The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Three Year. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1906. UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.

Waikato Times, Volume LVII, Issue 6928, 30 January 1906, Page 2

The Waikato Times, THAMES VALLEY GAZETTE, AND KAWHIA ADVOCATE. Established Thirty-Three Year. THE OLDEST DAILY NEWSPAPER IN THE WAIKATO. THE LARGEST CIRCULATION OF ANY DAILY PAPER SOUTH OF AUCKLAND. TUESDAY, JANUARY 30, 1906. UNIVERSITY EDUCATION.

The late silting of the Senate of the New Zealand University should tend to awaken in each of us a keeuer interest in that higher branch of education entrusted to its charge. Much money is expended yearly on the work of the New Zealand University, and it is the duty of every ratepayer to satisfy himself that his contributions are being spent in such a manner as will best ensure the broadcast scattering in our midst of men whose intellect, education, and strength of character will have a refining and ennobling effect upon their less fortunate brothers. The Senate has been entrusted with the training of what we deem the keenest intellects of the rising generation, and its responsibility is without parallel. The past and present policy of that learned body has been one of centralisation. With the laudable object of specialisation, different branches of education have been centralised in different cities. Dunedin has its school of medicine, Christchurch its engineering. Wellington its law, and Auckland its music. The Waikato boy who would take up a course in medicine, might just as well cross to Australia as go to Dunedin. He would be almost as much in touch with his home, and would probably be considered to get a better training there than here. The Auckland parent who could afford to send his son to Christchurch for an engineering course could probably send him to America. The same argument applies in each case. Again, Otago has a fine school of medicine, but this does not appease the thirst of mining students for knowledge, as proved by the protests made last year when it was proposed to transfer the School of Mines to Auckland. The system of centralisation has not proved satisfactory! to the whole colony ; it has only tended to satisfy a very small section of the community in each centre, and has left the great majority more dissatisfied than ever. We would suggest that even if some of the students who wish for the moat advanced and specialised tuition are compelled to go outside New Zealand to get it, the interests of the colony would be better served by making its university education \ nioie accessible to all. It is better and more democratic that the many should qualify thas tust the few should specialise. In this connection we are pleased to note that Sir Robert Stout, speaking as Chancellor of the University, has suggested the establishment of a School of Agriculture affiliated to the Auckland University College It was the semi-tropical North that the Chancellor hs.d especially in mind, but we would point out that such a college would be useful to u far; greater number of students and would ; benefit a much larger area uf the colony if it were located, with its necessary experimental farm, in a district of lesa exceptional climate. May not Sir Robert Stout's proposal be brought into line with tht suggestion that an agricultural college sbouid be established at Ruakurn, and endowed with a sufficient area of King Country Crown Urals? The Waikato offers a geographical compromise which should make the proposed college as generally advantageous to the North Island as Lincoln College is to the South.