VICTORIA COLLEGE

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXI, Issue 6823, 20 May 1909, Page 6

VICTORIA COLLEGE

MEETING OP THE COUNCIL. COLLEGE EXTENSION. SOME IMPORTANT BUSINESS. At a meeting of the council of V >ctoria College last craning there were present the Rev. W. A. Evans. Dr C. I . Knight, Messrs T. R. Fleming, J. G- M ■ Aitken, A. R. Meek, E. D. Bell, H. F. von Haast, IV. IL Quick, J. Graham, M.P.. C. Wilson, C. Watson, H. H. Ostler and E. McCallmn. The meeting was the first of a new year. VARIOUS ELECTIONS. In the earlier part of the meeting Sir T. R. Fleming presided, and introduced Messrs J. G.‘ W. Aitken and H. H. Ostler,' who wore taking seats on Hie council for the first time, as representatives of graduates. Mr J. Graham, M.P., was elected chairman of the council for the ensuing year, and took his place at the head of the table. The chairman notified that the Hon. Dr Findlay, and Messrs C. Watson and C. Wilson had been re-elected to the council, representing respectively members of education boards, teachers of primal 5 schools, and members of Parliament. Mr C. Watson was elected treasurer to the council. . ~ c The Registrar of the University of New Zealand notified that the term of office of the Rev. W. A. Evans as a representative of tho council on the senate would expire on June 30th nest. The Rev. Mr Evans was unanimously re-elect-ed to the position. The following committees were appointed:—Finance, tho Rev. Mr Evans, Messrs Bell, Quick. Watson. Fleming, von Haast. and Graham; Library, Dr Knight, ■Messrs C. Wilson, Meek, Ostler and Graham. JACOB JOSEPH SCHOLARSHIPS. One of the two Jacob Joseph scholarships was awarded to Wallace John Ross. It ira-B decided to refer back to the iiofossorial Board the other students recommended by them, for further, particulars of their qualifications. The Scholarships, which arc valued at 4so, and are tenable for one year, arc open to students of Victoria College, and are awarded annually on the results of the honours examination in cither, law science or arts, preference to he given, others things being equal, to law and science.

GEOLOGICAL SPECIMENS WANTED. Professor Kirk wrote stating that, with Mr Cotton anil Professor Eastcrfield, ho recently waited on Mr Hamilton, of the Dominion Museum, to discuss the possibility of obtaining as complete a sec as may be of fossil types and of minerals for’ the geology department of the college. Mr Hamilton suggested, that the council should support him and the Mines Department in an application for authority to incur the expense necessary for the sorting of the large collection, the property of the Mines Department, which is —t in the museum, and for the arranging there ot a set that should be available for examination, without handling, by students. Professor Kirk and his colleagues had asked whether it would not be practicable to have a set, complete or ns nearly complete as possible, handed over to the permanent custody ot the college. Mr Hamilton thought that might. possibly bo A committee consisting of Messrs Graham. Watson and Bell was appointed to confer with Professors Easterneld and Kirk and Mr Cotton on the matter. THE QUESTION OF FEES.

Two men students were allowed a refund of the fees paid by them for lectures in mathematics and mechanics. They had intended to take these subjects in the one year, but the professor's tin charge had held that this was quito impossible, and refused to let them take the mechanics classes. A young woman who had paid the t?e for the course of lectures in English applied for return of the fee, as she had been ordered by ber doctor to give UT( classes after haying attended only three lectures.—lt was decided not to comply with the request, as it would be unwise to create such a precedent. MOKE ACCOMMODATION , NECESSARY. :

Tile Professorial Board forwarded a memorandum dealing with the need for ■additional accommodation, consequent oil the growth of the college and the uuge increase of stuueuts. The memorandum was as follows : , “The need for additional accommodatiou on the arts side of the college is very urgent. It -s with the utmost inconvenience, both to professors and students, • that room for all the classes can be found at the necessary hours. It is to be recognised tnat Wellington diflers from the other centres in that a very largo proportion of its students are engaged in earning a living during the day., The students so engaged . cannot aetend lectures until ths evening. It follows that as many classes as possible arc conducted between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. During the congest d hours it is not unusual for ten classes to be at work at once, conducted by the Arts professors and their assistants, and there are in the, Arts building only five classrooms. If the two science class-rooms are not in use they are, of course, made available, but that is not often possible. Most of the professors are obliged to take their smaller classes in their own rooms. In the class-rooms additional temporary seats have to be placed, and this sometimes results in the rooms bomg crowded,, to .an unhealthy degree. The lecturers have vacated their private room, which is now used by Professor Hunter as a’ private room and classroom, the .lecturers having to take a very small and inconvenient room. Each lecturer should have his own room, where he can study and where lie can meet and advise students and others. It is hard to too that a lecturer’s need of a private room is less than that of a professor. “At present the largest classes,. such as those in English, must be split, because the largest class-room will not, without overcrowding, accommodate all. Even the proposed new class-rooms would hardly do this. The matter is not mentioned as one of hardship, seeing that such assistance, has been granted as enables those classes to bo divided without throwing so much extra work on the professors as would otherwise be the case. Still, it is desirable that the whole class should be able to assemble at times.

