SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXX, Issue 6704, 30 December 1908, Page 2

SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS

UNIVERSITY FOR. BUSINESS MEN AND POLITICAL ASPIRANTS.

A CHAT WITH AIR AV. P. REEVES.

(From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, November 13,

Although the Hen. W. P. Reeves does nob hand ever to his successor the office of High Commissioner for New Zealand until about the end of tho year, lie is already well under weigh with his new work as Director of the London School of Economics. It has occurred to mo that a sketch by the now director of the work that this unique institution aims at accomplishing would be of interest to educationists and others in New Zealand. The School cf Economics is designed to secure, by systematic and skilful training, a greater degree of efficiency in tho higher walks of public and commercial life. It seeks to bring education into closer touch with the realities of modern life. It seeks to equip tho business man or the political aspirant or tho budding diplomat with a solid groundwork of knowledge which otherwise ho. must make shift laboriously and at haphazard to acquire for himself in tho course of long years of practical experience. Mr Reeves, who spoke enthusiastically of tho aims and methods of the school, said that if he could have attended .such an institution in his younger days in New Zealand, it would havo saved him an incalculable amount of arduous study in subsequent years. Tho School of Economics and Political Science has, however, no counterpart in the whole of Australasia, although one may hope that it is 'only a question of time before Its benefits become recognised and its methods followed at the Antipodes. I asked tho now director to explain, | for tho benefit of New Zealand readers, what the London School of Economics is, what- work it docs, and in what way it influences the public and commercial life of the country: {, Tho School of Economics,” said Air Reeves', “is, of course, a. College of the University of London, Wo arc called a 'school* because that is the technical tcrni for institutions of the London University. , AVe are a recognised ‘school’ of tho University. PRACTICAL ECONOMICS.

“The object of the school was undoubtedly not to be a more place for holding classes in puro economics, such as are held in many places; but rather to bo something very much more practical. A number of years ago it struck people here, and amongst others, the Gresham Royal Commissioners, that there was nothing done hero in tho way of a higher commercial, financial, political and administrative training. There were polytechnics and commercial classes for boys and girls, to teach the lower branches of commercial work, and above that -a certain amount of instruction in pure economics and modern history at the Universities. But an immense deal of ground was not covered in this country which was covered to a certain extent in places like Columbia, University in America, the Ecole de-s Sciences Politiques in Paris, and one or two German Universities- Our object, then, was to do for the higher walks of commercial, financial and administrative work what tho Polytechnics did in tho lower. ;

“AVe have a very strong corps of lecturers—not only a large ono but a very interesting and strong one. Our lecturers are Professors of London University, and are paid by the University. Practically wo receive something over £2OOO a year in that and other ways from the University. Air Sidney Webb and myself and 'Air Graham AVallas pit upon tho University Senate, though not directly as representatives of the school, but in other capacities. And, of course, my work on the Senate and in the University will naturally become a good deal heavier now than it has been. Hitherto it has been largely confined to watching over the interests of the Colonial examinees and students. The Crown is going to continue mo as one of its representatives on the Senate— I am one of the first nominees of the Crown.

‘‘Our lecturers at the school include Professor Alackiuder, a very able lecturer, .Professor Lowes Dickinson, i well-known Cambridge man, Professor Edwin Caiman L.L.D., the wellknown economist, and Air L. T. Hobhouse. These are extremely good men. Then there is Professor Foxwcll, who accumulated some years ago a famous library on political economy which was purchased by the Goldsmith’s Company for a large sum, and given by them to the London University. Altogether wo have a staff of thirtythree lecturers. ' A SCHOOL FOR. ADULTS.

“Our school .deals practically with adults. The youngest of our students are ■eighteen years old; nearly all are over nineteen, and. thej'- range up to between forty, and fifty years of age. A certain number * of them are men and women going in for the degree of B.Sc., of London University. Others ar© men and women who have taken their degree and are coming to do research work with us in some branch of economics, and -write a thesis for the purjmse of taking the D.Sc., of London University.’ “Then of course there aro students who come to attend some particular branch. But those I am speaking cf now come iu under the head of general students, and they comprise a very largo proportion of tile school. They may come to us to study higher accounting, banking and currency, economics, history, modem history, the machinery of Government, the. working of tho British Constitution and Parliament, law. international law, industrial law, commercial Jaw, and municipal and. local government. The school is a centre for men who wish to study for tho Civil Sendee, and for young civil servants whq wish to strengthen themselves in some particular Ih'e. It is particularly attractive to men who take an interest in local government, either as members of local councils or as servants of local bodies. Then wo get special students —men who take part in politics and come to study some particular branch of politics. AVe aro called a School of Economics, but it must be pointed out that we are also a School of Political Science. That includes law, history, sociology and even ethnology, so that we range from ethnology and. what are called political ideas, down to accounting.

“In addition we have what arc called special classes—classes which are largely attended by men who come for

nothing else in the school. They arc held to instruct a particular class of students. For instance, we have geography classes in economics and political geography, which are attended by come 300 students —largely teachers, who como to us really to learn to teach the higher sort of geography. Many of our geography lectures are really descriptive historical and_ economic lectures on different divisions of the British Empire. Professor Mackinder is our chief geography lecturer; ho is one of the professors of London University. Vv e hope to make this section considerably bigger. Within the last few days tup. of the city companies have voted us several hundred pounds with which wo hope to extend and improve our geography teaching. RAILWAYMEN AND ARMY OFFICERS.

