THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19046, 17 December 1923, Page 9

THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION.

Mr Sidey’s Criticism. Reply to Hon. Q. J. Anderson. The Hon. G. J. Anderson has taken' strong 1 exception to a complaint made by" Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P. (vice-chancellor of ■ Otago University), over the delay of thfl grants for the new Dental School build-' ing. In reply to Mr Anderson, Mr SideJ’' has made the following statement to the press:— “I am sure the Hon. Mr Anderson would not ha ve made the statement attributed to i. him regarding myself had he been fully acquainted with the circumstances which form the subject of his interview reported in Saturday’s papers. The Minister has clearly been misled by the telegraphic, re.-.., port of the circumstances referred‘to. Hg refers to the matter as a Press Association, report of an interview with me, and ,-ap--ouses me of a want of .frankness in hotu mentioning that authority had been given ,to call for tenders for the Medical School and, of allowing it to be assumed that neither the Medical nor the Dental School could>. be proceeded with. Let me inform they Minister that my statement was not made., by way of an interview, but at a meeting l ' of the Otago University Council, and that,;, the matters the Minister accuses me of--having acted unfairly about by lack of mesi tion were already perfectly familiar to . every member of the council. “To show how unnecessary it .was tomention the position as regards the Medi-. cal School, one has only to point out that - the motion under discussion at the limewas—That tenders be invited for the Medi- , oal School forthwith,’ which was carried, - os the report of the meeting clearly shows. ■ The whole council was also quite familiar - with the position so far as the Dental. School was concerned. Conditions at the--Dental School are, and have been for some time, such as to make the matter of a new • school one of extreme urgency. They,had. l been aggravated by the floods of last win*; ter, a portion - of the building being carried • away. Under these circumstances delays are irksome to those who have the welfare of the school at heart. When the council ■ was informed that no authority could be 1 given _ regarding the Dental School until the Minister’s return to New Zealand, fairly strong _ comment was excusable. T desire; to explain that the statement attributed to:, me—viz., that the Minister of Education-, had left the country without leaving any- , one in authority in his department—was a statement which, applied purely' and solely to the Dental School. I had no knowledge of any other matter that could not be ■ dealt with during the Minister’s absence. “The report of my statement is moresweeping, than the one which was • either - intended .or made by me. I noticed it , in the paper the following morning, - bufc--I did not consider it worth while to have it corrected, as it appeared to be dear;-, from the context that my statement had ■: reference, to the Dental School only. “I much regret to learn for the first • time that the absence of the Minister .from ’ New Zealand has been due to ill-health* While that is a matter which should not. in any _ way affect the position so far as the subject of this controversy is concerned, . I want to express my personal regret that ■ the absence of- the Minister should be due, ’ to that cause, and I sincerely trust that he will return to New Zealand restored in ‘ health and invigorated. I am fully awarethat there is probably no department which, during the last year or two, has made a greater demand upon the time and -energy - of a Minister than that under the control - of the Minister of Education.” ■ .