UNIVERSITY GRANTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20228, 12 April 1929, Page 12

UNIVERSITY GRANTS.

CARNEGIE TRUST FUND.

rOTAGO AND CANTERBURY. 'AGGREGATE SUM OF £IO,OOO. DOMINION SCHEME FORESTALLED. ![BY TELEGRArH —SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT] WELLINGTON, Thursday. A circumstantial report current in university circles, and supported by recent statements in South Island newspapers, is to the effect that grants of £ISOO and £SOO a year respectively for five years have been made by the Carnegie Trustees to Otago University find Canterbury College for university extension work in country districts. It is stated that the information came through Mr. John Studholme, through whoso generosity the School of Domestic Science at Otago University was founded,, and v.ho is believed to have interviewed the trustees whilo in New York.

In reply to inquiries to-day, officials of the New Zealand University stated that they had no official knowledge of any such grants, and no communication on the subject had been received by the university from tho Carnegie Trustees. Professor T. A. Hunter, vice-chancellor, stated that in response to an invitaton received some time ago from the trustees, the New Zealand University Council had very recently sent in an application, on behalf of the alfiliated colleges, for a substantial grant to purchase books for the college libraries, and annual sums to assist university extension work in each of the four college districts. It was too early yet to expect a reply.

Professor H. YV. Segar, of Auckland University College, who is a member of the standing committee of the Ne\\i Zealand University Council, stated yesterday that the application to tho trustees had been completed and approved at the last meeting of tho committee held in March.

"BREACH OF FAITH/'

SIR G. FOWLDS' VIEWS.

REVIEW OF NEGOTIATIONS. The view that if the report was true the two South Island colleges hacl gone behind the backs of the North Island colleges while a joint application for grants was pending was expressed l>v Sir Georgo Fowlds, president of Auckland University College, last evening. Sit George described the action as a smart move, but scarcely an honourable one. To liim it furnished a convincing argument for dividing the present New Zealand University and setting up a separate university for the North Island.

"It is difficult to believe that the report is true," said Sir George, speaking with feeling, "although the evidence is so strong that it cannot be easily set aside. If the report is true, then it reveals the most flagrant breach of faith between public institutions, or rather between several branches of one institution, that I have ever known.

"The facts as I know them are as follows: —Dean Russell, of Columbia University, visited New Zealand about 16 months ago as the representative of a Carnegie Trust, with headquarters in New York.- This trust has a considerable revenue, which is available for the encouragement of university education and equipment throughout the British Empire. Up to the time of Dean Russell's visit to New Zealand the bulk of the revenue of the trust had been expended in Canada. It was for the purpose of conferring with university authorities in New Zealand, Australia and I think, South Africa, that Dean Russell visited New Zealand to make known the objects of the trust, and the nature of the educational projects which it would be prepared to help to finance.

"Dean Russell went through New Zealand conferring with the University College authorities and professors and with the members of the Council of the University of New Zealand. As a result of his visit a conference of representatives of the four colleges was held in Wellington at; the time of the meeting of the University Council held in that city last year. "At the conference it was agreed that the University of New Zealand should forward to the trust an application for a grant of £20,000 for additions to the libraries of the four colleges to bring: them' up to date. In spite of the fact that the two North Island university districts contain two-thirds of the population of New Zealand, while the two South Island university districts contain only one-third of the population, the representatives of the North Island colleges agreed that the £20,000 should be apportioned on the basis of £4OOO to each of the four colleges, and £2OOO to the Massey Agricultural College and £2OOll to Lincoln Agricultural College. "It was also agreed that each of the four colleges should formulate a scheme for university extension work in their district to cover a fivo years' programme of work costing about £IOOO a year for each district. It was further agreed that these schemes of work were to be sent in to the University Office in Wellington, where, if I remember rightly, the executive committee of the university was to examine the schemes and if found in order and in harmony with the resolution of the conference, an application was to go forward from the university as a whole for the money required for the work. "/Within a reasonable time tho proposals of the Auckland and Victoria Colleges were sent to the University Office, and have been held up there waiting tor the proposals from Otago and Canterbury. It now appears horn the report that Otago and Canterbury have gone behind the backs of the two North Island university colleges, and of the university itself, and have secured a grant of £2OOO a ye;ir for five years for their colleges, leaving the two North Island colleges ■waiting for the reports from the South Island."

ADVICE IN DIJNEDIN.

PROFESSOR CONGRATULATED Light is thrown upon the Wellington message by the following paragraph which appeared 'in the Otago Daily Times of March 22: — ".At the meeting ol the Otago Provincial Executive of the New Zealand Farmers' Union yesterday the secretary reported that Professor Strong, of the Home Science Department of the University of Otago, had received advice that the trustees of the Carnegie Institute had made a grant of £ISOO a year, commencing from January, 1930, for the purpose of carrying out education extension work in rural districts.

" This grant was to be expended in Otago and Southland, and a board comprising Sir James Allen, Colonel Studholme, and Mr. II D. Acland had been suggested to administer the funds. It was solely through the efforts of Professor Strong that this grant had been made available for education extension in Otaco. and the executive and tho union was under a debt of gratitude to her for her interest in this work."