UNIVERSITY SENATE.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 January 1923, Page 5

UNIVERSITY SENATE.

THE CHANCELLOR’S ADDRESS . \ By Telegraph.—Press* Association. Dunedin, Last Night. The University Senate, meeting commenced this morning. Sir Robert Stout, in his report, referring to conferring degree ceremonies, said that at five of these meetings the ihief speaker thought fit to advocate the abolition of the University Senate. If so, what corporation or authority should supervise university education? Would there be a body like the Scottish Universities Privy Council Committee, or would all power reside in individual universities or in the Minister of Education, assisted by directors? In tho United Kingdom there was no suggestion that universities should be free from Governtirnt control and do each what it pleased in management. The Chancellor, dealing with the qtws. tion of specialisation in studies, quoted British Conference extracts to show the difficulty of the question. There, as iicre, finance could not be ignored. Since 186'J, while the mean population of New Zealand had. increased from 617,8R9 to 1.285,000, the expenditure on education had risen from £427.000 to £3,500,000. Ii New Zealand had four universities, each with the right to have any schools they pleased, it would mean a great increase in cost without compensating benefit. Degrees of individual universities would not have the same recognl\ tion as a New Zealand University de* gree. Referring to agriculture, Sir Robert Stout stated that in his opinion a professorship of agriculture should have been founded at Auckland College years ago. There should be special training for those to bo farmers in sub-tropical regions of the Dominion. Scientists • in. the Agricultural Department should b« used as teachers and trainers. In conclusion. Sir Robert said hitf term as Chancellor would expire at (he next meeting of the Senate. He had been Chancellor for twenty years, and did not intend to he r candidate again.