THE RHODES SCHOLARSHIP, 1905.

Progress, 1 November 1905, Page 6

THE RHODES SCHOLARSHIP, 1905.

It is interesting to note that the two students who have hitherto been elected to Rhodes Scholarships from New Zealand have both been students of natural science. Mr. Thomson, of Dunedin, last year's successful candidate, had specialise d in Geology. This, year the choice of the committee of selection fell upon Mr. Robertson, a Victoria College student who is " par excellence " a chemist. Mr. Philip Wilfred Robertson, M.A., F.C.S., is a native of Auckland, but came to Wellington when ten years of age. He attended the terrace school, and subsequently entered Wellington College, of which institution he was dux at the age of sixteen. Although he was head of the sixth rn , , , ,, tt c c n form in Latin and [Photo lent by U S.S Co.] Mathem atics he had already decided to specialise m science. In the Junior Scholarship examination in 1900 he was head of the colony in chemistry. In 1 90 1 Mr. Robertson entered the Victoria College, and after working hard for a year at practical chemistry he began to work at original investigation. During the remaining three years at the College he completed six chemical researches — the greater number of which have already appeared m the transactions of the Chemical Society of London. Though essentially a chemist Mr. Robertson is by no means a one-sided student. He has a good working knowledge of Latin, Greek, French, German and Italian, and he has also studied higher mathematics, and takes a keen interest in Physics and Biology. In the social life of the Victoria College Mr. Robertson will long be remembered. He played in the tennis and hockey matches, and cheerfully held several of those secretarial offices which entail much work and seldom elicit any thanks. Mr. Robertson and the Victoria College are to be congratulated upon the decision of the electors, and the time is looked for when Mr. Robertson shall return to New Zealand as professor of chemistry in one of our University Colleges.

In the city of Buenos Aires the ten tramway lines carried during the first six months of 1904 over 72,000000 passengers, a gam of nearly 7,500,000, or ni per cent, over the number of passengers carried during the first six months of 1903.