of inestimable value in the library of a colonial university. If the suggestion were given voice by the proper authorities it would .probably give rise to important results. Professor . Grant Baid ho would take away most pleasant recollections of New Zealand and the .fqur university collegesHe firmly believed the interchange of professors would prove of great value, certainly from the English point of view. His own experience in a New Zealand .college had been df great value to him and he was certain Professor Hight would also derive much benefit _ from the scheme. As the English university slitsions did nob coincide With those of New Zealand the exchange of teachers would have to be gone into thoroughly in order to overcome a serious difficulty, which, however, could be overcome. They would find ' the greatest readiness on the part of English universities to co-operate. " New Zealand was alivays a~ mysteryplace to me while I was at school," Professor Grant said. " I always wanted to come here. I can truthfully say I have fallen in love with Canterbury College, and even the visits I have made to the universities of the other centres have not cured me of that love. There is a delightful freshness and keenness among the body of students of the Dominion, in fact I naver have found such keenness among students."