UNIVERSITY COUNCIL.

Otago Witness, Issue 2262, 8 July 1897, Page 30

UNIVERSITY COUNCIL.

The ordiisary meeting of the Otago University Council was held in the Education Board's i officeon Monday afternoon, there being present — ; The Vice-chancellor (Mr E B. Cargill), P*ro- | fessors Sale and Sh&nd, Drs Hocken and ! Burn?, Rev. A. Cameron, Messrs J. AlleD, H.H.K., and TJ. Whits. CORRESPONDENCE. The Secretary of the Students' Association wrote enclosing a copy of a motion which had ! bnen adopted at a meeting of students to the effect " that the council be written to asking I them, if they can see their way to do so, to publish the ' honours list ' in the calendar every year, as that is the only record of the work of the university." — The Registrar said that thin matter had been before the Professorial Board, and that there was no objection to its being granted. — Professor Sale considered ib very desirable this should be done. Last year the information had been given piecemeal to the public, and the press had not published ib in a complete form, so that unlesi the stadents kept different papers they could not get a record of the whole year's work. — The request was granted. An application that permission should be granted to allow the students' room to be v open during the summer months for the convenience of medical students was referred to the Professorial Board to report. A letter was received from the secretiry to the Students' Association requesting th*t the subjects of jurisprudence and constitutional history should count separately for extra-mural students, as was the case with students within the university.— The Professorial Board were reported to be favourable to the request, which was granted. BEPOKTS. The report of the Finance Committee stated that; a schedule of accounts amounting to £1099 6s lid had been passed for payment. — I Adopted. The House Committee reported having considered the janitor's application for an increase I of salary ; and having taken into account the salaries of all the attendants in connection with their duties, recommended that the salary of the janitor be raised £10 per annum as from the 30th June. The committee also expressed the opinion that the janitor was entitled to some ; small annual remuneration from the clubs and societies using the rooms in the buildings. After a brief discussion the report was adopted unanimously. ! GRADUATION CEREMONY. I Application was made on bshalf oE the 1 students for permission to hold the graduation ceremony and to make use of the university building for that purj pose. It was intended, it was stated, if perj mission was granted, to hold the ceremony on the 9th July, on lines similar to those adopted in 1895 and 1896.— 1t was resolved that permission be granted, subject to the same terms as last year. . - PROFESSOEIAL BOABD. On the motion of Professor Sale, ,it was resolved that Blr F. B. Stephens be a member of the Professorial Board. ANNUAL BEFORT. The annual report of the university was brought up and adopted. The report was as follows :—: — The Chancellor of the University of Otago to his Excellency the Governor. University of Otago, 1897. Your Excellency, — In compliance with the provisions of " The Otago University Ordinance, 1869," I have the honour to forward to your Excellency the following report of the proceedings of the University of Otago for the year ending the 31st of March. 1897 ;—

