THE OTAGO VIEWPOINT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20691, 13 April 1929, Page 14

THE OTAGO VIEWPOINT.

VICE-CHANCELLOR INTERVIEWED. When shown the above messages by a representative of the Otago Daily Times, the vice-chancellor of the Otago University (Mr W. J. Morrell) said that the suggestion of any underhand action or breach of faith by the Otago University was entirely baseless. It was true,' he said, that the Otago University, through its representatives at a conference of the four colleges last year, agreed to join in a request to the Carnegie Corporation, following upon a visit of Dean Russell, for. a grant of £20,000 for libraries, and £IOOO a year to each district for extension work among men and women in rural districts. A Committee was set up and the requests __ were to bo sent forward through the New Zealand University. The request for the libraries’ grant was forwarded to America soon after, the conference. With regard to the extension work, each college was to prepare and send forward_ to Wellington a detailed scheme showing the proposed method of expenditure of the grant asked for. So far as the Otago University district was concerned, a scheme was agreed to by the council some time before the end of last year, but its sending up to Wellington was delayed owing to negotiations between the Otago and Canterbury Councils for a joint administration of the grants for the two districts, it being, of course, assumed that the two grants would be of cqual_ amounts. The Otago Council also sanctioned a proposal that the amount asked for in each district, should be £2OOO a year instead of £IOOO, and instructed its representatives, at any committee meeting that might be held, to support that. The concurrence of the Canterbury College in the suggested scheme had not yet been received. Within the last few weeks the Otago Council received information from a private source that the Carnegie Corporation was making, or contemplated mak-' ing, a grant of £ISOO a year to the Otago University district for rural extension work, and £SOO a year to the Canterbury district for Workers’ Educational Association work. That .information came as a complete surprise to the council. On receiving notice of a further meeting of representatives in Wellington, the Otago Council thought it only right to communicate' to the committee, confidentially, the information which had reached it. It was, at the same time, stated that that information, was entirely unofficial, and that the reported decision of the Carnegie CqrpoTation was in no way due to any action, direct or indirect, of the Otago Council. It was further stated that the council was strongly in favour of the proposal to ask for £2OOO for each university district. Apparently the information confidentaljy given to the committee had in some way got abroad, and the position of the Otago University Council in the matter had been entirely misunderstood, and, no doubt unintentionally misrepresented. , . “ The council’s action in the matter has been entirely straightforward and honourable/’ said Mr Morrell, “ and I cannot understand any suggestion to the contrary being made by anyone who has seen or has knowledge of the Otago University Council’s letter to the Wellington Committee.”

“ Dean Russell, at the time of his visit, mjjde inquiries as to the work done here as in other centres, and was specially interested in the beginnings already made in the sphere of rural extension. Any action that may be taken by the Carnegie Corporation with respect to grants to the New Zealand colleges would no doubt depend in great measure on his report, but the Otago Council. I repeat, has in no way approached the Carnegie Corporation as to a grant for this district, nor has it, as yet, received any offer or communication as to an offer from that corporation.”