UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 643, 21 October 1909, Page 6

UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS.

SUPERANNUATION SCHEME DESIRED. , • DEPUTATION TO MINISTER, . '■ . Mr. 0. A. C. Hardy, M.P., introduced a depu- ; tation yesterday to tho Minister for Education (the lion. 'G.; Fowlds) which urged tho necessity' of; providing .some scheme 'of super-;. animation for -professors- of Zealand University.' /,■ Mr. G- W: Russell, .M.P.,' who is ohairiiraii ■ of the Canterbury Colletfo Bonrd of Governors, said the position 1 of tho'professor^.was a Very hard'one, as they were'debarred,'from coming : under ; tho , teachcrs' 'superannuation ' scheme. He instanced .the xaso of.Professor. Cook, who, though he had .done:splendid work in. eonnec-\ ... tion with the founding' 6f the university Sys- ■ tern.of New-Zealand, had.-iu his old age to . retire without,a pension.' Thero were 33 pro- . fessors in New 1 Zealand; and'if thijr Contributed, : , ,£1(!50 a year and the" Government a year,., a satisfactory scheme could:bo established.'* / . The Hon. E. C." J.'Stevens, M.t.C.. Messrs. J. Graham, Jas. Allen, and Heaton Rhodes. . M.P.'s, supported tho proposal.; Mr. F.'E. Baume, M.P., feaid some of- the Auckland and he yndcrsfood somo of the Wei- . lington professors, objected to any. scheme that would bo compulsory. ;He would llko to see:.''' a,'satisfactory schemo evolved, but ho would not like any greater financial burden cast upon \ the present teachers'. superannuation schemo, which was already unfinancial., There was already a big deficit, which would have to.be. made up. by, the, Government.' . . , , Mr. Fowlm, in -reply,, said tho professors, ; would 110 doijljt, have .been included, in tho teachors' scheme had it not boon for the di- ' vision among , the -professors themselves. , If; permission were now given for tho professors to:' corno in, only those old,men who were about to retire would join, and after paying one, contribution they .would become eligible for ' their pension. That would be ah impossible , . position for the Government, lie; had pee®' the schemo submitted by Canterbury College and-had asked. Mr. Hogben to get exact dita to test the proposals. ■ Personally he was, anxious to see somo provision made so that: professors would riot bo kept oil till they were , : in their dotage.' If' the professors generally wero inclined to' fall in with the' proposal, end the cost would not be greater'than was suggested, hb would be inclined to favour the' scheme. . ' •.