NEW ZEALAND UNIVERSITIES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3890, 2 October 1928, Page 28

NEW ZEALAND UNIVERSITIES.

AN AMENDING BILL. VARIETY OF NEW PROVISIONS. WELLINGTON, September 25. , A variety of new provisions affecting the conduct of _ the universities of New Zealand are contained in the New Zealand University Amendment Bill introduced into the House of Representatives by Governor-General's Message to-day. The Bill seeks to fix at £25,000 the maximum subsidy payable by the Government on voluntary contributions received by the Council of the New Zealand University, or by the councils of any of the constituent colleges. Although the limit is to apply to contributions received before or after the commencement of the new legislation, there is to be no requirement for the refund of any portion of subsidies already paid. A further clause provides that the prior consent of the Council of the New Zealand University and of the Minister of Education must be obtained before new chairs are established in any of the constituent • lieges, the Massey Agricultural College, or. the Canterbury Agricultural College. It is proposed in future not to fix the sum payable by the State annually for the general purposes of the New Zealand University, the object of a new provision being to leave open the amount to be appropriated each year. At present the sum is fixed at £4OOO.

The value of university national scholarships is to be increased. Instead of a £2O a year holders will receive £25, in addition to the amount allowed by the Minister for tuition fees, and £35 instead of £3O when a student is obliged to pursue his studies away from his home town. The qualification of candidates for bursaries is widened to include persons who have been resident in New Zealand for the three years immediately preceding the award of the bursary. As the law now stands the qualifications are that the candidates must be persons who, by age and residence, are qualified to be candidates for university national scholarships, and who either’are entitled to a pass with credit in the junior scholarship examination or who are the holders of higher leaving certificates. The Bill provides that professors at the Canterbury Agricultural College shall be professors of the university. Vicechancellors are to be eligible for membership of the University Council, and power is to be given to the council to appoint a pro-chancellor. The power of the council to grant a degree of bachelor or master of agricultural science is to be done away with, and the degree of architecture is substituted on the recommendation of the Academic Board, on which representation is to be given the professorial staffs of the Massey and Canterbury iVgricultural Colleges. The council is to have authority to grant the honorary degrees of doctor of laws, doctor of science, doctor of literature, and doctor of music.

Another amendment proposes that the subsidy on voluntary contributions to the university or constituent college shall also be payable with respect to contributions for the erection of buildings approved by the Minister of Education.

OBJECTION TO CERTAIN CLAUSES. The Professorial Board of the University of Otago met on Friday evening to consider the provisions of the New Zealand University Bill which is now before Pa-iiament, and passed the following resolution:—

" This Bill embodies some difficult and debatable matter, and the board deprecates its being hurried through before there has been time or opportunity for adequate consideration by the interests concerned. Th e clauses which are considered debatable are clauses 3, 4. and 11, and the board regrets the non-appear-ance of machinery provisions bv which graduation ceremoniesunay be held by the constituent colleges.” The following explanation may be given pf the clauses objected to:— Clause 3 gives power to the Minister to veto the establishment of a new chair In any constituent college. In the opinion of the board the consent of the Minister should be required only if it is probable that financial assistance would be required from the Government for the support of the chair.

Clause 4 repeals the provision whereby a grant of £4OOO is annuallv made to the Council of the University of New Zealand, and substitutes for this grant such sum as may be appropriated by Parliament. a Clause 11 gives power to the council to confer certain honorary degrees. .With regard to the holding of graduation ceremonies it may be explained that under the existing Act the council is not permitted to delegate its powers of conferring degrees, and hence degrees can be conferred only at a New Zealand University Council meeting. It was hoped that provision would be made whereby the council might give power to one of its members to confer the degrees, and thus enable graduation ceremonies to be held as was the case in former years.

—The big wheel at Blackpool is to . come down, not being worth the cost of repairs. It weighs about 1000 tons.