VICTORIA COLLEGE

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 212, 2 June 1920, Page 6

VICTORIA COLLEGE

GRANT FOR NEW PHYSICS WING.

The Minister of Education (the Hon. C. .T. Parr) stated yesterday that Cabinet had on his recommendation agreed to a vote of .£20,000 for a physics wins for Victoria College. Some weeks ago a deputation from tho College Council and the Professorial Board of the college waited on tho Minister and asked him to provide them with a substantial sum for a new physics wing, space for applied physics work, and for a bureau of standards. The Government has not yet provided funds for all these purposes, but the grant of jC20,000, will, it is estimated, provide for proper accommodation for the physics- department. Assuming that tho first proposals would linvu required J226.000. the grant of £20,000 should be sufficient for. the physics wing. At present the torching of scienco is carried on under the greatest disadvantages. There is no room for tho proper uso. of apparatus either in tho lecture room or in tho laboratories, and ■/ tlio space for tho students' practical work is sadly cramped. When tho collego was first established there was a scienco department, for physics and chemistry, under ono professor for tho two subjects, So it was arranged that thera should bo only one lecture room for the two subjects. There arc now separate professors for tho two subjects, but still there is only ono lecture room, and this proves to bo highly inconvenient in working. In tho_allocation of space tho chemistry branch" has fared rather, better than tho physics branch, but neither branch has anything liko enough room. Tho building extension is very much required.