ENGINEERING DEGREES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21293, 21 September 1932, Page 13

ENGINEERING DEGREES

Sir,—ln Tuesday's UEiui.n a statement was made which suggests that tho Institution of Civil Engineers in London is attacking the Auckland University College. This, I am sure, is a misunderstanding. The Institution of Civil Engineers has too assured a position as tho premier professional body in tho engineering world to find it necessary to attack any scholastic inMifu(ioi), nor would it wish to do so. The institution, whose diploma lias long been taken as the best testimony of professional skill and training, would he solely actuated in the step taken by a desire to maintain a, proper standard of education and qualifications for practising engineers generally. Even staunch friends of the Auckland University College must, ir honest with themselves, feel doubtful about the standard of engineering training possible under local conditions. It. has to be remembered that, the universities of the old world frequently have not only largo endowments with which to enable them to provide the. finest possible equipment necessary for engineering training and to engage men of the highest, professional attainments to guide their schools of engineering, but also a large number of men and women to attend the same. Moreover, in tho old world, there are immeasurably greater opportunities for tho student engineers to see engineering works of every variety and magnitude. There, is one other point. ■ It appears that, after the members of the constructional professions havo got. what training is possible under the very limited, conditions of this small and distant, Dominion, they aro left, in the majority of instances, either to eke out a. very bare existence or to emigrate to other countries better able, to havo afforded the cost of their education in the first instance. Would it not be a far wiser and certainly a more economical course if a system of higher education was developed for the constructional professions, whereby those students showing evidence* of aptitude and character were granted facilities for education at tho English universities ? In other words, let us not sacrifice quality for tho sake of quantity.; Assoc. M. Inst. C.E.