UNIVERSITY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2250, 15 April 1897, Page 16

UNIVERSITY COUNCIL.

The monthly meeting of the University Council, held on Monday, was attended by Messrs E. B. Cargill (vice-chancellor), the Rev. A. Cameron, Dr Hockeo, Dr Burns, Dr Shand, and Processor Sale. T)ie Finance Committee's report, which was adopted, stated that the committee had passed for p*yment accounts amounting to £1207 5s |7d. [ Mr F. W. Petre wr>te forwarding a plan of proposed works for the reclamation of the council's property in Castle street. Mosird Smith, Chapman, and Sinclair wrote in regard to the land in question, stating that they had examiued the title deeds and the several acts of Parliament ivlating to the leasing powers of 1 the university over the Albauy street block, and though there was a difficulty iv following the description in oue of these statutes there was no doubt thai there was power to let the frontage from Albany street to the actual banks of the river and some other parts of the land. The sections comprising this frontage, however, were the only practicable sites, but they thought that the powers of the special acts pasitd 20 years ago were so defective as compared with what the public now required and, in the alternative, so burdensome to the university that parliamentary sanction ought to be obtained to exlerd aud amend them. With resp c cfc to the 'proposed works in the river the council's powers might, to gome extent, depend on the position in which the river now was and in which it was in former times. They thought, speaking generally, that there v^ power to protest the banks and to return the stream to an original channel if its position could be ascertained, but all this must be done subject to the maxim, " Sic utere tuo, ut alienum non ladas." In view of engineering questions which they could not pretend to solve, they-would advise tlae council to lay their plans before the City Corporation, so that the views of the city surveyor might be obtained as to whether, in his opinion, there was any risk of injury" to the street. IE thisquestion were satisfactorily settled they did not think there could be much further risk. The letters were referred to a committee consisting cf Dr Hocken, Dr Sband, Mr J. Allen, Professor Sale, and the Vice-chancellor to coaler with the City Council in regard to the proposed works, and to report to a future meeting. Dr Black wrote stating that he was subpoenaed to attend the Supreme Court in Christchurch on the 12'h inst, and could nob be back in Dunedin till Saturday evening. He had asked Mr Goodlet to notify his class to meet him on the 20th inst. They would thus lo*e three lectures. The Vice-chancellor said he thought Dr Black was required to give evidence in a West Coast mining case. He supposed the matter could not be helped. Professor Sale observed that he did not know why Dr Black should always be subI cenaed to give evidence in cases of the sort referred to. There ought to be a abort act passed relieving professors from being subpoenaed. Dr Shand : We are relieved now from the neressity of sitting on juries. Proftssor Sale : I do not see why we should not be relieved from being subpoenaed to give evidence. It is not a3 if there were no other experts. The discussion of the matter then dropped. The Registrar stated that he had bsou recommended to see Dr Parker with regard to opening the muneum at an earlier hour than at present. The doctor wrote stating that on general principles the proposal was ono with which he cordially agreed. The only difficulty was that with the present staff he did not see how it was possible to get the museum properly cleaned, by 10 o'clock, and it was very undesirable that the public should be admitted before the place was presentable. If, however, the council could give him some additional assistance in the way of cleaning he would fall in with the proposal to open ab 10 o'clock. The Registrar said he thought he could see a way to arrange the matter if it were referred to him, and the council accordingly left it in his h&nds. The Rev. A. Cameron moved—" That a '

committee consisting of the vice-chancellor, Mr J. Allen, Dr Shand, and the mover be appointed a committee to consider tho question of instituting university extension lectures." He said he had often thought of bringing the matter up, bat had generally been a little sceptical as to whether we had large enough centres in New Zealand to make the toheme a success. He, however, thought it was worth while to appoint a committee to see what could be done in regard to the matter. Possibly they might find some way of working the scheme in in connection with the technical classes in Danedin. University extension lectures might be given in such centres as Invercargill, Balclutha, and Oamaiu, and the council might arrange for the lectures. The universities at Home had instituted these lectures, and they guaranteed the quality of the lectures and chose the lecturers. It, however, entailed no expense on the universities. Each centre was asked to guarantee about £20 to cover the expenses of the lecturer and so much for travelling expenses. There were 12 or 14 lectures in a full course, and the lecturar had to arrange with a centre as to the time the lectures would be given. Then the lecturer was supposed to ba in attendance an hour after the lectures for private conference with the students, bo that the latter might bo able to ask him questions regarding the lectures if they wished to do so. At the conclusion of the course an examination was held by the lecturer. He had had a letter from • Professor Harper, of Melbourne, in which that gentleman said that tho scheme had been a success there. The workiug men's bodies had not taken much interest in the scheme, and the students that had not come forward had not taken advantage of the examinations ; but taking it all round the scheme had been a eucces*. He also had a letter from the secretary of the board in Melbourne, and he likewise said that the soheme had been a success. The movement had extended to New South Wales aud South Australia, and it had been a success nil round. The Vice-chancellor : Do you think that this should be a proposal emanating from the university, or that the university should concur in proposals coming from outside. The Rev. Mr Cameron said he thought tho university should take the first step. The council might get the Technical Classes Association to co-operate with them ; they might seek to get their students to form a centre. Dr Burns : It is not a sort of rival to tho university ? The R^jv. A. Camerom : Not in the slightest degree. It would be a feeder. Dr Hocken wjis under the impression that there was something superficial about the idea of these lectures. They were not like a welldevised course of university training, but they struck him as being something like ambulance lectures, which were not Dearly of so much, value as they were popularly supposed to be. The motion was eventually agreed to.