"A largo and even more interesting class than the geography one is our railway class, which is virtually, the only ono of its kind. In it wo have i.’3d students, who aro men in the employ of the. larger railway companies in. rviigiand. Tiiey, are sent to us by the companies, who pay their fees lor them. They have lectures on railway organisations, railway low, the relations of 'railways to the Government, and to special questions of the movement affecting tho public, os well as questions of transport and traffic organisation. ‘‘Hero I may remark that the practical value of our lectures is now admitted by tho railway companies. These lectures are supervised by a committee, the chairman of which is Lord Claud Hamilton, chairman of tho Great Eastern Company, and on which Sir George Gibb. Sir Berry, general manager, of tho Great Northern, and Sir Ingalls, tho chief . man of the Groat Western, siF and keep an.eye on what wo do. The railway classes arc ■ increasing considerably in numbers, and at tho present moment wo have as I said, no less than 285 students attending them. “Another particularly interesting class is our army class. This may bo considered to bo more or less an outcome of tho investigation into the work of tho Commissariat and administrative departments held after the war in South Africa, It became evident that officers of tlie army required special training in business methods, which up to that time they had not received. It was therefore decided, after the matter had been investigated by a committee, to form a special class at our school for tho instruction of picked officers. We get them at.all ages from thirty to forty-five years, and varying in rank from lieut.-colonel to subaltern. At the present time tho English War Office sends us thirty of these gentlemen, and tho Indian Office sends one. So far tho War Office Committee expresses it-, self thoroughly satisfied with the results'of the work done, and II think it only right to say that tho officers throw themselves into their work with quite uncommon energy and spirit, and aro amongst the best students that wo hare. Of course they are carefully selected men, and are anxious to make tho best of tlieir opportunities. There is nothing else like this class anywhere.

■‘Wo have also some special classes which did a year or two ago stand quite alone, although latterly they have been copied in Northern England and the Midlands. These are classes of librarianship. They are attended hy librarians and literary assistants engaged at the largo . public libraries. They aro taught everything likely to he of use to them, from a knowledge of ‘black letter’ and what is called hibliog aphy clown to such elementary accounting as may be useful to public libraries. If I may judge from the opinions expressed by the> Libraries Association of London, the value of these classes is warmly recognised by men in the profession. STUDENTS HUNGRY FOR. KNOWLEDGE.

“Altogether the number of students who attend the school will vary as the year goes ch, from about 1000 at the beginning to between 1300 and 1400 at the end of the year. At present wo have 1035 students on the books, and this term being our first, is the thinnest. By the end of the year, judging from past experience, there should bo 350 more, and already the roll shows a gratifying increase over the corresponding period for last year. ' “Our revenue and expenditure are balanced at about £IO,OOO, and I sincerely trust that both may steadily increase. .

“The interesting thing about the school’ is the energy and spirit and determination shown by the students. They are men and women who go there to work. It is not a case of being sent there by parents. They go of their own accord. For the first time in my life I have boon faced with complaints from lecturers, not that the

students won't work or take interest in their work, but that they take, if possible, an embarrassing interest. More than one of the lecturers has informed rno this term that lie is almost overwhelmed with tiro volume of essays voluntarily written by his students. One lecturer to my knowledge has to go through something like eighty essays between each lecture, and I may point out that in his case, there is no compulsion whatever placed on the students to do this work. It is purely voluntary.

“While I wish to say that w© can look for no largo influx of colonial students, that Ido not hope for. At the same time X think I have said eitough to show that in certain directions a colonial student desiring particular training can' obtain training from us which ho can hardly got elsewhere, and will have at the same time the advantage of living in London, and learning all that London can teach.

“Wo have a very largo library of 'books on economics and modern history, numbering 40,000 volumes, and an enormous collection of pamphlets and documents which is being added to daily. Wo arc specialising in modern pamphlets, and I should like to make an appeal for any colonial pamphlets on politics and economics; they would be specially welcome. Wo have just arranged to get a special supply of Indian pamphlets, and I am extremely anxious to get colonial ones.

“I forgot to- mention that statistics is, of course, one of our subjects. The sort of people we aro training now aro tho people who will bo employed hy the Board of 'Trade to make inquiries into tho conditions of life and labour, both in tho United Kingdom and in foreign countries. The Board of Trade look to us to provide them.with trained investigators in tho future. Wo train men to he consuls, agents for the Board of Trade and tho Foreign .Office. We lay ourselves out to teach budding consuls international law and foreign trade.

“In addition to the- library, which is one of the most valuable things wo have got, there is a -refectory whore students can have their meals; a common room, and a smoking-room. We have also our Parliament, in which debates- are carried oh, and which is occasionally addressed by gentlemen and ladies from outside, on special subjects. Miss Christabel Pankhnrst was to have opened a dohato on female franchise, but unfortunately she has another -engagement which will prevent her being present, and a- substitute will have to bo provided^ “A school for journalism? Yes, it is essentially a school in which tho kind of knowledge necessary in the higher journalism can be acquired. We do not,, of ..course, teach shorthand or tho writing of paragraphs, but half the questions which come, up for a journalist to write about aro dealt with more or less fully in our school.