FIRST AID.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1765, 2 June 1913, Page 9

FIRST AID.

FOR VICTORIA COLLEGE. FROM THE MACARTHY TRUST. Mr. H. H. Ostler presided at a special meeting of tho Victoria College Council hold on Friday evening last. The object of the meeting was to consider a memorandum from the committee of tho Professorial Board to tho council relating to a proposed application to bo mado by the council to the board of trustees of tho Macarthy Trust. The council also received a long letter on the subject from Sir Robert Stout, which was considered in committee. It was decided to make application to the trustees of the Macarthy Estate for provision of a fund sufficient to enable the college to undertake day teaching in science as a beginning of a general system of day teaching, or in the alternative to establish a Macarthy Chair of Economics. It was made clear that what the college really wanted was to be in a position to provide for day teaching in order to make its efforts effective. Tho memorandum presented and adopte dset forth, inter alia, that the staffing of the college is such that the teaching staff would be fully occupied if its time 11 ere wholly given to preparing students for the examinations of the university. But the collcge has always endeavoured to uphold a much higher educational ideal, and is doing so in spite of the straitened circumstances which render its efforts much less effective than they ought to be. Considerable financial aid must bo obtained if the college is to achieve such a standard, of usefulness as is achieved by University Colleges serving similar communities in other countries. The district may rightly look to the oollege to set a high intellectual standard for the community; to give such training in thoroughness and accuracy of thought as shall exert the greatest possible influence upon character; to train students for professional careers, as no other type of institution can; and any effort (o advance the welfare of tho college should be guided by these three principles. Tho;collego has not at present the means of doing any one of these things well. Ihe number nf students attending the college is between 400 and 500. Most of these are taking degree courses in arts, science, law, or commerce; but the provision for training in commerce is very much less adequate than that in the other departments mentioned. It is the policy, of the college to specialise in law and science; but in the case of science tho conditions of the college - work have been such as to deter students from taking advantage of tho comparatively good equipment that exists for training along that line. The primary need of the college is day-teaching, for all students who can give their full time to-university work. This would not supersede evening teaohing. Under present arrangements, the congestion of the timetable is alone sufficient to make it impossible to provide satisfactorily for the variety of demands made bv students upon the resources of the college. The introduction of day-teaching would benefit tho evening students possibly more than anyone else, by leaving the'college free to make a more suitable distribution of their courses of training over a longer period of years. The conflict of study with physiquo is a matter of the gravest national importance; and the Macarthy Trust could render no greater service to tho country than by bringing relief from tho overstrain of the evening work, under present conditions, at Victoria College. This applies with special force to the women students, who constitute about onethird of the college and .aro mainly engaged in touching.

If i the Board of Trnstees -were to establish Macarthy lectureships for the purpose of introducing they would make it possible to begin in this district what no other of the University Colleges can provide, viz., regular university work which could, be taken by either day or evening classes. Both types of students would bo provided for, and neither would he subordinated tb the requirements of tho others.

The need for strengthening the professorial staff, tho establishment of scholarships, the maintenance! of the library, increased accommodation, and other activities of tho 6ollege are also pointed out. ' It is estimated that the institution of day and evening work in arts and sciences would make a minimum additional cost for salaries of, for four arts subjects, .£llOO per annum, and for four science subjects ifiloso per annum; additional caretaker and help,- *8309; total, J52450 per annum.. To establish a Macarthy Chair of Economics would cost J81250 per annum; to improve and Institute further law teaching would ocst ,£2OO to .£250 per annum. For suggested scholarships an estimato of .£3OO to .£4OO per annum is given. For tho library .£2OOO is required to put. it into a sound condition. Increased office expenditure is estimated at .£3OO to .£350. In all. the money required would amount to «£2nOO to .£3OOO per annum for day and evening teaching. It was resolved to forward the memorandum with the application to tho Macarthy trustees, the chairman of the council and the of the Professorial Board to interview the trustees if they desiro it.