LAW EXAMINATIONS.

Waikato Times, Volume 99, Issue 16654, 20 November 1925, Page 5

LAW EXAMINATIONS.

STUDENTS PERTURBED

JUDGES ISSUE NEW REGULATIONS

LONGER LAW COURSE LIKELY

(By Telegraph—Special to Times.) WELLINGTON, Thursday.

Quite a stir has been caused among young latv students by the issue of the new regulations framed to govern the entrance examination to the law course at the University of New Zealand. Last week the committee of judges under Sir Robert Stout announced a change under the Law 7 Practitioners Act, 1908, which means a decided raising of (he standard of the test to which students must submit. Up to the present it has been matriculation plus an examination for general knowledge (matriculation in Latin). The new regulations make it a test which is stated to be practically equivalent to a 50 per cent, pass in the junior national scholarship examination. In this the judges are putting into effect one of the recommendations of the University Commission. “Level Very Low.” The Commission on the University of New Zealand, in its report, stated that the general level of education was very low. It is considered, too, that the matriculation examination is too low a standard for entrance to the legal profession, and the commission recommended that in place of this there should be substituted the entrance scholarship examination for the Universitv of New Zealand. Undei the rules of this examination certain subjects for the general knowledge will be compulsory —Latin, English and history must be taken, and in addition the student may take any two other subjects from the list provided. This covers a very wide field and ranges from' light and heat to home science and botany. Tiie commission found students sitting for the law examination before they had the general knowledge or knowledge of the world which would enable them to understand the principles with which they were dealing. It was a case of simple memorising without understanding. The new rules do two things: They substitute a new general knowledge t'ost for the matriculation examination which is by everyone admitted to*be too low-a test. They provide also that a student must pass his. general knowledge test before lie can go on to the study of his purely professional subjects. It has been found in practice that students fresh from school proceeded to the study of the professional subjects without owning the. experience or the maturity of min 1 necessary to appreciate the legal principles. , , It is pointed out, too, that under the new examination, a candidate may pass in five subjects, whereas at present he must sit in six. A period is allowed for those who have passed in certain matriculation subjects to complete, their examination, as the new regulations will not come into force until March next. Two Years Longer?

However, anfong the students affected, the imposition of the higher standard does not meet with favour. The introduction of some sort of higher standard is not objected to, but the junior national scholarship level is considered too much above candidates. The question of a man- who fails to complete his degree within the three vears allowed by the regulations is also raised. Will ho have to commence at the beginning again ? Students already holding a section of their degree arc protected from this. Meantime it is known that several members of Hid Council of the New' Zealand Law Society, Messrs. G. P. Skerrett, It. Kennedy and 11. F. von Haast, have been in conference with tiie Professorial Board on subjects affecting the law 7 course. It is understood that the New Zealand Law Society’s active intervention in scholastic matters is a new departure, hut what are its opinions Mr. G. P. Skerrett has refused to reveal. The negotiations, he explained, were confidential, and the proposals would have 'to go before the Board of Studies. However, it is stated that the law course is likely to be lengthened by two years'with tlio full approval of the council.