UNIVERSITY FINANCE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3764, 4 May 1926, Page 65

UNIVERSITY FINANCE.

{ PROBLEM OF MEETING EXPENDITURE. APPEAL TO PRIME MINISTER. A deputation representing the University Council waited on the Prime Minister tthe Kight Hon. J. G. Coates) on Saturday morning with reference to financial matters, the object being to enlist the assistance of the Government in the direction of placing the finances in a more satisfactory position than they are at present. In introducing the subject, Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P. (Chancellor of the University), said that the object of the deputation, which included the deans of the faculties of medicine and dentistry, was to solicit the help of Mr Coates in matters which were very largely financial. There were three matters in particular which they wished to mention. The lirst related to the placing of the special schools of medicine and dentistry ou a sound financial basis. The second related to the completion of the new; Medical School building, and the third related to the provision of a subsidy on voluntary contributions for the improvement of the new playing area recently vested in the University Council. Some of the University Council’s sources of revenue had fluctuated somewhat in recent years. He referred particularly to the rental from endowments, which had been contracted owing to the position in which some of the returned soldiers found themselves, reductions having to be made in some cases. So far as revenue was concerned, the council got back to normal conditions last year, but, notwithstanding the exercise of every care, the expenditure for the year was greater than the revenue by £7lB, so that, as a matter of fact, thp council had to curtail somewhat even if it had no fresh obligations. Last year there was a considerable increase in teachers’ salaries, but that was more apparent than real in some respects, because alterations were made in some ways. At the same time, the difference between expenditure and revenue might really be accounted for by increases in certain salaries, and no one could say that the council was over-paying its teachers. The contrary was really the case, because the professors here were being paid less than what was paid in other colleges. The “ cut ” which was made some time ago had never been fully reinstated. Before the “ cut ” the salaries were £9OO, whereas now they were £BSO. and the University Council believed they should not be less than £IOOO. In one respect university professors were different from teachers in secondary or primary schools. They got their professors from the world’s markets, and as other universities were competing for the best men they were in danger of losing some of their men, and they had difficulty in getting the best men from abroad. Their professors were being underpaid at present. The local people had been generous to the University, and he thought the Government should not lose sight of that fact But for the liberality of the people money would have to be found for necessary chairs. Between £IOO,OOO and £150,000 had been subscribed by the public. Some of the money had gone into buildings, and the interest on the money found locally amounted to a considerable sum. The Presbyterian Church of Otago found £2500 per annum for two separate chairs in the Arts and Science faculty, thus relieving the Government in regard to certain important matters. The recent commission on university education in New Zealand strongly recommended that grants for the maintenance of special schools should be distinct from grants for the other departments of a university, and he believed that Mr Coates was anxious to give effect to that recommendation. Last year the Medical and Dental Schools drew from the University about £2500, and the cost, with the Mining School, was very near, or a little over, £4OOO. The University Commission made a recommendation in favour of the removal of the Mining School from Dunedin, but he believed that it entirely misinterpreted the evidence given bv Professor Park, and that there would be a very strong outcry if an effort were made to remove the school. Mr W. J. Morrell said the commission took one of Professor Park’s sentence} awav from its context and quoted il apart. Mr Sidey said it might be suggestec that a large contribution should be madfrom the general account to assist tin special schools, but it w'ould be clear tc Mr Coates that whatever was taken awaj would have to be made up, because it took them all their time to manage. They wen not paying adequate salaries to their pro lessors, and they were debarred from ren dering adequate assistance to the profes sors, who might he able to do valuabh work in the way of research. The neces sity for research had been stressed tiim and again, and it was suggested that thoii professors should he given greater assist ance in regard to research, instead of havinj to face the drudgery of teaching all tin time. That, however, was impossible without more finance, and if money weri taken from the arts and science facultj more money would have to be found to: that department. Even if there Were n< additional provision for staffing in the medical and denial schools there was tin fact that they had two large ndditiona buildings, both of which were absolute!: necessary, anel which would involv expense for maintenance, heating, lighting and cleaning. Estimates had beet obtained from the deans of two faculties a to the money required to put the specia schools on a satisfactory footing in regim to maintenance. It was estimated the £IOOO would be required for the mninten ance of the medical school and £650 foi the dental school. The dean of the medi cal faculty had reported that to put tho medi cal school on a thoroughly satisfactory basis would involve an additional expend! ture of some £13,000 a year, Inclusive o maintenance and the appointment of ( director of the school at a salary of £l2s< per annum. The dean of the denta faculty estimated that £2700 would In required to meet the needs of the denta

