AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1885. "MEASURES, NOT MEN.

Tuapeka Times, Volume XVII, Issue 1108, 7 January 1885, Page 2

AND GOLDFIELDS REPORTER AND ADVERTISER. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 7, 1885. "MEASURES, NOT MEN.

The deputation from Lawrence which waited upon the University Council in Dunedin on the 30th ultimo got every assurance of help from the Council to have something done in connection with the removal of the School of Mines to Lawrence. Mr J. C. Brown informed the Council that when the £500 vote yearly came on in Parliament for the School of Mines, the goldfields members asked what practical benefit could be got from the vote, and the Minister 'of Mines had informed them that the services of Professor Ulrich were at the disposal of the mining community in different parts of the Colony at certain periods of the year. The Chancellor referred to a condition attached to the rules by the Q-overn-ment whereby they should be entitled to secure the services of the Professor and Director for four months during the vacation, without any remuneration except travelling allowance. Such services, for some unaccountable reason, Professor Ulrich had failed to give; and although the matter was represented to him in this light, he refused to acknowledge that his duties lay outside the University in Duuedin. "We quite agree with the ideas of thoroughness with which Professor Ulrich is imbued ; but, at the same time, thab is no reason why a less thorough course than he aims at should be useless. There are some directions in which it may be said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but the merest smattering of scientific knowledge relating to mining will do 1 much to lessen the dangers and, disi appointments connected therewith. Mr Brown plainly showed that . the lectures recently given by Professor Black had more than demonstrated that there were plenty of students anxious to see the School of Mines established in their midst ; and, as the Vice-Chancellor sagely remarked, if the miners would not go to the School of Mines, the School of Mines must go to the miners. Mr Stanford agreed with this, but he saw some difficulty in carrying out the details. "He was not Suite sure whether the gentlemen who ad spoken quite understood the point of view from which the School of Mines had hitherto been regarded, or whether the services of a single lecturer or teacher would be as great an advantage in the district as perhaps they fancied. There were branches

connected witb mining, such as chemistry and mining survey and 'others, which one man could not possibly teach. It would necessitate the services of two, perhaps three, men giving their individual attention." This is" just the point, and tbe only difficult one, wbicb has to be considered in having the School of Mines at a distance from tbe University. It would be impossible for Professor TJlrich to teach all the subjects in connection witb tbe School of Mines ; tberef o.re, he would require an assistant. While the habitat of Professor Ulrich might.be removed to Lawrence, any other of tbe University professors could only visit Lawrence during the University vacation. It thus becomes apparent that some one must be appointed to assist tbe mining professor; but though the G-overnment may be willing to transfer Professor Ulrich to the goldfields, they may not be prepared to support two professors. Fortunately, this is not necessary, as we believe there is a man competent to ably assist Professor Ulricb available at a very much lower salary than that likely to be asked by a full blown professor. We refer to Mr A. Montgomery, M.A., one of Professor Ulrich's best students, holding his degree in the Faculty of Science from the Otago University. Mr Montgomery is in every way qualified either to superintend a branch of the School of Mines or to ably second tbe teaching of Professor Ulricb. He is at present engaged in tbe Public Works Department, putting . into practice surveying of which he previously knew the theory. He is quite competent, we believe, to take up chemistry and mine surveying, and also to assist in the other branches taught at the School of Mines. We thus see a way of overcoming tbe difficulty, and the only material difficulty in tbe matter of removing the School of Mines to the goldfields. We believe Mr Montgomery would only be too willing to take an appointment of the kind indicated at a very moderate salary, and from his undoubted ability he would be able to give a good return for the outlay. We hope to see this point taken notice of should the difficulty of getting competent teachers stand in the way of the removal of the School of Mines to Lawrence. We trust to see the School of Mines established in our midst at no distant date, and that as a resultant, mining in this district will go on to flourish as it has not done in the past.