COLLEGE JUBILEE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21498, 23 May 1933, Page 11

COLLEGE JUBILEE

AUCKLAND UNIVERSITY AN EVENING RECEPTION GOVERNOR-GENERAL'S SPEECH . TRIBUTES TO PRESIDENT The jubilee celebrations of the Auckland University College were continued last evening with a reception in the ■Vrts Building- '.rife Governor-General. 'Lord Bledisloe, and Lady Bledisloe were present, and among others who attended were the vice-chancellor of the University of New Zealand, Professor T. A. Hunter, the Mayor and Mayoress of Auckland, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Hutchison, Archbishop and Mrs. Averill and Mr. Justice Smith and Mrs. Smith. The guests were received by the president of the college, Sir George Fowlds, and Lady Fowlds, and the vice-presi-dent, Mr. Kenneth Mackenzie, and Mrs. Mackenzie. In a short speech of welcome, Sir George Fowltl? ,said he had looked forward to crowning 13 years' of effort to bring the college to the consciousness of the people of Auckland by appealing for £-10.000 to endow a chair of fine arts and to share with the City Council in the erection of a fine arts block. However, economic conditions had made this inadvisable. He hoped, however, that when better times came »and tho appeal was made,, the result would show that ho had not failed in his effort to bring tho college and tho people / closer together, and to secure a clearer understanding between them.

The College Site The Mayor said he was glad to bo associated with the college in its jubilee. He could not help recalling differences of opinion that had existed in tho past, particularly regarding the college site, bui as one who had been connected with the college on its tutorial side ho must commend most highly the decision which had placed the college where it was. The misgivings that had existed in regard to the establishment of a commerce course had been completely dissipated, and the result had been satisfactory to the college council, but most beneficial to tho business community. -•' Mr. Hutchison spoke briefly in praise x of the men who had guided the destinies of the college, and particularly assured Sir George Fowlds of the gratitude of the citizens for his long and successful service as president. He felt sure that the material development and cultural progress of Auckland would keep pace, and that even if rich endowments and wealthy benefactors were Jacking, the college might be assured that there would be a ready response to its every need. The Standard of Culture

"In the triple capacity of your Nearest neighbour, an old Oxford University graduate, profoundly attached to his Alma Mater, and chairman of the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee, 1 am glad to take part in your jubilee celebrations and most cordially to congratulate you on your past academic progress and to wish you Godspeed in days to come," said Lord Bledisloe. His Excellency went on to refer to the services of those who had guided and worked for the college in the past, particularly the late Sir Maurice O'Eorke, the late Dr. T. "\\ . Leys, and Sir George Fowlds, and to the loyal support they had received from the council, teaching staff and students. > "In every highly-civilised country a university sets the standard of the culture of its people and in this respect its responsibilities are immense," said His Excellency. "If in speech, manners, breadth of view, knowledge of the world, literary attainment, respect for historic landmarks, love of the beautiful, or the various branches of science and of art, national defects aro conspicuous, it is not unfair to look to the university and its constituent colleges for evolutionary improvement. Especially important is it, in an island country far from tho world's great centres of population and in times when national prosperity is conditioned by international co-operation and mutual ' knowledge, to be ever vigilant, in fighting the tendency to insularity and lack of vision among all classes ot the community—a process which necessitates rigorously eschewing nar rowness in its numerous manifestations vithin the zone of universitv lite. Residential College Life During the second half-century of ts existence, commenced that, day, the :ollege had a wide field in hlch to radiate salutary influence on behalt of art, and even more ot n<i U ' science, Lord Bledisloe continued. Lfc «as of the utmost importance to the industries of the Dominion, l )ar ' ICU larlv agriculture, to utilise the constant and rapid mutation of science 2nd the copious stream of new kn() "' ledge that flowed from research, the science of economics he hesitated to speak in this period of turbulent transition. However, if the universities cf the world were to guide, ra c than to confuse, the public mind o this branch of learning, their experts would do well to get together and it old economic theories were found to be inapplicable to new world con l ions '.hey should propound with some mea lure of unanimity a new code upon K'hich the statesmen, the financiers ani the industrialists of tho world fon i confidently base their future activities. "Culture is generated most liberally in the atmosphere of a u . nn ?r* Bitv where the fulness of academic li is available under resident conditions, remarked llis Excellency. "It-is stimulated by the greater social intercourse among undergraduates which engenders and the polish which results from constant human attri io in an atmosphere of academic re inc Went:. This is an objective the host friends of this mmeisitj col „ should unremittingly pursue.