school. That would provide for the full assistance required in the way of supervision, and that was one of the points in respect to which the school had been subjected to some criticism. As a matter cf faet the school had been under-staffed in proportion to the number of students, Mr Sidey went on to suggest that it would lie a good thing if Mr Coates could find time to inspect the two schools, especially the medical school, which was far from complete yet. The suggestion had been made that the University Council had misled the department somewhat by largely underestimating the amount of money tnat would be ultimately required to complete and equip the premises. He did not think that could fairly be said about the dental school. The original estimate of the cost of that school made in 1923, was about £38,300. and the actual cost was about £41,400. The equipment, furnishings, etc., accounted for the greater part of the increase. In regard to the medical school, he admitted that the estimate had been exceeded. The architect was present, and might be able to explain the difficulties in which the University Council was placed in giving an exact estimate of wliat was required. In 1920, when the late Mr Massey was here, tho amount asked for was approximately £IOO,OOO, but when they added the amount of the tenders for the completion of the building to the cost of the shell, which was £55,000 or £5G,«00, the total came to £IIO,OOO, without the site, which cost £14,000. They had exceeded the amount of the original estimate by roughly £25,000. The original estimate for the shell was £50,0000. It seemed unfortunate that the estimate should he exceeded, but it was difficult to make an exact estimate, and they got the approval of the department first for the shell of the building. He believed a mistake was made when a tender was accepted for the shell of the building, as he thought they should have known what the whole building was going to cost. It had been suggested that the Government would say it would give so much money, and that fresh tenders would have to be called for the work necessary to complete the building, but it might be impossible for the University Council to do that, and the result might be that they might be able to complete only part of the building. They were anxious to have the building completed before the opening of the medical congress of Australia and New Zealand in February, 1927. The speaker went on to say that it was very desirable for the students that the University should have a sports ground of its own. About eight or nine acres at Logan Park had been secured as a playing area, together with a prior right to play on some adjacent areas on the park. A good deal of money would be required to put the ground in order. The students had now £2OOO in hand, and a private donor had offered £IOOO. They asked that this should be treated on the same basis as other voluntary donations. Sir Lindo Ferguson (Dean of the Medical Faculty) said that it would take seven or eight months to have the Medical School building completed. They were anxious to have it ready for the medical conference in February, and also for the first session in March. He hoped the Prime Minister would inspect the building, and he was sure that he would realise the necessity of having a continuity of operations. It would take some time to remove the apparatus from the present building, and unless the new school was completed by the end of this year be did not see how they could have it ready in time. Unless the contracts were let at once the work could not be completed by the end of the year. It was very essential that there should be no break in the continuity of the work at present. Mr Sidey had referred to the Medical School drawing on the general funds of the University. Ihe amount drawn on the general exchequer fluctuated according to the amount paid in fees by the students. The position was exceedingly unsatisfactory. The medical faculty should have a definite budget of its own and should not have to go and fight for increases of salary. A few years ago Sir James Parr spent some days looking into the work of the medical school, and was very much impressed by the difficulties and by the fact that the professors here were paid a good deal less than professors were paid elsewhere. He said he would give £3OO to increase the salaries of the professors by £IOO a year, but that did not bring them up to the level of the salaries paid elsewhere. Immediately afterwards the cut came, and the increase was practically deducted from the salaries. Now the department said that the £3OO was a temporary grant, and was going to be stopped# It was impossible to reduce salaries, and money must be found. The school was a Government school, and they should know exactly where they were. The total amount that would have to be raised to run the school properly was about £50,000, and of that amount the Government had given only £4500. What he meant was that the annual expenditure would increase gradually to about £30,000 per annum, but that would not happen at once. When the new buildings were opened there would be additions to the staff. He would urge very strongly that effect be given to the recom mendation of the University Commission to put the finances of . the school on a separate footing. Seeing that the Medical School represented nearly one-fourth of. the total undergraduates