SCHOOL OF VETERINARY SCIENCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2902, 27 October 1909, Page 5

SCHOOL OF VETERINARY SCIENCE.

It will be gratifying to all interested in agricultural and ps.=toral purs-nits to kern that there is now every prospect of a vctsrinavy sehcol in connection with the Ota.£o University becoming an aecc-.T.-plLsiiEd fact. The meeting ot members of Parliament, ton vent d by two members ' of the Otag< University Council (Mersrs j J;ur.2t, Allen and T. X "Sidcy. M.lWs), to tii.=cu.ss tae project w^rs attended by re-pru-entatives of 17 constituencies, all of whom were strongly of opinion tha.t it was desi-.\'ble a veterinary school fhould be established. It is snt^faetory to fir.d that Ihe^e wj>« no ciisspesition on tbs 2>art o: any of thze-e pve-snt to cavil at the •; .co.^try fir.ido u-iny voted to the Otago I'liivei-sity Council, ail lecognising apparently that the veterinary sohcol nu-st rj-^eessarily be conneciied vtith the medical sclicol. Seme 11 y£aw ago this quest:on was disc-us^-ed at the conZerenca of driegatc-s from A. and P. sccieti-es, held at Christchiuvh. r.nd a deci.-icn arrived at that a vetorin.-ry school .'.liould be attached to on-2 of the university colleges, 3K 1 a rej-olution carried asking the- Uoveinmicnit to make the Kece? ary finar.cial pro\ision. Some time later the n-e.it.si-was trik£n up by the coujiczl of the Otago University, but. the invrlation to intending students 10 forward their r...>n:c-^ met wit.'i little or no response. As it v.ps evic'-rnt the foundation of the new institution wculd have to b3 laid deeper than was ;hen c-cntenip!at:<?, the question »>\s ctl'owed to ,*tar..d over foj a time. Now that it has been taken up ayain there !-c?ins to be a much bcit°r prospect of -ik cess. For yecii.s Xcw Zealord \-; >. fort unite in having at the head of thu A-sterinaij. brsnch 6i tha Department oi Agrkuitare a gentlanun vrho did a I great d-cal in the 11 r.y ol convincing fari mci's and ethers that it was to their in- [ tere-'t to have m-en ti-ained locally in I \ et-eriary science. Mr Oilrulh, in addition to the ti-aininj he had iecei\ed ;-.t • z.iio of tha be-t vctOiinary Sclioo's in Ki.ope. j-^f.i acquii^d a kiu.wkdoe of the ;~quiremcr.'.s of tlie Dominion, and ho I voiild probably have rr:L'"2 an if'oal h<_v,d i of tl:a \c-te:ini./y =chool h:'d it h<~cn pio{.'tilled with Bat oti »i's recogui-ed this' -'l-o. :>nd wiTile i* I » \vl:o h.'-it-ttiiig and 4.10P1113 ab<i;t !■>!• iiiH.rrrjison Mr (iihuth Ma^ -:iai«j ed up by the Victoria auljioiiIk->. ;!)•'! prtvailt'd u.pon to tike the po.-i-ti-)i' cf d.-cttor of the Melbourne LTni-vr-sty Veterjr:>>y S, hvo!. Wlii't -ip-ea'-c-l x-> 1-a a misf !-,;■■ une when hu- left oi>r sh-oi es ma\ :v f.inie ifspccts prove a gum. The i'A nipt to gam -tu-.lent^ in New Zealand j<m the Melboinij school c-au>od a reMt.' 1 ot interest in the project to es-tab-l'<h a \ctMin<iry j-fheo] as an adjunct to t'-e Ota^,o University, and. tJia.tks to the en; Vy ■di--pia^er! b.v Mi .Jfjraes .\U( n pn,d oth?f memb'is of ih? L"ni\ei.-ity Council, there is now every likelihood of oiir o»sn vet si in? /y school hecomiiig- a reality The (.Tuveimr.ent h.:s placed £3000 on the J^tinidtes for buildvir.^s. etc.. and the flovcinmenl h.-.s ;..-o.ii«--d JSI2OO par a'iniim for upkeep. Mr AUrn e.\p!ainsd to the ineet.ing iefei.-pd to that l-he latet-t pla.n/«. , wluoh p -ovided for the ba^-e minimum reC)iiireir.ci)'w. p U t <the estiniat-c-d cost at £^000. Xo floubt when the (>overn.Tient lvilisss that the question ha- the suppoit of s,o many members the diife'-ence be-tw-cen th' 2 amount pronwred and the estimated cort v. ill be piwidsd. Although, tlis co.-t of adminLstiation 1- hkel\ to extol the £1200 womised by the Govern- ' ment. the Ota-go University Council is ' willing U> undeitake the rcpoiteibility of , carj-ying on tlie school with the amount ' pomised It is obvious that a compkto course canr.ot be provided at the outset for the sum which the Government is prepa.red to grant, co that the N.Z. Veterinary School will be a small affair as ;om?.>ared with the Melbourne University • School, with its six professors and 14 lecturers, and its coarse of five years. But, remembering that the Otago Medical School, which began on an even more modest scale, has managed to e-tablish a *p]endd nam« for itself, it is not unreaeon-

I able to expect tifoat before rn^ny years have elapsed veterinary students will be enabled to go through the full course at tha local institution. As this question, of a. veterinary training school -has been a ' good deal discussed m- tha country disI tricta, it is. to ba presumed the ■necessary ' students will ba forthcoming. It is stated that the Stock Department alone will require the services of three or four trained j men yearly for the next eight or nine I years. If an assurance can be given j that young men after undergoing their ; training would be drafted into the Stoc£ I Department, this would be a great in- ; centdve to students to come forward. As i to the value to farmer students, when they 1 undertook farming on ttheir own account, , of the training they would receive at a I veterinary school, ifc is so obvious that it 1 is not necessary to refer further to the I matter. Instead of, a^ lias been sugJ gested', A. ar.d P. associations, fsrmors' clubs, and other bodies subscribing to pay the expenses of New ZealaE-d students , to Melbourne, ifc mi^kt be suggested t3ia£ ; t\:2j piibFtribe a yearly sum to provide , free- tuition at the "Otago University , Veterinary School for students who show ability, but have not the means to pur^ sue their studies. With the co-operation of othor districts it is believed t-hat the ! Otasjo University Veterinary School would soon become an institution of which the I whole Dominion might be proud I