Ths classes have beeii attended during the past year by the following number of students : Males. — Matriculated, 174 ; not matriculated, 27^-total males, 201. Females.^-Matriculated, 32 ; not matriculated, 1 ; — total females, 33. . Gross total of students attending 234. The dep;i-ee3 and honours gained at tho last November -examinations of the New Zealand University are as follows :—: — Muster of Arts Degree — Margaret Smyth, Parker M v Kmlay, James Millar Thomson, William Gray, Alexmder Samuel Morrison. Honours in Arts— Frederick William Hilgen<iorf, in natural beience (zoology) ; Thomas Dunn, language; nml literature (Latin and Knglish) ; Parker M'Kuilay, physical science (electricity); •Tame* Millar 'I homsnn, mental science ; Margaret Smyth, mental science-. •Senior Scholarships -John O'Shea, in Latin" George Frederick King A-iams, in English and French ; Joseph Mcllor, in chemistry ; William Mawson, in natural science (botany and" zoology) ; Colin Campbell Hutton, in mental science The John Tiuliue Scholarship —William Newlands. M."B. and Ch.M. — Margaret Barnett Cruickshank, Arthur Edward Albert Palmer. First examination for tho'Dsgree of Bachelor of I Lawn — Reginald Moore, William Do wnie Stewart. 1 Second examination for the Deg'ee of Bachelor of Laws -George H-rbert Roebuck Fenton, John Buchanan Nichol, Alexander Drurnmond Wilkinson. LL.B. Degree — Ethel R. BeDJamin, James Goon?'! Rtuart, M.A , Fiederick "William Platts. ■Bachelor of Science — William Alexander M'i-iPOi.?, Joseph William Mello'r. First section of B.Sc— Winifrede Bathgate J.»mes Malcolm M'Laren, Sheddun T. Burgh' Henry Fawsitt Skey. ' ' Degree of Bachelor of Arts— George Frederick King Adams, William Archibald Ballantyne Andrew Nisbet Burns, Frank Foote, .lames Mitchell E'lisGarrovv, Matthew Cnchrsme Henderson 1 Colin Campbell Hutton, William Mawson! i William Newlauds, John O'Shea, David Nichol I I'ryov, Johu Reid, John Robertson, John Robert Rutherford, Kate Blanche Lilian Webber. First Section of the I >egi cc of Bachelor of Arts Amiie Bauchcip, Ivo R Beitrantj T. Brodie, A. J CrawfqrJ, Line/a C. Fenwick, A". J. Ferguson, Catherine G. Fiasw, J. G. Fullarkon, John Kinder,' II S. Leach, Charlotte E. M'Grecor, S. A. Moore, J. Miven, It. A. Sfcenhouse, G. E. Thompsou, Lawrence Thompson, Marion B. Thomson, Lealie E Williams, H. F. Wilson. Junior Scholarships of the "University of New Zealand awnrded thit year aie held by— W. M. Thomson, Flora J. W. Hodges, Edith Lilian Brown, A. H. V. Morgan, J. P. Matheson, and A. N Fell, at this university. The Stuart prize for 189*5 was awarded to Sheddan Thompson- Brush in the class for natural philosophy ; the Macandrevv scholarship in political economy to Andrew Gillow*y Cameron Millar. Endowments — The tenancy of the endowments is the same as last year. The mining claims ou tho Museum reserve have increased in number, and complaint has been made by the tenant of the disturbance of the sheep by miners and their dogs. The council have, however, come to an arracgement with their tenant which it ia hoped will be satisfactory to both parties. The claim for compensation for land taken from the Barewood run for the Otago Central railway has not yet been settled, but it is hoped that a settlement will ba efftftt-pd within the next few months. Loan. — 'I his year th° loan originally raised for building pu?puse3 of £I^,ooo fell due, and tho council repaid the £15,000 to the Government Insurance department, who held the debentures. A fre*h loau was raised locally for this purpose, and the money was obtained at the rate of 4j per cent, interest. Authority was obtained by Order-in-Couucil to borrow* ah hdditional £1000 for the purpose of reQlaiming'the block of land near the university buildings in Castle stre-st This money wns also raised locally on debentures at 4i per cent. It is propo3ed>to confine the Water of Leith by-a concrete wall, and fill in that portion of the block which -has been removed by the succetsive floods in the Leith. A- number of valuable' buiHing sites will then be available for lease, and if taken up should return .1 substantial sum in addition to tho interest on the amount of capital invested in the reclamation. Schobl of Mioea. — The cyanide and crushing plant mentioned in the report list year as in couteniDlatioa has iiow been erected, and has been in workiDg order since the end of August. The funds for the crectiou of, the battery »nd cyanide plant were provided by a spec.al grant of £500 from the department and a payment of £250 of annual tubsidy in arrear. The total cost of the erection and the incidental expenditure on alteration of building has much exceeded this amount. The additional cost of the machinery and its erection was £!50 more than the grant. Aa unusually large number of names were enter, d as applicants for admission to the school of mines— more thaa 40,— J-wi the council were therefore obliged to have the larae room hitherto used as the mining museum fitted with debks and seats for at least 40 students, and to have fresh provision ma *c for the mineral and rock speci-m-ns and all thy varioas mining models. A further supply of chemicals and apparatus for the assaying classes and additional petrolcgical microscopes weie ordered, as absjlutely necessary for the proper instruction of the classes. There are now 50 .students attending classes. During tho latter pirt of the year, after the session had terminated, a number of hulk samples were received for trea.meut at tha batteiy. Mr P. Fitzgerald, the lecturer on assaying, resigned his appointment at the end of the year and was succeeded by Mr F. B. Stephens. A new schedule of the duties of the metallurgist has been drawn up by the Mining Committee, and also regulations for the testing of samples at the school of mines. These have been approved by the council. The number of furnaces in the laboratory is quite insufficient for tho number of students attending assaying clasjes, and at least five new furnaces are required, besides additional bench accommodation. The report of the director of the school of mines gives a summary of tho work done during the year. The council again regrets to state that the revenue is barely sufficient to meet expenses. As poiuted out in the last two annual reports, the present. revenue from endowments, Ac, does not leave any money available for advance in any diiection. Its 'fixed engagements absorb the whole of Ihe revenue. The reduction in the rate of interest on the loan from 6 per cent, to 4* per cent, is a material giin, but for the present it is counterbalanced by the extra expenses or tne floiting of the new loan. The Professor cf Biology reported as follows :— "Two striking additions have been made to the museum during the year. Among the most important are a very fine collection of pelagic invertebrates received in exchange fiom the Calcutta Museum; a collection of Victorian birds eggs, presented by Dr C. Ryan aud Mr A. Le Sonet ; specimen of the great Stewart Island kiwi, hitherto unrepresented in the collections ; some very fine fossil fishes, received in exchange from Professor 11. A Ward, of Rochester, U.S.A. ; aad the second recorded specimen of the scaled tunny. A ribbonfish has also been secured, the sketches of which will probably be valuable as an exchange. During the early part of the yejr the taxidermist's time was fully occupied in mounting for exhibition a large sunfish. The collection of niolluEca has been rearranged, and the alcoholic collection of fishes and reptiles rearranged and relabelled. A collection of fossils is in course of arrangement." It was alao ordered that a report from the dean of the medical faculty be added to the report. This concluded tha business.

The work of erecting the Bannockburn bridge progrejses rapidly. The Argus says the bridge should be open for traffic in 10 days. The charges against R. W. Hall of procuring a noxious thing to be administered to Caroline Matthews, and againsb her for permitting its administration, were again postponed at Invercargill on Monday for a week, medical svidence being given to the effect that the accused woman would not be.abk to apnear for a month,