EDUCATION.

Press, Volume LV, Issue 16417, 10 January 1919, Page 7

EDUCATION.

FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS. OTAGO UNIVERSITY CLAIMS. '' (special to "jhz trzss.") DUNEDIN. January 9. A deputation from the Otagi University Council waited on tho Hon. J. A. Ha nan. Minister of Education, to-day. The Chancellor (the Rev. A. Cameron) first placed before him the necessity for the completion of the Home Science buildings. The recent influenza epidemic had revealed tho necessity for a Foicntific knowledge of hygiene, which had greatly neglect e<l in the past. Tlic-v asked th« Government for a further grant of to ennble them to complete and furnish the Home Science School building. The second matter brought before the Minister was in relation to the appointment of a lecturer in ethnology. Mr Cameron said .a local gentleman had offered to provide £200 per year for five years towards the salary of a and a capable and enthusiastic man had l>een socured for the post—Mr Skinner —who had graduated at Cambridge, and who would lecture in geography as well. A third question was that of the salaries of their professors. This, said Mr Cameron, was particularly important. When in Sydney he had found that the salarv of a professor there was £900, plus £100 house allowance, and £100 to enablo him to provide superannuation. Tho professors in Otago had had no increase in salaries since the war, and) the cost of living affected them as it d'-d others. Four received only £600 a year each, and seven £700 each. These 'did not include two who received fees under tho old arrangement. The head of the Home Science School received only £500. It was felt that the minimum should be £300, and considering the way prices had gono up, even that would not be adequate. If all were raised to £800 it would ba so far good. In regard to tho medical professirs, ths ultimate aim should be to pay an even salary to all, but the market value of a. doctor was at present greater than that of a man of science, though no doubt it should not be so. In Sydney they gave their four full-time professors £1000 a year oach. Then the Council had received quite a number of applications for increases from assistants whose sala-. ries were inadequate. At least £3000 a year more was required to enable the minimum increases to bo made. It was only fair to the university, th© professors, and community that the Council should be in a position to pay a fair wage.

Mr Hanan, -n reply, said that what Mr Cameron had saicl about tho common want of knowledge its to hygiene was quite true. We had not paid the necessary attention to giving instruction in such subjects as physiology, first aid, home hygiene, and homo nursing. They had been side-lines in our educational work : hereafter they would come into more prominence, and perhaps now that we had learned our lesson we should pay more heed to these matters, which wero to some extent safeguards against epidemic diseases, and generally in the direction of promoting public health. It was unfortunate that we should have required tho recent lesson to wake us up. Tho epidemic had also brought home the necessity of improved housing conditions. He hoped that local bodies would take up this matter and see the wisdom of promoting a general 'knowledge of such housecraft as would make for the health of tho house dwellers. Ho was to-day stronger than ever a boliever in the necessity of teaching home science. Without it our education was lopsided. He was happy to be able to say that he was in a position to approve of the grant of £1600 to complete the home science building. He must) hold over a definite reply till ho went into the general question of tho salaries of professors. He had been striving to secure at substantial vote for education, and he had succeeded to some extent, but he had not received the amount he was anxious to secure. The whole question of the salaries paid and the nature of the duties uerformed by the profe<*sors required to be considered comprehensively. That subject would be I considered before next session. ]>""sintion would be required. A much larger | sum was required for education. Enlightened public opinion demanded it. The war had made it clear that thousands of pounds beyond what we now spend could have heeft made available for educational nnd social reform. We mid found millions of monev to destroy; the money was there for that purpose; the money could also be found to develop character and build up men and •women, and we should patriotically resdlve to use it for that purpose. It was for the people to say if we were to keep pace with other countries. The money mvst be found. He would do all he could to show tho Government and the , people that it was the l)est national investment that could bo made.