UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14431, 26 January 1909, Page 6

UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.

REQUEST FOR SPECIALISATION. (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, January 25. The question of specialis-iiiy in the dillcrenl university centres was under discussion at to-days session of the Senate of the University of New Zealand.

Thu matter arose out of a letter irom the registrar of ihe Auckland University College conveying a. resolution of his comrjil—"Thut tlis senate be asked to re.ognise the teaching given at the AuckUniversity College for the lirst professional year of engineering (civil, mechanical, and electrical)."

It was pointed out by the writer that of the six subjects which may be oll'ered for examination at the end of the candidate's lirst professional year four are already taught at Auckland for the B.K. degres (mining and metallurgical), the detiuitioiis b?iug identical in each ease. The council now asked for recognition of tlis teaching in technical chemistry awl applied mechanic*, and <i-lso the mechanics oi machinery.

Professor "rie-olt said it would be rcinem-ly.-rwl that s:>nic veins nyo it was suggested that each 'of the University Colleges should specialise. To a very large extent that idea l;'id been carried out, and \vh?n. four years ago, a movement was made at Cliristchurch to extend the Engineering School there to mining, he opposed it. The proposition, of the Auckland Collide Cumicil meant breaking down tlib arrangement. In the event of Auckland taking up engineering, the Canterbury College would take up mining, and there would be petty schools in all the csutr.cs. The Dominion was not large oll<ii';'-ili to support more than one School of Engineering. There were, further, not enough men CDm'ing forward. Up to the present Auckland had not succeeded in giving the preliminary teaching for the lirst.year in engineering. In tin Be individual cases, he declared, hardship had resulted from this. What was really wanted was for the student to he in contact with and taught hy engineers for the whole lour years of hi-s course. Jf the Auckland Council would reconsider the matter it. would ,«a there were great diliiciilties in the way of t.lve recognition of (he-c subjects. It was better to have specialised professional schools and .for each of those to adhere to a ranigo of subjects.

Jld' (&'• "■' Hoglier (Inspector-general of Schools) said the Government had given grants to enuole the various colleges to specialise. As ■la.i' as engineering was concerned it was evident that to establish four engineering schools (if there was more than one (here might as well be four) would require a capital expenditure 01 £2OO ; O0O, and also an animal expenditure in the case of each one of £3000 to £1000 for salaries, etc. This means an annual cost of at least £12,000. The number of engineers required ni New Zealand would not warrant such a- large capital or yearly expenditure. It would be very much cheaper and better to provide one school in one centre with scholarships for those who could not otk'uvife attend that school. As the Dominion grow, say to a., population of 20,000,000 people, we might require four engineering schools, but not yet.

Dr M'Doweil (a member of'the Auckland College Council) said that body was moved to briny the matter before the fcnate because of representations made that there was a great demand in Auckland for the .teaching of engineering. Wo had here teaching capacity" to give instruction to the extent asked. It was fully iccognised that to complete the curriculum students would have to go to the Canterbury College, but. a number would be saved pxpenso by being aide to go through their first year's course in Auckland, lie thought wo should have specialising, but I hat was not being carried out. There were two •n.inin.jr schools (one at Otago), though .Auckland was the place appointed. 'There were also commercial schools, one at Christemirch and one here.

Mr 11. A T onHaastsa.id Ihemnttermight go to Ihe Engineering Committee, with a recommendation that the senate adhere to the scheme for specialisation. The Chancellor (Sir Robert Stout) said he adhered still to what he liadi said in 1835— namely, that there ought to ho specialisation, at the various colleges If Auckland was looked* upon as the Minim' School for the Dominion, emrineerin?' should he left to Canterbury.' He"thought a law school might be established in Wellington. The alternative was to have one central university. There could not be schools in each centre without a cost to the Dominion that it could not stand. Wo did not realise that after all we were a small colony, and that strict economy and very little taxation would "shove" us.along better than anv scheme vet propounded by any Parliament of New. Zealand.

The letter from the Auckland Council was referred to the Engineering Committee, as was one from the same° source concerning certificates of proficiency in cngiueeiing.