PRESSING ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17504, 21 December 1918, Page 10

PRESSING ECONOMIC PROBLEMS

PROPOSED UNIVERSITY EXTENSION

CLASSICS.

ARCHDEACON WOODTHORPE

INTERVIEWED.

Tho Chancellor of tho Otago University (Iho Rev. .Andrew Cameron) recently brought boforo tho council a. to institute extension classes at the University for the study of pressing economic problems arising out of tho European war. Mr •Cameron, who has watched closely tho "work of the Dunedin Educational Association, liaa had tho impression left on his mind that this work would have a far-reaching effect upon tho community. This gave him the idea that something ought to bo attempted oy tho University for tho employers of labour and those engaged in commercial pursuits. To that end a schcme for tho establishing of University extension classes has been approved by tho council, and tho work to bo undertaken will be similar to that done in Australia and America by tho Workers' Educational Association. This scheme originated in the universities in England, where thtse classes have been conducted for many years, long before tho W.E.A. came into existence. They had their origin at Cambridge, then Oxford followed, and they wero then taken up by other universities, and gradually extended to Amcrica. It lias now become recognised as a part of university work, and it carries university classes not only into tho suburlis of great cities, but into a large number of towns which aro removed from university centres. The work in England began with these classes has developed into a distinct university being established for tho study of economic science.

Interviewed yesterday on this subject, Archdeacon Woodthorpe, lecturer on economics at tho Otago University and for the "Workers' Educational Association, said that as a rule these classcs were worked very much on the same principles as tho W.TS.A. clbsspf,. That was, that thoy had a lecturo and then a tutorial class. Mr Cameron's idea was that such questions as industrial unrest and the cause or causes a Probable solution of this problem, and the question of a reconstruction, each of _ which are pressing questions just now, might ho considered in their entirety by men attending the extension classes.

Archdeacon Woodthorpe's attention was directed by the interviewer to the finding of the Investigations Committee of the British Association of Arts and Scicnces, which, under the presidency of Professor Kirkaldy, of Manchester University, at the request of the Imperial Cabinet, investigated the problem of industrial unrest. It was pointed out that after hearing a great deal of evidence from witnesses represent>ng all sections of the industrial public, the committee_ reported that in its opinion the best solution of this question was cooperation. Archdeacon Woodthorpe, when asked for an opinion on this finding, said that the economic section of the British Association of Arts and Sciences during the past three years had had a field of very vaiuablo information, and its report deserved very careful analysis. His opinion was that the report was not quite up-to-dato. A good many of the suggestions were not in harmony with those expressed in Whitey's report. Hii impression was that the work of tho eommitteo was somewhat circumscribcd with regard to its investigations, and inclined to be not unnaturally desirous of compromise. "What is wanted at tho present time, in my judgment," continued Archdeacon Woodthorpe, "is a more careful investigation on the part of a body of oxpcrionced thinkers and experts who are not tied by the associations of a eommitteo belonging to bodies which, more or less, are handicapped by vested interests. What I would like to see would be a careful series of studies of these problems by the best men we have, and I am sure wo should get a very much more useful result." Continuing, he said there was a very good illustration of this in tho last two issues of the Economic Journal, the organ of the World's Economic Society. There -we had a discussion carefully sustained by some of our best economic thinkers on the question of A Levy on Capital." The question was discussed from a purely scientific point of view. Noteworthy oxamnles were the articles by Professor Pigou. Mr Svdney Arnold, M.P., and Mr A. Hook in favour of -a better levy. _ The recent volume by .Lawrence Petherick favourable to this opinion and the articles by Professor W. R. Scott, of Glasgow, and Mr A. A. Mitchell on the other side showed the arguments that oould be put forward with regard to the question, which was not merely of pressing importance, but involved many practical consequences. But the advantage of scientific discussion was that the arguments were carefully considered, and that ulterior considerations were put aside for the purpose of investigation. "It seems to mo,"_ said Archdeacon Woodthorpe, "that this is the most valuable feature of discussion at the present moment. In many cases economic questions are considered from a limited point of view, on account of tho not unnecessary fear of arguments being taken by individuals and associations for tho purpose of political capital; but we ought to .be in a position in which vital questions could be carefully considered on their merits, quite apart from any political considerations. The first thing to be done should be a careful investigation of facts-, the strengthening of statistical research, and tho careful discussion of the problems." Archdeacon Woodthoipo said it would be an advantage to us in Now Zealand to have—as he had suggested at a recent meeting of the W.E.A.—an institute of economic research to deal with this question. If the work was carefully planned such a society would have a great influence in a fow years. It would make scientific research more popular, and' it would make it distinct from any particular political scheme. The great difficulty to-day was that crxmomic suggestions were simply taken as a watchword by political parties, and were valued only for the purpose of political propaganda. He was certain that the two things must be kept apart. Ho said this from his experience of the W.E.A. On the one side there appeared to be, on the part of the extreme Labour Party, a kind of suspicion that the teachers of economics were to some extent influenced by class feeling and sympathy with capital in oil questions of industry. On the other hand, the Government was inclined to be afraid of tho Workers' Educational Association's movement because of an impression that it had that the trend of tho teaching is influenced by sympathy with. the aspirations of Labour. That was the position now in Now Zealand. In the North Island especially the Government was unduly timid with regard to the training of tho worker in economic science. The most extreme section of Labour was .suspicious with respect to tho enlightenment of the worker in all questions of industry. In both cases it was mistaken prejudice. From a long experience of public teaching ho believed that tile most hopeful feature for the future was the gradual training of our Labour leaders and tho most influential men in the unions in the study of economic subjects. What appeared in Thursday's issue of the Daily Times in the presidential address of the Employers' Association was perfectly true. He had noticed in his own class that the presence of tho employer in tho class putting forward some of his arguments had boon, of great service to tho students. The mere fact that tho employer sat side by side with his men studying these problems and took his place with the men in the discussions which followed was a vaiuablo clement in tho gradual formation of a broader public opinion with regard to these questions. He was certain it brought about a bettor understanding and a deener svmpathy between the employee and "tho employer.