"Tile psychological laboratory is a room to which 'access can be got at present only through the adjoining large lecture room, which is constantly in use during the busy hours of the evening. The effect of 'this is that the use of the laboratory is restricted to tiro nights a week. Moreover, the existence of the door in t'he wall separating the two rooms allows sound Irom the lecture room to enter freeiy. in the proposed additions and alterations there is provision for access to this room. Another drawback is that the psychological laboratory is overcrowded. "The need_ for a large hall in which all me .sfiiutiits can assembled Becomes more keenly leic each year, out it is not at present regarded as one of the most urgent requirements. “The needs of the science side are scarcely less pressing. The chemistry rooms are only partly furnished, and the Sittings originally asked for are much needed. For geology there is no provision whatever, and the students cannot at present he accommodated in the biology'rooms. These rooms are already inadequate. There is only one laboratory for all .students, and the young woman working at botany cannot

be very far from the medical student who is dissecting, say, a dog. The need lor at least one other laboratory is very ■great, and belter museum accommodation will very soon be an absolute no. cessity. There is much research work that cannot bo done in the common laboratory when this is in use by students. Largely for this reason much important work has, during the last two years, had to be done on Sundays, mid a great deal of time has on each occasion been lost in getting out apparatus and putting it away again. There is no niaconvling tank for preparing skeletons, and no' rconi in which rough preparation can be made. Proper dog kennels aro not an absolutely essential equipment of a biological laboratory, but they would be of the greatest use here. Of the matters hero referred to, provision for geology is the most pressing. The needs of the professor of physics will certainly be great, but no one else can adequately state them for him." . Attached to the memorandum was a statement of the minimum additions and alterations that would need to he carried out to give effect to the scheme outlined. Considerable discussion ensued as to ways and means, and tuo necessity or otherwise of immediate action. Dr C. P. Knight said that the Goveminent had done excellently for the college, which ought to exercise- a little economy itself. it was timo for the council to wake lip to tho fact that it was running a night school, and not a 'university college. (Mr Wilson: Hear, hear.) If they arranged their lectures for the day time they would get only genuine students, and the difficulty 01 numbers would coon be overcome, it was quality that they wanted, while all along they had been aiming at quantity. Mr vou Haast said that what Dir Knight advocated was quite impracticable. In New Zealand letcnres bad been arranged so as to accommodate students who had to cam their living during the dav. He did not like the system, and would much prefer to see students giving their whole day to work in the college, but he recognised that the present svstem was the only possible one. ■ Mr T. R. Fleming said that tho council must take things as they found them, and if lectures wore held only m tha daytime the college would ceaso to exist. He was sorry that any member of tha council should have made such a remark as Dr Knight had done. Mr E. D. Bell said the questmn raised by Dr Knight was an exceedingly interesting one, and one whch went right to the root of the life of college, ila was inclined to agree with Mr Homing and Mr von Haast that the present system was tho only possible one. Mcsrs Graham, Watson, Bell, von Haast, and Fleming were appointed a committee to consider tha report, and to make a recommendation to tho council. FINANCIAL MATTERS. The Finance Committee reported that it had authorised the following expenditure—ill 12s 6d for derricks for clearing clinkers from the furnaces; -Efi 5s for cupboards for Professor. and .£l7 10s for shelving for Professor Kirk. With, reference to applications from professor, which it had carefully investigated after having items of the pri> posed expenditure submitted to it, .it recommended

((1) That Professor Kirk’s application for J3GO be agreed to, £55 to bo charged to laboratory account, and £5 to general account. (2) That Professor Hunter’s application for £SO for apparatus be agreed to; to be charged to laboratory account. (3) That the request of tho lecturer in geology for specimens and appliances to tho extent of £152 be agreed

to. (4) That Professor Easterfield’s application for £SO to AGO for material for an advanced course in chemistry be postponed. (5) That Professor Easterfield’s application for £350 to .£3OO for fitting 1 up and equipping tho darkroom, metallurgical-room ana preparationroom attached' to the [etonne-room

bo postponed till the arrival of the professor of physics. (G) That Professor ; Kirk’s recommendation be approved, and Miss Myers’ salary increased to .£75.

The committee further recommended That all requisitions from the professors or from the Students’ Association should bo sent to the Council thraugE tho professorial board; that -such requisitions should, as far as possible, bo sent so as to reach the council by April Ist in each year, to enable fho council to deal with all of them at the same time, and to frame its estimates for the ensuing year before its annual meeting in May; that such requisitions should, as far os, possible, give details of- items and the estimated expenditure on. such items. The committee appended an estimate of receipts and expenditure for the current year, showing that the estimated revenue exceeds by a small amount the estimated expenditure. In this expenditure it has allowed for the increase to Miss _ Myers and also an. increased sum for assistance' to the librarian.

A policy of insurance bad ’ been taken out, covering risks to the caretaker and his wife and casual labourers, to the extent of £2OO. Tho premium for this' is XI 2s.

It would bo noticed that this year the committee does not deem it necessary to draw at all upon the moneys on deposit. on general account, £Sd of' which was earmarked for tho salary of the professor of physics if required. The year ended March 31st last finished with a credit balance of .£7OO 13s Id. The committee recommends that a substantial part of this amount be deposited at interest until it is required. The report was adopted. THE ESTIMATES. Attached to the report was a table of tho estimated receipts and expenditure for the year ending March 31st, 1810. Tho receipts were estimated at .£9608, including JJ-KiUO from the statutory grant, .£2OOO from the grant for specialisation, £ISOO from the grant for general purposes, and £1650 in fees. The expenditure was set down as £9596, which would leave a balance of £l2 on the year’s workings. The main items in the expenditure were £7920, for salaries to teaching stafl, £450 for salaries to registrar, librarians, and caretaker, and £1228 for general purposes.