it had a definite claim to some portion of the revenue towards the education of its students. The Government was morally called upon to do more in the way of maintenance than it had done in the past. If the Medical School was not expending it would be going back. A certain amount of leeway had been made up, but there was a great deal to be done in the way of expansion, which was essential if the school was to progress as it should. Dr Pickerill (Dean of the Dental Faculty) said that he wished to thank the Government for having provided a very fine building and private benefactors for handsome donations towards its equipment. He pointed out that no University special school or hospital could be self-supporting, and that tho Dontal School fulfilled both functions, last year there being 110 students in training, whilst patients r attendances numbered 22,507. This required an ade quate staff and, moreover, an adequately paid staff, and he regretted that at present this did not obtain. Elsewhere it was recognised that the proportion of staff to students for clinical work should be one to eight. That is to say, it was that one member of staff could not adequately or satisfactorily supervise more than eight operations, going on at once; yet here we had unfortunately a proportion of only one to 20 or less. Tt was obvious that this was not in the interests of the public, the students, or the saff. The members of he staff were also inadequately remunerated. The total amount of salaries

paid to dental teachers in New Zealand was only £2662 per annum while in Melbourne, with a school of equal size and serving about the same population, they were £5240. One of the London schools (of approximately the same size) paid £5625 per annum. Without adequate remuneration it was impossible to get either sufficient or efficient teaching. This was recognised by the recent Royal Commission which stated, “Professorial schools are necessarily more costly than the ordinary university faculties. They require larger and more expensive equipment and nave to provide salaries that will retain the services of the best teachers against the competition of professional practice.” There was, however, a way in which the school might become self-supporting, but he (Dr Pickerill) was sure Mr Coates would be the first to discountenance and condemn it. It was by raising the fees paid by students for tuition to the level of that paid elsewhere. For instance, fees for four years’ instruction amounted to, in London, £220. in Birmingham £222, in Leeds £269, in Melbourne £230. whilst in New Zealand it was as low as £ll2. He was sure, however, that if this were done we should be told that we were providing educational facilities for the sons of the wealthy only, and he was confident the Prime Minister would not sanction that. He therefore appealed to the Government to provide equal training facilities for the youth of this countrv to that provided in other centres of the Empire. t Mr Cabot, who represented the Students’ Association, referred to the extreme difficulties in which the students were placed The football club supported nine teams, and the 135 players turned out for practice on one ground, the games having to he taken in relays. The Hockey Club had to practice on one of the City Council’s grounds. Mr Coates: That will not hurt them. Mr Cabot said there was a basket ball club, which did not have sufficient facilities for training purposes. The Students’ Association controlled all its own finances, and at present it had £2IOO in the bank, which had been set aside by voluntary con. tributions for the purpose’ of improving the ground on.. Logan Park. They had a conditional promise of £IOOO. which would bring the amount to £3IOO, and they asked for a Government subsidy on that. The matter was regarded as urgent because they had an opportunity of negotiating with the Exhibition Company for the purchase of some buildings on the area. Mr Coates said he did not pretend to know all about their difficulties. He understood that the request was for an annual grant of £15,700. Dr Marshall Macdonald: That is the ultimate development. That will be in about 50 years. The Prime Minister went on to say tnat the original cost of the new buildings was £93.000: now it was found that the cost would be £lll.OOO. If the estimated cost of buildings all over the country were ®** reeded, what sort of a position would the Government find itself in? Could not the estimates in regard to the new wing be readiusted? Sir Lindo Ferguson replied that at the time the contract was let the Government onlv faced the problem of putting up the shell of rhe building. If the whole contract had been let at the time they would have got done for £IO,OOO les9 than the present demand. Mr Coates said that that would he about 1920 or 1921, when prices were at their peak. The whole job would cost less now. Could not their architect readjust in some way? _ . Mr Chapman (registrar) said the difference was £IB.OOO. The Prime Minister said he was not personally in touch with the matter, but he understood investigations were being made by the department as to what its liability would he in the future and as to the sources of revenue. . , Sir Lindo Ferguson said it would be very difficult to say what could be cut out of the buildingsTt was stated that tenders for plastering, plumbing, heating, and lighting were called some six weeks ago. Mr L. D Pitchie said the council had called for tenders for plastering a second time, and had endeavoured to cut the cost down. Mr Coates said the matter was somewhat involved, and he thought he had better see the buildings. It really reso’ved itself into a question of finance. Mr Coates visited, the University buildings yesterday morning.