THE OTAGO UNIVERSITY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2524, 30 July 1902, Page 13

THE OTAGO UNIVERSITY.

» THE MEDICAL AND MINING SCHOOLS IN DANGER.

MEETING OF OTAGO MEMBERS.

DEPUTATION TO THE ACTING-

PREMIER.

A COMMISSION OF INQUIRY TO BE

APPOINTED.

(From Otth Own Coehespon'dent.)

WELLINGTON, July 22

A meeting of Otago members was held here to-day to consider the present state of mattera in connection with the Otago Cniversitv.

Mr James Allen, the convener of the meeting, placed the financial position very clearly and fully before those who attended. He explained that there had been a great falling off in revenue from endowments. The revenue from the Barewood run had fallen from £2925 to £900, the revenue from Benmore from £3600 to £3000, the Museum Reserve from £916 to £550 ; while the goldfields revenue, from which, in 1898, they received £461, was now nil. This represented a total loss of £3152. Then, in addition, there was a loss from cutting up the Barewood run. This had been done in 1693 at the wißh of the Minister of Lands, who said it should be cut up for closor settlement. Accordingly, it was cut up, and the loss in survey, etc., was £454. It was put up subdivided, but without success, and had to be let again in one lot. The £454 was a loss to the council. Then the Government had taken for the Otago Central railway 491 acres of land from Barewood, for which not one penny had been received from the Go vernment. The council also had to meet a loss on the Museum. There was a Museum Reserve, but up to 1901 the Museum had cost the University £500 more than the revenue from the endowments, the rent having decreased. Again, the University had to borrogr money to erect buildings, and was in debt on that account. Now, lately also the University had to horrow money to reclaim land bordering the Water of Leith. The position now was that aU the X7niversity> had to rely upon was endow ments and tho vote of £500 (occasionally £750) for the School of Mines from Parliament. The University account had gone to the bad about £1500, the average deficiency being about £150 per annum, excluding items that might fairly be charged to capital. Including .these, the deficiency wag £360 per annum. Reductions had been made in expenditure in 1894 a 9 follows: — Professors' salaries, £340 per annum ; lecturer, £150 per annum ; staff, £66 per annum ; apparatus, £50' per annum; miscellaneous, £160 per annum; — total, £766 per annum. In 1901 a. saving had been made in the teaching of Krenoh, and £25 per annum in apparatus ; while by abolishing the Law School they had saved £100 a year. This was an additional saving of £150 per annum. They could not cut down further. The committee appointed in 1901 to consider the financial position reported that the council was now bound to face the unfortunate position of having to dispense with one or more of the Faculties. There was now an overdraft of £1500, nothing in hand for development, and very little for repairs and painting. Mr Allen said that was the position. He could not tell them of any other possible cutting down that could take place. The earlier professors' salaries could not be cut down, as they had been appointed for life at fixed salaries. They had taken from them their liouse allowances, and coulcl do no more. They were now face to face with cutting out some of the Faculties unless they could get relief somewhere.

Mr Thomas Mackenzie : Ip there any chance of the -runs improving in value? Mr Allen : I am afraid not. Mr T. Mackenzie : I suppose the rabbits decreased their value?

Mr Allen : Yes, largely : but there is also the general decrease in the value of pastoral land.

The Hon. George M'Lean ■ When does the Barewood run fall in? I'm afraid you will have to face a further lo=s there. Mr Allen : Well, it will be a hll worse for us in that event.

Mr T. Mackenzie said he had lately been over that country, and found that the rabbits had greatly decreased. The rabbiters could hardly make a living now. Hon. Mr M'Lean • There is a terrible risk in these properties now. The wool last year ivas exactly half the value of what it was the year before.

Mr Allen : That is the position. If we cannot get relief we. shall have to rut off the Mining School, and if that is not sufficient we shall also have to cut off the Medical School.

Mr Gilfedder: What U the co=t of the Alining School? Mr Allen: In 1901 it cost £2034; but even if it were cut off we should still have to pay some of the professors, such as Professors Gibbons, Shand, and Black so that we should gain £1000 or £1200 and lose the Government subsidy; therefore the saving would be only £400 or £500 a year. Mr Sidey • I don't think the. Dunedin people would listen for a moment to the idea of cutting off the Medical .School. Mr Allen further pointed out that more funds were needed to make the Medical School thoroughly efficient. They wanted £1300 a year to make it right. Hon. George M'Lean The two schools you propose to cut down are the two important ones.

Mr M'Nab There will be nothing left. Mr Allen ■ If we could wipe off the overdraft, which is approximately £1500, and if we could rely upon getting £750 a year regularly I think we could carry on without making a loss, but there would be practically nothing left for development, unless •we got more for our endowments. We have been getting something from our Water of Leith endowment, which we have been trying to improve, and by last mail I heard that a further piece of it had been let. It is also reported that the Drainage Board will take a portion of it, and that ■we will be relieved of the expense of icbuilding the wall that was washed away. Mr Gilfedder asked what the fees amounted to?

Mr Allen said that in 1901 they amounted to £2000, but part of the fees were included in the earnings of the earlier appointed professors, and the council could not get them during their lifetime. He suggested that the Government be asked to grant a sum of £1500 to wipe off the present deficit, that the Minister of Mines be •aked to coutinufi the sahaidx oi £750, and

that the Government be asked to appoint a commission of inquiry into the whole position of the finances and the teaching powers of the University, so that Parliament might deal with it.

