ENTERTAINED.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1546, 16 September 1912, Page 6

ENTERTAINED.

aiNISTERS WHO ARE GRADUATES. • UNIVERSITY TOPICS. BROAD CHANGES -MENTIONED. Quite a pleasant function took placo at the Hotel Windsor 'on-•■ Saturday evening, when the Victoria' - College Graduates' Association entertained .the members of the present Ministry who live university graduates .at dinner. .

Mr, H. n. Ostler, president of the association, was in the chair. The Aliiiisters present, as guests of honour were: The Hon. H. I). Bell, the-Hon. .lames Allan, the : Hon. ,W.:ll. Hemes, and the Hon. Dr. Pomiirc. The Hon. K. Heaton Rhodes forwarded an apology for absencfe.

The Speech of ■Welcomß. The chairman, proposed tho liqnlih of tha.guests.' Tho us.sociafion, he.said, felt the. very deepest, gratification that ..of Hie nine' members!' of the -present • Ministry live were.'.ujiiyersity graduates;.' and, one was a■■member of a , learned profession. He believed'that'New Zealand'had never beforeibeeii so fortunate'in its Ministry— at any-rate not; for thelast twenty years. (linughter.); :.Kot only; did .the members of- tho association >feel' pleased-• because the-Ministers,-belonged:.to the. sains bro-therhood-of, -university-: men, -but 'because they i believed. that, tho .training which theso gentlemen had received fitted them better to <carrv>.out the high duties to ivbich .they, had been called.. The funclege Councils,'.a'ii(!-'thatVthere should be Ftudeuts to perform high service to Hie .State; of ..-which, service public life -was only brie form'.'- 7rho, speaker passed on to remark that ho thought—tind,members of--liis" , 'Sssociati6n'-'also thought—Hint the time.'luicl''conie for the introdnction ; 'Of reforms into' tlieviiniversity system. They. wanted a University Commission, but they "also'■jwantcd other ■ reforms- which could be carried out without a coimuissi'on..: 'They : 'desired that a greater; measure of: self-government /should . be.', given.: td. our .iiniversit'f ■'oollegesrrthat' thero i-li'ould-.'.be some direct- represeutation- of pr6fessor.i: : of .the^.colleges, .on .thii. College' Councils, ■ and that'.there shoud be tii'greater represoiitution.of .graduates also instead-, .of members appointed' by ' the Go.yernor-in-Counei. Ho 'iislced- the Ministers to. consider .whether'the:graduates of , Victoria College could not be entrusted wit,h;.'a i-gr-s.ataiv share in ithe government of',their- colli'ge. He'thought that ":]io one.cpuld.-possibly hcvevthe interests of the,college. moTo-.at heart.than, the graduates- themselves,-.'■■•. • ' -'•■•,--■'

•; ; :"-v The Replies by"tho Guests. , ■ 'TheiHoni/H: , .'!). , Bcil;;i;e?ponaine to the Mast, thanked 'thecoinpany, on His colleagues" behalf and oh his own, for the honour th'&t 'had been. , (lane them. It was well .'that'-' gfftdnafes should .meet' occas-. ionallj - : . They wero amongM; thofo in the community who, having learned, knew how; ''.little"; they'knewr "Those wlio :had not- had- these advantages. • sometini'-es had' that-'selfesuffisiehcy- which: helped -tlieih on in -life perhaps; .but-.which -lyas?not Rbbd..;fo£'.'the,'K6vernmenl-' j p.'f-the .coun'try.' 'i , hosef , \vnp'hnd;been ! trains^.atvth , e: older' seats-of learning, knew 'that /the-'students' of '.Jye'w Zealand,:had advantages, til";least'• equal 'to -those r'pfferjns'.'in , : standard more ithere was greater' - diligeViceJ"an'!on:r,tli6se : attcndingVtneniriiyorsi t.v;-'and. there , greater'.tests by.; examination.''- Even in' England—he; was very sorry to think, it was;.' s.pTr.the' advantages, .wcu'c; ,with the yoiinger. ■universities, which were ground, wherever ' established. , , .He hoped a hostel ■■lircon--r.e'ctioh'-vitli'VicfoMa pdlJegeSrauld nia'ke; for ■ • thjv- imnrpveiiieht 'of uiVive'ri i'tv'y life' here': ' ' ■■' : .>: v ',' '•" ':■'" "' Tile Hon.'- "Jninbs. Allcn - "saM l '-'thaf' he. wo;; glad to come to such a .function, and to got.away from the.musty piles of papers—siippleineiitary. estimates', 'and;so on, in which, he 'added, the college might he"ihf.ere'ste'd. 'Bt'gaMirig' -'('lie", a'riiendinen , t of the;' Constitution of Victoria College, smnething might l>c> Auck- . as l 'tisiiar," , in'thfe'van of pro-' grow, and the. Auckland Council had (,'iviv. into' his: hands .a 'Bill, which " he woiild l - iisu'-his bc-str 'endeavours -to " put throu"Kh"r rTKis-Bill-'provii!ea'for'ilie"eKc-tion of two representatives of the Professorial Board, and; four- representatives of graduates on.the,SCburicil:l.sHe hoped that 'Mr. Bell .would use; his. influence on the Victoria' College .'Council to bring tho Council to a similar-frame of mind. -The experience in Ohigo liad been thai: the professors on the Council had been of the very greatest assistance, and .had shown what a very deep interest the Professorial'. Board iiiust. have. in the .'work'; of'-:tbe university.- ■■He"hoped to sw all' the.i'collegej: put-oni.ai better .financial, footing,', .ami he 'thought that;this! much" could bo done without the , help of any comniisiion. He would he very glad to do", this so"' far' 'as' fuii'ds "woiiltl' permit. He recognised.that,the colleges were nor properly cijuippeil for the work they had to (lα,;.hud' he recognised also what a power universities, were, in ijll the activities of tho commii'iiity.-. ; ' ' •'" " ■ :.. ,

Th'piHon. W. H. HehHe's and tho Hon. Dr.. Pomare also inade ,brief speeches, acknowledging the 'compliment:'p'a'id them!