GIFTS TO EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 436, 19 February 1909, Page 3

GIFTS TO EDUCATION.

■', FORTUNATE. SYDNEY ■ UNIVERSITY. -Complaint .was made, at a recent meeting of the Victoria College Council, of the small -number.of bequests that are made to educa'tion.' -'-A' conversation":with . Mr. R. A. DaLUm,'. accountant 'and: deputy-registrar of Sydney '■ University,- who .is now- in , Welling--ton, 'suggests that an example is'set.'in. tins matter by: the Sydney people.; : Sydney.' University, /'which" celebrated /; its: jubilee six years ago; has,nearly 1200 students; '20: per . cent, of /.whom- are. girls.- About; £35,000 'a year .is paid in salaries,.the statutory Government. endowment is'£lo,ooo a year, and annual Parliamentary .votes towards the cost of evening and extension 'lectures and for! scientific.: apparatus furnish Van additional £3600.. Most of the students pay .fees, but" i provision is made for'scholarships,' bursaries,' and exemption.from fees of students who ; show sufficient intellectual promise-,and who. are'nnable to attend the University: other-: wise.' The: total invested-fnnds are £548,000, fof -which £225,000. was left to the University .by"Mr. J. H. Challis,' a wealthy merchant, of. Sydney. -This endowment enabled the.'Unveriity to establish several now, ohairs, :and raise . various lectureships' 'to. professorships. '■';', Two amounts of £50,000 each -were.given by. Sir Patpr. Nicol Rnssell, to. provide for courses' in mechanical and clecr tribal .engineering and for scholarships in those subjects. An amount of £30,000 was gireu f . by/Mr.'"Thomas' Fisher -for.- the- main-' tenance -of the. library, '-/which '■ now' contains 70,000 ; volumes, and is being increased by an expenditure of £1200': a -yfear. -The Government is a- new .library; building with book : stacks for 200,000 volumes., The .building also, contain _ a museum, of I Greek and Roman antiquities and other rooms,'the estimated cost of 'the: structure being about £67)000. The'; amount;.of- £6000 .was bequeathed towards the salaries of .'lee-, '.hirers--in' geology,,and'physical geography, and ■; £5000. wasgiveri by Sir William Macleay foivthe curatorship of the Macleay Museum of natural . history . objects, . in .addition to! .'the" gift 'of ;'a;; natural '.history collection/promised by him.'The latest benefaction; comes from' Mr: Hugh Dixon, who has recently purchased and .presented ■ to- the University the Aldridgecollection. of .'mineral specimens': formed at Broken Hill. at. a. cost of £7000 v In addition, to these gen'er-' bus gifts;" thousands of.{ pounds, have beeii given. by':' private oenofactors for tha foundation of-scholarships,..bursaries', and prizes. The work' of; the" University:, has-been extended !tbis:-year ; to: include', a- ch'air.of Jag'ricultufe and ; ' . chair of veterinary- science,' and the Governme.it of New South "Wales is increasing the ..endowment by .£SOOO to provide for these new,departments. . ' -