TARANAKI SCHOLARSHIPS.

Taranaki Daily News, 5 July 1930, Page 8

TARANAKI SCHOLARSHIPS.

There are two very sound reasons why the deputation which met. the Minister of Education at Wellington on Thursday should have made a very strong impression. One is the composition of the deputation. It included the four Taranaki members of Parliament and representatives of the whole of the province’s interests, showing that there is only one opinion among the people, of Taranaki as to the use which should be made of the revenues from the Opaku Reserve—the endowment set aside many years ago to assist the young people of the province to obtain higher educaiion. The other sound reason why the case put" I forward by the deputation should receive favourable consideration is the nature of the arguments advanced. The ground has been covered so often and the position is so thoroughly understood in this part of the Dominion that there is no need here to review the very lucid and emphatic statements of the deputation’s spokesmen. • But thprtr are two points that will have been noted with particular interest. Mention was made of the fact that candidates for Taranaki scholarships not only had to satisfy the examiners of the New Zealand University but also had to be ‘‘deemed worthy” by the university authorities. It is, of course, upon this proviso that the senate has based its refusal to give Taranaki the full benefit, of its own endowment, and the proviso clearly is an unjustifiable restriction upon the rights of the province. When the Minister makes up his mind, as he certainly should do, to give Taranaki the fair treatment which is its due he should take steps to divest the senate of its arbitrary power. He should also give heed to Mr. C. A. Wilkinson’s excellent suggestion that the endowment should be" used to enable Taranaki students to pursue advanced studies. If this extension were made and bursaries were also provided for agricultural students the whole of the available revenue could be employed to the best purpose and the object aimed at when provision was made for Taranaki could be achieved. It is to be hoped that the Minister and Cabinet will not delay in making their decision. Mr. Atmore seems. to haye been careful to express no opinion in his acknowledgment of the representations, merely stating that he had promised to hear other views before, taking the matter to Cabinet. He will, no doubt, be ready to accord the same publicity to the statements still to be made to him as the proposals of the Taranaki deputation have received. Neither the New Zealand University nor the Victoria University College authorities have yet .produced publicly any cogent reason for their desire to raid Taranaki’s fund. Their case, whatever it may be, should be stated openly to the Minister, and when he has heard it he will, no doubt, accord this province the right of reply, unless, of course, the case for the opposition proves to be so weak as to require no refutation.