The Otage School of Mines

Waihi Daily Telegraph, Volume IV, Issue 1102, 24 September 1904, Page 3

The Otage School of Mines

Proposal to Close li;

Clippitiys from an Interesting Letter

Mr Jambs Alien, M.H.1!., in tho course of a letter in tho Now Zouland Mining and Engineering Journal in referenco to tho proposed closing oftheOtngo School of Mines, says : Tho removal of tho Otago School to Auckland would lcavo us without any provision for instruction in mining, and would increase tho already high proportion of Schools in tho Auckland district.

Tlio mineral produeo in Otago mid llio Smi'h Island justifies tho retention of tlio School.

It will lio a "rent injustice to tlio pre-? aont holders oi the A.O.S.M. if tlio mstilulion in which thoy graduated is put out of exigence, mid llioir degrees rcndcveil thereby more or loss nioaningless, No othor institution can tako over this reputation, and it will tako many years before [mother University can cultivato one of equal value. Tho importance of the work dono by those who have hern ul the School may be judged by tho following:—Eleven hold important public appointments in Australia; eight similarly in Now Zealand; six are employed us mino managers, assistant mine malingers, engineers, and assayors iu Now Zealand. Othors arc occupied in West Australia, Brazil, South Africa, Queensland, Egypt, Canada, New South '•Vuleß, Borneo. Victoria, Strait Settlements, Tasmania, and have no doubt becomo valuable advertisors of tho colony of New Zealand-

Tho closing of tho school means tho loss of Lecturers on Geology. Oiago. with ita interesting geological features and valuable mineral deposits, will then bo placed in an inferior position as compared with tho other University College, which, with the exception ot Wellington, as present possesses means for Geological touching, and Wellington is no doubt only temporarily lacking in this respect. I do not soe ho.v, in view of tho importance of die subject of geology especially for the B.Sc, degree, Otago can afford to dispeuso with its leaching, and oven if tho Mining School were removed, geology would havo to bo taught, and thus i;o saving to tho University itself would tako place, Tho closing of tho Minim.' School, with il3 chair of goology, would be a very retroI grado si •.')), and tnkc from Otago opporI unities for securing scholarships and B.Sc, degrees which havo been availed of with marked success, as tlio following particulars show:- Otago University students have secured up to tho prosent -10 B.Sc. degroes, Of those 82 woro gained before tho S.O.M, was reorganised in IUOI. They wore distributed as follows:—Arts, 18; Modical, 8; Mining, (i. Sinco tho reorganisation, eight have graduated lltte,, viz,, Arts, i); Mining. 5. The Sir G, Gray scholarship, open to all students of Otago University, was won by S.O.M. students in 11102 and l'JOi) New Zealand University Senior Scholarships in Geology and Physics won by S.O M students in lOOii. First Class Honours New Zealand I'nh versiiy gamed by S.O.M, students in geology in Ml ami li) 03, and physics l!«)ii. The total number of students wlm haio I alien Honors in Science from ')ia ; ;o L: 1); of these'l have laken Honors in Geology, ij in tho last three years. Tho 1851 Exhibition Scholarship, open toall students of Now Zealand Univorsi* tics, was granted ny exceptional action of the Commissioners to two S.O.M. students in lflOii, This Scholarship was also gained in l'JOl by an old studoiit. Tho first New Zealand Rhodes Scholar, ship, opon lo ill Now Zealand Universities, was grunted (ut an S.O.M. student in 1001. The degree of 11.He, in alining and Metallurgical Engineering has within the last llneo jcium been conferred on llneo I S.O.M. students, I Considering this record, ono wonders that any person should suggest seriously tho destruction of ut f-icully which has proI duced such notabio results.

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