VICTORIA COLLEGE.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1448, 24 May 1912, Page 3

VICTORIA COLLEGE.

THE FINANCIAL POSITION. A DEPUTATION TO THE MINISTER. The financial position of Victoria Collego was placed before the Minister for Education (Hip JJon. ,r. A. Hannn) yesterday morning by a deputation consisting of Messrs. C. Wilson (chairman), 11. I). Bell, K.C., C'. Watson, W. JY-rguson, ti. W. Aitlion, A. W. Meek, and C. P. l'owles (secretary). Mr. Wilson said that the Council of tho College had Ix'ou compelled to seek im mediate assistance iron; the Government owing to the annual revenue having fallen below tho expenditure on account of the expansion of the work and the corresponding increase in cost, which had not been met by tho ordinary sources of revenue. It was impossible to cut down expenditure, for already the Council had practised economy to the fullest extent. Ilie college differed from the other uniinstitutions of the Dominion in that it had practically no.endowment, and its income was derived from fees paid by students and Government grants. The endowment amounted last year to only ,£7l 7s. Tho present income from an sources was estimated at ,£llO7l and In P M C ? ent allmlal expenditure as .£ll,]:!', ius. Ihe council was thus faced with an annual deficiency of «£11(iO. The income men was unexpended and accumulated in the interval between the foundation or the college and its opening had been tleated as a reserve fund, and was at first used in tho purchase of appliances, books, i. it j l '' ' lowcver > become necessary lately to u>o what remained of this re■jerye to discharge the excess of necessary oidinarv annual expenditure over income. ~,!? ! cficlenc y -EllfiO was actually upon tho present; provision for education at the college. Ihe assistants to the professors and the lecturers received wholly inadequate remuneration for their 'orvices. The expenditure on the library was stunated at only ,£250 per annum, including the annual cost of scientific, legal, ana other periodicals. Tho college, *liieh was required to specialise in tcieuce and law, was so inadequately equipped with appliances and books that it was practically impossible to provide students with fair opportunities, while the continued increase in the number of students involved additional expense far in excess of the increase in income from tncir fees. The number of students now was nearly 5-10, and was mounting up vear by year very rapidly. The stall numbered over twenty. A really substantial increase of income was necessar}*, as to provide only ,a sum to meet. the. present dencit would be of little practical benefit. As the number of students increased, tho processors and lecturers became increasingly unable to cope with the work of education and examinations without assistance. The assistants should, moreover, be paid soma fair remuneration for their work. At present it had been openly stated that they were, "sweated." It would bo manifestly wrong to limit the scope Df tho usefulness of the college to the bare minimum requirements. . Unless tho State came to the assistance of tho college, the university institution in Wellington must go bankrupt. What th» council asked for was an increase in tlso annual Government grants from the prosuit total of .£7500 to a total of .£11,150. In regard to capital expenditure, the council asked for <£2700, to be devoted to the following purposes:—To lit up for use the lop floor of present building, .£500; to fit up room as biological laboratory, •£100; geological department, I'3i)0; improving grounds, X'20(l; library, purchase of scientific publications and equipment in hooks of tho various departments, .£I6OO. .1 ho present minimum necessary increase in annual salaries of the staff' incidental expenses were set fortlfm a statement handed to tho Minister, ns follows:— Assistant to Professor of Psychology, ,£80; Demonstrator in Biology, .£l7,'i; Demonstrator in Physics, .£200; Demonstrator in' Chemistry, ,£200; assistant to Professor of Law, <£100; librarian, „£lsfl; library (addition to present estimate), .£250; scientific apparatus, .£3OO. iurtlier annual expenditure; which ouriit ; (according'to the chairman) properly now to he incurred to' enable, the council and' 1 rofessorial Board to carry on the work' of the college, was set out in another Statement appended :—Salary of Profe.s=or of Psychology (addition to), .£200; salary of Professor of Physics (addition to), .£100; salary of Lecturer in Geology (addition to). £100; salary of Assistant in •Mathematics (addition to), .£l2O salary ot Assistant in English (ac'iTTncn to), £tM)' Professor of Economics, j

•i 'r referred to the necessity for improving the scientific equipment of the science side and the lawlibrary. Classes had become too lar;;e, qu.'te beyond the scope of university tuition. He instanced the case of mathematics. There were also one hundred law studouts aione. Increases to the staff already had been mode entirely with tho concurrence of the DepartAssistants were paid disgracefully inadequate remuneration. Tho provision asked for by the council would suffice until the number of students rose to (50; then thoy would have to come to the Government for more. In the case of Professor Laby, Professor of Physics, the council did not think they would be able to keep liiin unless they raised his salary to a level with that of tho other professors. In Professcx Laby they had a man of Teal distinction, too.' The Government should provide more fluids, if they wanted to make the college a home of learning and not merely a night school. At the same time, he added, the night classes should in no wav be curtailed.

Mr. C. Watson said that the rapid increase in the number of students wtts largely due to the policy of throwing open the doors of secondary education to tho people. If the increase went c-.i at the same rate, in a few years' time thoy would have 1000 pupils at the college. Additional classes were being asked for, such as accountancy, which had been established, tho Ins'tituto of Accountants subsidising it to the extent of ,£l5O a year. The surveyors had also appronched the council with a view to the inauguration of classes in their branch of work, and the Post and Telegraph Department had expressed a desire to have experts trained at tho college. These requests had been refused. Tho Minister said that a strong caso had been made, and tho financial affairs of the college would be a matter for serious consideration on the part,of the Government. Something had to bo done, and that soon. The Inspector-General of Schools (Mr. Hogben) had already, by the Education Committee of the House set up last year, been instructed to prepare a report on tho financial position and requirements of all tho University Colleges. The position of each would be 'considered on its merits. Mr. Hogben would also go into the matter of strengthening tho college libraries on specialised lines. His report would be presented to tho Education Committee next session, and until then one could not commit the Government with regard to any one college. The first necessity after all was a sound primary education, and without the basis of that tho superstructure would not do the work required of it. It was unfortunate Victoria Collego was not endowed like other institutions elsewhere in tho Dominion, where public spirit had Iseen evinced by voluntary bequests, donations, and grants by citizens who recognised their duty as wealthy men of the State. Education should be such as to give our people an equal status with the people of other countries. "Your representations," concluded tho Minister, "have been very forcibly impressed on me. 1 trust tho recommendations of the Education Committee will be such, and Ihe action of the Government upon that report such, as to accord with your desires. I sincerely hope we shall be able to do something" to place Victoria College in a better financial position than it is at present."