THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13. 1924.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19249, 13 August 1924, Page 6

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13. 1924.

THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM. The proposal to establish four separate Universities in New Zealand did not 2'eccive much support yesterday at a meeting of the Otago University Council. Dr Benhnm, a member of the professorial staff, was in fact the only advocate of it. It is clear, moreover, that he was not expressing the views that are entertained by his colleagues on the staff. Apparently a feeling has existed among the members of the Arts and Science Faculty of the local' institution in favour of some important change in the University system in the dominion. But_the Faculty as a whole lias acquiesced in the opinion adopted by the Professorial Board that, while the proposal that four distinct Universities should be created possesses suffici ent feasibility to warrant consideration, reforms may be effected that will remove the causes of dissatisfaction that have originated the suggestion for the establishment of a University with full powers in each of the centres in which a university college now exists. This seems to be a reasonable and sound contention. Dr Benham describes the University of New Zealand os an anachronism. This is certainly exaggerative. If there is no parallel to the University of New Zealand among the other universities of the world, the explanation is that the conditions under which university education is provided in New Zealand are not paralleled elsewhere. The University of New Zealand is not a perfect institution, but it is a counsel of positive despair that it should be destroyed because of the existence of a belief that there are certain defects in the conduct of it—defects which, having so far resisted all efforts to remove them, are apparently regarded as irremediable. As was justly observed by Mr Stephens, the onus of proof lies on those who would raze the University of New Zealand to the ground. It is for them to show that it is no longer fitted to serve the purpose for which it was established and which, it may be fairly said, it has accomplished not altogether unsatisfactorily in the past. It is true that Dr Benham declares that the degrees of the New Zealand University are not known in England. But this is one of those loose statements that are suggestive of weakness in the cause in support of which they are made. Sir Linde Ferguson replies that the medical degrees conferred in New Zealand are very favourably known in England, and that is the common impression on this subject. But if the degrees of the New Zealand University were actually not known and recognised at Home, what chance would there be of the recognition there of the degrees of the purely provincial university? When the ground upon which tho movement for the establishment of four separate universities is examined, all that can be definitely ascertained is that it is alleged that a need exists for introducing greater flexibility into the syllabus and for altering the method of examination. Surely, however, these are rightly described as details which do not justify the revolutionary change that would be involved in the creation of four distinct universities in New Zealand. We , are not enamoured of the practice of appointing Royal Commissions for tho investigation of all sorts of problems, but the suggestion that a Commission should be set up to report upon the question of the conduct of the University of New Zealand in so far as the power of the teaching staffs and the method of examination arc concerned, and to make recommendations also as to the constitution of the Senate, has a good deal to recommend it.