VICTORIA COLLEGE.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4493, 22 October 1901, Page 7

VICTORIA COLLEGE.

DEPUTATION TO THE PREAIIER. VOTE PROAIISEDEDR BUILDINGS. A deputation of members of the Victoria College Council interviewed the Premier and Alinistcr of Education yesterday at Parliament Buildings in reference to tho college finances and other matters. The deputation, intro, duccd by Mr Graham, AI.H.R., comprised .Messrs J. R- -i—air, A. W. Hogg, AI.H.R., and W. A. Evans, Dr Findlay and Air Powlcs (secrotarv). Air Blair, speaking of the financial question, said that tho college had an annual grant of £4OOO, out of which they met the cost of the professorial work and tho general teaching of the college. This absorbed this year, with tho scholarships, £4132, and next year they would draw on ti.o money accumulated to the extent of £350 over and above their annual income. In presenting itg report recently the Finance Committee, in view of this position of affairs, was unable to recommend that, any future obligations of any kind should be entered into; and in consequence also an application on behalf of the Law Department of the college for an increase of salary had had to he refused, though there cbu.d bo no doubt that the salary paid now was inadequate. The present position was calculated not only to hamper the work of the college, but to drive the Council into tho commission l of- an injustice. They asked that as this was the only college which had such a burden to bear, the Government should make provision by which the scholarship money should bo kept apart from the ordinary revenue of tho college, and they also suggested that the apportionments of the scholarship money should bo made in a direction which would be beneficial to the Aliddlo District. There wore eight educational districts within tho college district, but to ask the boys and girls of tho West Coast, for instance, to meet the boys and girls of Wellington on. equal terms was a manifest injustice to the boys and girls of tho West Coast. They pressed upon the attention of the Government that the scholarships should be enlarged into eight instead of six, so that one should bo allotted to each district. They did not wish to make the college solely a Wellington institution. In fact, he would he satisfied if there were no scholarships for Wellington, where the' educational facilities 1 were already excellent as compared with those in the other districts- At present Wellington gained tho greater number of these scholarships. Last year there were three out of the six taken by Wellington. In answer to Air Walker, Mr Blair said that ono scholarship wont to the West Coast. The cost of the scholarships was about £looo—tho maximum was £l2oo—and tho expenses of exami, nation and incidental expenses came to £l2O- . Replying to Air Seddon, Mr Blair said that tho total teaching expenses amounted to £3650, including prevision for the Professor of Alodern LanguagesAg compared with the youngest "University College in Scotland, that of Dundee, tho salary bill of Victoria College wag very modest. There there were fourteen professors; here there wore only four. Incidental liabilities brought the expenses up to £4170. The amount paid for rents was £BO. The only revenue was made up of the £4OOO from the colony, and, there wore fees amounting to £4BO. It had been proposed to increase the teaching staff of the college, but for financial reasons this proposal had been abandoned., Mr Seddon suggested that the deputation wanted more money, but did not care whether it was money for scholarships or for salaries. Mr Blair replied that they wanted tho money apportioned to those other districts, so tjiat there should be a real live interest in the college amongst these districts. Tho Premier remarked that he had found from tho Civil Service examination results that the West Coast youths seemed to take relatively a much better position than those of any other part of the colony. If they were able thus to secure the first - position for the Junior Civil Service, why should they not compete for the University? Mr Blair said that they wore handicapped by the fact that there were comparatively few largo schools in such districts. In further reply to Air Seddon, Air Blair said that there was a sum of £4OOO in hand which could be drawn upon for the scholarships- “ Wo want to have a surplus, not to gallop to a deficit,” observed Mr Hogg. Mr Seddon remarked that the people would expect the money to be spent upon education instead of being accumulated. Air Evans urged that tho Government should help the Counoil to see its way ahead, so that it might establish a Chair of Education. Air Graham drew attention to the negotiations regarding the site on Salamanca road, and asked that the necessary legislation should Be introduced to sanction the exchange of land. Air Hogg suggested also that this University College should be granted a reasonable endowment of land. Every other University college had such an endowment, and without it the usefulness of a college was very much restricted. He suggested that an endowment of 20,000 acres of tho land on the line of the North Island Trunk Railway should be given for this purpose. The Alinister of Education pointed out to Air Hogg that the weak point in the administration of these endowments by such institutions was that, having leased the land in good times, the co'. lege authorities entered into arrangements with professors and erected build-

