UNIVERSITY FINANCE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1833, 20 August 1913, Page 8

UNIVERSITY FINANCE.

« —• — NORTH V. SOUTH. ROYAL COMMISSION SOUGHT. .The Education Committee of tho House of Representatives, which is taking evidence on four petitions (one from each of the University centres) praying for a Ifoyal Commission to inquire into the proposals contained in the Inspector-Gen-eral of Schools' report on the finances of tlie University colleges, met yesterday morning.

The report proposes that the existing arrangements lor specialisation in tho teaching of scienco and law at Victoria College, and mining and commerce at Auckland, should be discontinued, and, as a consequence, if these proposals were put into effect, there would bo no special University teaching in tlie Wellington and Auckland districts. Fvidenco;wtiich begun last Friday has been given in respect of the petition from tho Middle University district by Professors I'icken. Hunter, and Von Zedlitz on behalf of the Professorial Board of Victoria College. Professor Laby continued this- evidence yesterday. He said the provincial endowments of the four colleges were: —Auckland .£4OO, Victoria College A 7-1, Canterbury .£B9OO, and Otago .£O2OO. Tho Inspector-General's report proposes to decrease tho Government grant to Victoria College by .£ISOO per year—not to change it at Canterbury, and to increase it by ,£2300 at Dunedin. This would mako tho total State aid to the North Island Universities JC3300 per year, and for the South Island Universities X 7300 per year. Tho population of the North Island was approximately 611,000, as compared with 30-1,000 for the South Island; and thus the North Island, with a population yearly twice as large as the South Island, was to get less than half tho, amount of State aid the South Island got.

The report suggests that £U55 per year could be raised in. fees at Victoria Collego. The ivitness said the fees ; t piesent paid in Victoria College by new students were equal to the fees paid per subject in Otago University. The present yield of fees at Victoria College was ,£2327 per annum, an increase over last year. He consequently estimated that when all student's n-iid the increased foes, not more tliati «£2G47 "would be obtained. Professor Laby also stated that it was manifestly unfair, to expect

the fee per student to bo the same at' Victoria College as at Dunedin, because the students here only attended courses in arts, sciences, etc., end not expensive subjects like medicine. Then ajrain, continued witness, all' Victoria College students • were evening students, and bo were unabte to take such a -number of courses as the .South Island students. Tho present financial position' of Victoria College and tho Inspector-General's new proposals were as follow:— • Income. "it s h 5 5 & hrli . £ -C Govornm«nit (statutory) grant 7,C00 7,000 Fees ' 3,000 4,455 Examination fees 180 Kent of reserve 71 Society of Accountants and subsidy 300 Sundries 47 , Total 10,601 11,455 Expenditure. J! £ Salaries 12,188 11,000 Library 300 250 Administration. 9SI 2,000 Apparatus, etc 630 . .550 Total expenditure ... 14,10 ft 18, SCO Total incomo 10,6(HT 11,455. Deficit <8,SO?. 2,345 The repoirt recommends -that this deficit be mot by giving each, cdllego from the national endowment revenue. According to the witness's estimate, however, tli«re would really bo a deficit of £1009, as follows:— Bsti- Estimate mate by wit- by the ness. report. £ £ Deficit Victoria College... 3,508 2,345 Proposed income from national endowment... 2,500 2,500 , *1,009 1155 'Deficit. JCredit. In reference to university libraries, Professor Laby said that tho InspectorGeneral had been directed by 2a. of his terms of reference to tho effect that the library equipment of tho university colleges should bo in the interests of research. Mr. Hogben proposed that .£250 pel- year should be spent for this purpose, and "as Victoria College was at present spending .£3OO per year on its library this amount ivoukl be a. decrease and would tend to hinder research and investigation instead of promoting it. The witness illustrated the weakness of tho pr&sent library by mentioning: that a paniptlct had recently appeared on the "Interpretation of" Milk Records." which had obtained the gold medal of the Royal Agricultural Society of England. Tho purposo of the pamphlet was to enable dairy farmers to arrive at a. conclusion in regard to their cows' milking capabilities from shortly after coming into milk. This pamphlet, said the witness, could only properlv be understood if access could be obtained to tho various journals mentioned in its footnotes. This pamphlet was of tho highest practical importance, and these necessary journals were not nearly all to be had in New Zealand. Ho thouirht research work was not encouraged in Mr. lichen's report. Repeated applications had been ma do to tho Minister for Education for a subsidy for Victoria. College, to further research work, but all appeals had been unavailing up to tho present. Professor Laby also said that the report proposed to leave the North Island colleges with night teaching as at present. That was, no financial provision was made for tho introduction! of day teaching. In Irs opinion this would have a most serious effect unon the work done at these, collies, for it was impossible to teach Fcien'ce adequately with purely evening instruction. Day teaching was absolutely necessary for the more specialised courses. Professor Adamson also gave evidence on the question of tho proposal to abolish all specialised teadhiw: in law and science at Victoria College; also upon the understaffing that at present existed in tlio college. .