THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1875.

Thames Star, Volume VII, Issue 2098, 24 September 1875, Page 2

THE Evening Star. PUBLISHED DAILY AT FOUR O'CLOCK P.M. Resurrexi. FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 1875.

-"Bettee late than never" is no doubt true, and when it is a case of justice being meted out to those from whom it lias for some time past been withheld, we are willing often .to forgive the delay which has occurred, on account of the pleasure that we feel that all has come right in the end. It is obvious that this leniency i» mistaken, but so it is, and the first rush of joy—which takes place in those to whom, though long denied,

justice has at last been granted—is so great that they feel quite willing, if not eager, to kiss and be friends with others from whom they have suffered injury. Qf course this is quite right and proper and Christian and 10 forth, on their part, and as far as they are concerned we would not have it otherwise; but it is necessary, nevertheless, even though it. may be painful, to say hard things of those whose utter carelessness or incapacity, perhaps both combiaed, has caused delay, annoyance, and vexation, if not positive harm to young men whose interests they were called upon to make their peculiar care. We are led into making these remarks by reading in the last New Zealand Gazette which has reached us the following letter from the Chancellor of New Zealand University, concerning the shamefully careless manner in which the last University examinations appear to have been conducted. The letter is as follows :—

University of New Zealand, Christchurch, Bth September, 1875. Sir,—My attention having been drawn to the fact that, by a clerical error in the report.of the examination of undergratuates, held in May last, which was sent up from this office for publication in the New. Zealand Gazette, the names of E: G-. B. Moss and J. R. Thornton appear as failed to pass ; I have the honour to request that a notice may be published in the New Zealand Gazette, making it known that the two students above mentioned pas-ed their undergraduate examination satisfactorily.—l nave, &c, Henby John Tancbed, Chancellor.

The meaning of this letter is that there being gross carelessness apparent on the part of those who compiled the returns o*. the University, gross indifference on the part of the examiners to see whether the returns they published were correct, and gross injustice having been done to the two undergraduates whose names occur in the letter, the highest official in the University is at last rendered awake to the fact that these three gross acts have been perpetrated under his very nose, and after suffering Jive Gazettes to be published since the absurdly false tables of marks were first printed without taking any notice of the wrong inflicted, or without one word of apology, seems to consider he has condoned for all shortcomings on the part of himself and subordinates by inserting in the Gazette of September 16th, a statement which does but partial justice to the undergraduates concerned. We say partial justice, for as far as. we are aware no notice has been sent to any of the papers in the Province of Auckland, and the Chancellor seems to think it quite sufficient to the wounded feelings of those whose names have been telegraphed all over the colony, and published in almost every newspaper as having failed, to insert in the columns of the New Zealand Gazette a brief notice to the effect that a clerical error has been committed, and that those who were recorded as failed have passed. Now the New Zealand Gazette is not a paper which is widely circulated or much read—in fact few save those whose, duty it is to take cognizance of official notices care to read it at all, and yet a mere statement in its seldom read, often uncut pages, is deemed by Mr Tancrcd ample public apology to those who have been so unfairly treated. The chancellor apparently deems that the slur which failure, however unjustly, generally casts on the names of those who fail, is a matter of but little moment, and that it is quite sufficient excuse for carelessness of the most glaring kind to record in a Gazette published six weeks after the fault ought to have been rectified, that a " clerical error " had occurred. Independent of the annoyance and vexation which has been caused to the undergraduates themselves, and the disappointment which has probably being experienced by their friends, there is the actual damage done to them by the loss of time' thus occasioned. A young man whose aim it is to obtain a B.A. degree, when he has passed one of the- stages which lead to the desired object, after perhaps a short interval of relaxation, sets to work to prepare himself for the next; yet these two gentlemen in whose case a clerical error has been'committed, have to lose the absurdly long period of time from May to September 16th because they do not know whether they have passed or failed, and therefore cannot prepare either first year subjects or those next in order. Nor is, even this all: we ourselves know of another gentleman who was also recorded as failed, and upon his writing to ascertain the cause wa3 informed that " a clerical error " had been committed, and that he was as high as sixth in a subject in which he had not been accorded a place. In his case not even a notice in the New Zealand Gazette is recorded, or a singe word of regret expressed for the annoyance he has been caused; he is left to explain, if he so cares, to each one of his friends who take an interest in him, that after all he is all right, and only " a clerical error " has been committed on the part of, the University authorities. These are but facts we know ourselves. There may be, for ought we know, many others of the three and twenty candidates who, by clerical errors, have "failed to pass " attached to their names. No public reparation seems to be thought necessary by Mr Tancred or the examiners, and it is quite possible looking to the stolid indifference on the part of some, and shameful neglect on the part of others, that the whole list is wrong, and that those recorded as passed have failed and vice versa. It is certain that if this sort of thing goes on the lists cannot be depended on ; a man placed first by a clerica.. error may find he is last, while, unless the mistake is discovered at the time, he might find on i

presenting himself for his final examination that he had never even been matriculated, but had only been passed as such by clerical errors. In fact after the apathy and carelessness now brought to light, no mistake seems too stupid but that it may be committed, unapologised for by Mr Chancellor Tancred and his indifferent assistants.