ings, only to find afterwards that the land fell in value. Mr Hogg said that this had been the experience not only of educational institutions but of large landed proprietors. Air Walker: W r hat is the good of giving you something which will lead you into a trap? The Minister, continuing, said that tho fair thing would bo to give the institutions the revenue. They would then know where they were, and it would cost the State nothing more. Ho believed tho Scottish Universities depended mostly upon votes from Parliament and moneyed endowments; hut the old Universities of Oxford and Cambridge hau bad to suppress Fellowship after Fellowship, and scholarship after scholarship, as the rents went down. Mr Hogg held that nothing supported an institution so well as a land endowment. Mr Walker said that in New Zealand these had not been successful. " They are the worst class of landlords,” added the Minister. Mr Blair thought that Air Hogg’s contention wag perfectly sound, but that the land should bo set apart in reasonable blocks of farms,- which could be dealt with easily. Large blocks interfered with settlement, and could not be administered s° well. In regard to tho site for the college, Mr Blair took tho opportunity to say that the site on Salamanca road was infinitely better than that at Mount Cook, and added that he had always been of that opinion. Mr Hogben, he believed, also considered that the site was admirable. Mr Blair hoped that the Government would help tho Council to build upon the site as early as possible. 1 Dr Findlay endorsed the opinion that tho Salamanca road site was the better one. . . The Premier, in replying, said that in regard to the first question raised - that of the cost of scholarships—it would appear to him that there was no particular hurry, seeing that tho college authorities had at least three years’ money in hand. Tho question of the distribution of scholarships was worthy of attention. Thors was some force in what Mr Blair had said, for if there were scholarship candidates coming from each of the districts, an interest in the work of the college would he secured in the districts represented by tho successful competitors. If legislation were necessary in reference to the University, this question might be dealt with in any Bill brought forward. It had been suggested that a Chair of Education should be established. There was a great deal in what had been said on this subject. There was nothing so important' as the school-teaching prof eg. sion, and .no class of greater responsibility, and by perfecting them they would perfect the system and give_ an opportunity to the rising generation. (Hear, hear.) Ag to the site, from what he had been able to discover, it appeared to him that it was a very .suitable site; and he had been pleased to hear from Mr Blair that.he thought the Salamanca road site superior to that at Aloiyit Cook. Time had been given for reflection in this matter, and this had evidently borne good fruit. He had always felt, irrespective of the fact that the land at Mount Cook was required by the Government, that that would not be a suitable site, and.could not be made suitable without largo expense. With reference to the suggestion that a Bill should bo introduced to give effect to the arrangement made betweu the City Council, the University college authorities, and the authorities of Wellington College, he had pleasure in informing the deputation that he would be only too happy to give effect to the wishes of tho deputation in that respect. Mr Seddon added that this would 'be a public Bill, as the land was required tor public purposes. In regard to the Hos„ pital Trustees, who are interested in three-quarters of an acre of land involved in this question, it was pointed out that they were not likely to oppose a Bill of this kind. As to tho proposal for a land endowment, he did not agree with Mr Hogg. lie did not see what difference it made to the University Col„ lege authorities; they wanted so much money, and if the Government let the lands to Crown tenants, and collected the money, it could then be paid to f.he college under an Act of Parliament. His idea was that this was safer than anything they could get, as things were going now, when revaluations were da, manded, and agitations got up from time to time. To grant a land endowment would mean a double administration; and the administration of land endowments was unsatisfactory. He was sure that if a proposal was put before the House to set aside land as a reserve for school purposes, with the administration handed over to school authorities, it would not go through. - Speaking with regard to the financial position, Air Saddon said that though they had been told that no moneys would bo wanted, ho had always-had his idea that moneys would bo wanted before they coum go on. The question then was iu regard to the money which would-be required. If the requirements of the college were growing, and the necessity for money became evident, it must he plain that Parliament had not placed tho;Universify there intending to leave it without means. Whether in power or out of power, he would do his best to make the University, a success. (Hear, hear.) He did not think any appeal made to Parliament in that behalf would he refused. There was another question Which they had not mentioned to him—that of find!, ing the means to erect the buildings. Cabinet had discussed this matter; and whenever the -college authorities were ready and wanted a vote of money, he was prepared to put it on the Estimates and submit it to Parliament, (Hear, hear.) The sooner this question was settled the better; lot the college authorities get to work and give the youth of this district what Parliament intended. Let them get the land question settled, and oven this session he would be quite prepared to ask Parliament to make provision on the Supplementary Estimates for the buildings. He was sure that Parliament would be with the college authorities in this matter. Air Graham, before the deputation left, acknowledged the manner in which the Premier had met them, and thanked him for tho satisfactory results of the interview.