7

L—l3a.

A. P. WEBSTEB.

23. Mr. Hardy.'] Not a bit of it? —They were public lands. I admit that the wisdom of the men who set apart those lands is worthy of all commendation —I am not calling that into question in the slightest degree; but it is unfortunate that in the North, for reasons that it is not necessary to discuss here, similar provision was lost sight of. 24. The Chairman.] You stated that the Middle District (Victoria College) only received some 20 per cent, of the total revenue, whereas it serves a population of something like 40 per cent, of bhe whole of New Zealand?— Yes. 25. Have you not got to give consideration to this fact, that in Dunedin there is a Medical School which serves the whole of New Zealand, and in Christchurch there is an Engineering School which serves the greater part of New Zealand? —I am not prepared to say that is not so. Of course, we have mi particulars. 26. Should not that consideration have an important bearing upon the figures you submitted to us in connection with the district served by Victoria College?—lf you could say what percentage of students are in the habit of attending those schools from the North Island I think it would be proper to put it on record. 27. Mr. Hardy.] You were speaking about the difficulty in getting money to manage the colleges iii> here, and I think you spoke about funds which are evidently plentiful down South. Would you propose to pool those funds in any way? —No. Perhaps I should have made that clear before. There might be a feeling created thai the North lias been casting covetous eyes on the South. That is not so. We think thai the South is entitled to all it has, but there should be an endeavour in the North to get equal assistance in the future. My suggestion is that the North is handicapped, Imi there is no suggestion thai there should be a pooling or an equal division of the funds all round. 28. Is it within your knowledge thai the Canterbury Association charged £3 per acre for its lands, £1 to go to the making of roads, <£] for eduoation, and £1 for carrying on the management of the district? — No, I cannot say it is. In my time in Canterbury, which runs back about thirty years I mean in the post-provinoial days I think they were willing to sell their land for £2 an acre. 29. That is noi so?—] was not there when the Association was founded. 30. It is within your knowledge that land was sold at a much lower rate in the North Island.' I know that in the South the lands of Canterbury are much more valuable. I know myself of men who paid £2 an acre and got tin.' whole of their purchase-money returned in one season. Of course, you must consider the relative value of lands. 31. Would there not he a return from shingle, which is of value up North and which is of no value on tin Canterbury Plains?—l know that the land i n Canterbury is very patchy. 32. The Chairman.] There is a point which requires a little consideration. The suggestion is that sufficient money should he allocated to the colleges in the North Tsland to make up for the difference between the endowments in the South Island and the North? — I do not think so. 33. The question is whether some consideration should not he given to the individuality which lias been developed by the various colleges on their own lines owing to their having been provided with endowments originally. Should not that he rather Fostered than otherwise?—Do you mean that in the. North the bulk of the students are night students? 34. No; it only arises out of a suggestion which, 1 understand, is implied in your statement with regard to the want of endowments in the North Island. Is it not that you wish the North Tsland to be placed on an equal footing with the South?—ll is the position as it is we have to deal with. I refer to those figures sini|>lv because they are in the accounts: hut as to the future, assistance must come from the State. I think. 35. Mr. Allen.] Could you suggest to us any means of putting the finances on a satisfactory Footing? Do you suggest that further endowments should be given, or how do you suggest some elastic means of revenue? — I do not think I can —no constructive means. We are only concerned in putting the case as it occurs to us at the moment. 3fi. Tht Chairman.] There is practically go limit In which a university may use funds? —That is so. I have said so in jnv statements; and the broad principle which I think should always be kept in view is that it should he elastic in its funds. You cannot reach a point where a university has attained its ultimate limit, and finally that comes back to the question of finance. 37. Can you suggest an\ scheme indicating tin- lines upon which the improvement of the finances of the colleges should proceed?-—! admit it is a very important matter. T would not promise to suggest a scheme. Speaking broadly the Reform Association have not discussed the question of ways and means at all. We have been concerned, admittedly, primarily with the <;uestion of organization. We considered that should he one of the first steps. Professor T. A. IlrxTki; examined. (No. 5.) I. The Ch-airman.] What is your subject?- Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy, Vie tin ia College. In order to he as brief as possible. ! may state that the Reform Association desires to lay some stress on three additional subjects— (l) examinations, (2) libraries, f-'S) research. The association is aware that Parliament itself will not deal with such matters of detail in university organization, important though they be. Nor does the association desire that it should. The method of examination to he adopted, the Formation of adequate university libraries, and the organization of the University so that research may become one of its normal functions, are questions that may safely he left in the hands of the University when reformed. But weaknesses in these aspects of university work, flowing as they do from faulty organization, are indications that an authoritative inquiry should be held. Examinations: In medicine and dentistry New Zealand students are examined by their teachers acting with assessors or external examiners; in arts, science, law, and engineering, by purely external examiners resident in Great Britain or in New Zealand. The teachers are excluded from taking any part in such examinations, This