Mr T. Mackenzie thought that a good idea, and he moved accordingly. He noticed that there was a sum of £7000 or £8000 down on the Estimates for flashing rubbishy telegrams Home to England. It would be much better to spend some of that on the University. The Hon. Mr M'Lean pointed out that Auckland University College got £4000 from the Government, and Wellington a similar amount.

Mr M'Nab : But they have no endowments like Otago. Mr Allen : You must remember that we have to keep the Museum out of our endowment. We get £5750 from our endowments, but out of that we have to spend £501 a year on the Museum, which is £50 to £100 a year more than we get from the Museum endowment.

Mr Mackenzie asked if they could not differentiate the work between the different university colleges, Otago being the medical centre and Auckland the mining centre. Mr M'Nab: That is what I have always said should be done. Mr Allen : I don't see how that would save the colony expense. The Government would still have to pay its share. Mr Mackenzie : It would bo more efficient. Mr Allen : I don't know that it would, but no doubt there will bo differentiation. I suppose Wellington will take law, Christchurch has taken up engineering and agriculture, and Auckland no doubt will take up tome specialty when it gets stronger. Mr Arnold seconded Mr Mackenzie's motion, which was agreed to, and, at Mr Allen's suggestion, Mr Millar, as senior member for Dunedin, was appointed to introduce the deputation.

DEPUTATION TO THE ACTINGPREMIER,

At 12.30 p.m. the deputation waited oi* the Acting-Premier. Mr Millar explained the position briefly, commenting upon the fact that if the School of Mines had to go it would be a national lose. It was, he added, an excellent Mining School, and its students had done well throughout Australasia. Mr Allen also spoke. He said he could assure the Minister that unless they got assistance the Mining School would have to go, and they would have to give the professors and lecturers notice that their services would be dispensed with at the close of their present agreement. The school had been started at the request of the Government some years ago, and it was now the finest mining school south of the line. He said that without hesitation. It turned out the best men, who were now competing in South Africa and in Australia, and were holding their own even with the men from the London School of Mines. The school was a credit to the colony, and it would be a great loss to the colony and to the district if it had to go. Mr Gilfedder said he did not think the Minister of Mines> should be committed to spend £750 a year on the School of Mines until the whole position was reported upon. Mr Allen said they were not asking for that. All they wanted was that the overdraft should be cleared off and the £750 granted for this year, pending the report of the suggested commission of inquiry. The Hon. Mr AT Go wan, who had come in during tho progress of the interview, said that Dunedin was one of the richest cities in the colony, and yet it was the only place that did not do anything outside the foes of the students to help the School of Mines. In connection with the other Schools of Mines the public helped. Mr Allen: We're all Scotchmen clown there. — (Laughter.) The Hon. Mr M'Gowan said that seeing there were co many representatives of the district present it was just as well for them to know that the public of Dunedin did not help. Personally, he would always be disposed to stretch a point to keep the school going, and ho would feel it as a reflection on himself if the School of Mines went down. At the same time he did not consider Dunedin was doing anything like what it ought to do in gning help in that direction. Mr Mackenzie: How do they help in other parts? The Hon Mr M'Gowan: By public bubf."ription«. Some of the schools that arc doing excellent work only receive half of their expenses. It, does not -peak very well for a woalthy city .like Dunedin, especially a city that admires and does «o much for education. If I were to give this school a guarantee of an increased subsidy other uehools would also be justified in asking for extra assistance. Mr M'Nab l ointed out that the mining fee-i and the (attribution did not cover the cost of the nhood. There M-, an expendi ture from the l'ni\ersity fund* of £400 a yenr to keep tlse school m existence Mr M'Gr.wan- That it a contribution to thr- education e-,tabh-hment Mr M'Nab: No, to the mining establishment.

Mr M-Couav: Til undertake to say that I fiuld produce a better mining school with tho funds available

Mr Sl'Nab: Probably you could a primaiy mining school, but not a -ceondary college, ccursc. The Hon. (ieorgc M'Lrau said it was only natural that in a mining centre like the Thames the people should suWnb'e to a mining school. It was different in Otago Personally, he thought too many university irlJeges had been started, to the detriment of those already in existence.

Mr Allen said he had that day received a telegram from the Registiar stating that there would be on additional expense of £38 a year for rat©« m consequence of the establishment of i\ Drainage Board.

Mr Bennet naid he thought the Dunedin people were doing very little for the t-chool considering all the benefits they had been getting out of the mining boom in the way g c . manufacture of machinery, etc. Still, he would not like to Fee the school < losed.

Sir Joseph Ward said tlie representations of the deputation would have the full consideration of lni- colleagues, and tho whole question -would be gone into. He would be exceedingly soiry to gee the School of Mines closed on account of financial instability, and he was rather inclined to think, after what the Minister of Mine* had stated, that the Government would be disposed to help, ] rovidcd the council showed a slight disposition to help themselves He would feuggest that the a^siptance. bo on the ha --if from the colony of £2 to £1 for the uniiiod. it«- relief of their £1500 o\erdraft. He ,tdnuU<<l that thc-ro had born a <-eiiou-> falling off in the revenue, and bn thought kii cgiiejigue

would agree with him .that relief should be given in the direction indicated. In regard to the contribution of £750 to the School of Mines, ho thought it would be a right thing f6r the Minister to have the whole position irvestigated and see whether they could continue to do the good work that everyone admitted the Otago School of Mines had clone iv the past. He also thought that the contribution of £750 for this year would not be refused.

Mr Allen said he hoped the Minister would make the commission embrace the whole thing, the Medical School as well.

Sir Joseph Ward said he saw no objection to that. The interview then ended.