PARLIAMENT.

Evening Star, Volume IX, Issue 2688, 28 September 1871, Page 3

PARLIAMENT.

(FROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Wellington, Sept. 28. Mr Murray’s Agricultural Improvements Encouragement Bill was thrown out on its second reading. The first item on the estimates was passed. A propoa il to reduce by £7OO the salary of the Colonial Architect was negatived on a division, the ayes being 26, and the noes 46. Mr Gisborne’s Public Work’s statement was very well received. Mr Bradshaw, at the commencement of to-day’s sitting, asked the Government whether it -was thtir intention to extend the Disqualification Act to members who should hot take office within six months from the date of the prorogation. Mr Fox said “ No,” but mentioned the glaring case of the Otago Goldfields Agent in 1867 drawing pay during the recess and session of that year. Tbe House was fairly convulsed With laughter at the Premier’s reply. MINISTERIAL STATEMENT. - The Minister of Public Works made his statement last evening, of which the following is a remnU :—The first part related to roads in the North Island. Tauranga to Napier ; Taupo to Napier. The road from Taupo was being constructed at a cost of L 14,560. The road from Kaiwi to the Military settlements, north of New Plymouth cost L 28.500 ; and the total expeudi ture under the head of roads in the North Island, was L 98.623. Bail ways It was a portion of the scheme of. the "Government, and it was their intention to take over the Canterbury portion of the lines on the Ist of next month. The Coal Lines : Great pains had been bestowed on those lines which would lead to the Brunner, in Nelson, and to the Maivem Mine, in Canterbury. A commission of engineers had reported upon the Waitaki Bridge, and determined the site. The plant to be employed had been determined and sent for from England. The amount pf the votes for Westland would be expended upon tbe roads determined by the Governor in Council. The A ssembly had authorised an expenditure ofJLfiO',ooo t > he spent in the acquisition of land lor settlement; and in terms of the vote a whole block in Wellington Province bad been purchased. There was another block of 200,000 acres ppder negotiation. The Swedish immigrants’ location in the neighborhood of the Manawatu block, which was made on certain conditions* had formed the nucleus of a desirable body of settlers. The House knew that the Government had no power to send immigrants to any Province unless requested to do so by the Superintendent thereof. The number that had been sent to the different Provinces was—Nominated emigrants, 2400; Assisted emigrants, 4600. The Governments of Canterbury, Otago, and Hawke’s Bay bad emigrants on their way out now, A refund had been asked for in resptetof the e emigrants by the Superintendents for the - cost of bringing them out, but the Government had not the power to grant it, but they had promised to recommend to the House that the refund should be allowed. The amount would be L 23,200, He would now advert to the nature of the public works which the Government proposed to carry out by special Apts to be passed this session. There would be a Board of Works, whose duty it would bo to supervise *ll the works undertaken by the Colony. The Government felt that it was a responsible administration; and that they could within certain constitutional limits entrust the supervision of the construction of all pubbe Wprks to a Board pomppsed of persons not subjected to political pressure, whose local know!-, dge and experience were a guarantee that the Act would be faithfully worked. The Board, irrespective of party considerations, would co sist of five members, exclusive of the President and Minister of Public Works and five engineeis, ex officio members. The Disqualification Act ‘should not apply to members of the Board. The general duties of the Board would be to administer all matters of public work?, supervise works; and recommend works for construction this session. The Government would undertake to recommend to the House the works that would be undertaken this session, but in future all works would be authorised by tbe Board. Any measure for taking lands should be subject to examination by the Waste Lands * ommittee. The first great work would be the construction of roads in the North Island. It was pi oposed to push on with the construction of main lines through the Native districts, and it was proposed to spend LIO.OOO a year for the next four years in opening upjroads on the East Coast, in the neighbourhood! of Opotiki, and in making a mam road road in the Bay of Islands district. It was proposed that no railways should be constructed unless there was fair prospect of their paying working expenses, and there should be the power of local rating to cover their cost. "With respect to com mine lines, which were special and distinct classes of railways, it was proposed that the cost of construction should fall directly on the coal mine districts, but the Board of Works would be enabled to assist in the development of the coal mines by advance s Government would ask for immediate authority to construct lines from Malvern to Rolleston (Canterbury); from theßiunuer to Nelson (Nelson); from the Kawa-kawa (Auckland) to a place of shipment. The Government also proposed to ask for authority to construct a tramway from Manawatu to Wanganui. The Colonial Treasurer, when in England, made arrangments with Messrs Brogden for railway construction. He (Mr Gisborne) would recommend to the House the acceptance of No. 2 contract, as most faverble to the Colony. The Government proposed in the case of the railways being constructed under the guarantee system to reserve to it >elf the right to purchase the lines by ijebepturps j\ftev thpir completion, Ap to goldfields water supply, he thought the Government should not Undertake the construction of works, but

that they should be left to private enterprise, assisted by advances. The main trunk road through the North Island was to bo proceeded with, and all the works authorised last session would be pushed on. The main line of railway from Invercargill to Christchurch) by the Waitaki, and the line from Winton to Kingston, were also proposed to be proceeded with.

THE UNIVERSITY QUESTION. In the debate in the Legislative Council on the petition of the Chancellor and Council of the Otago University, the Hon. Dr Grace went into the question of the dispute between the two bodies. He said it appeared t* him that the one'great desire of the Otago University was that the New Zealand University should be established in Otago; and seeing that; under certain reasonable conditions, which were certainly not largely objected to by Otago members of the committee, the solution of the difficulty was about being arrived at, he had hoped that the efforts made by both Councils were at last about to bear fruit. The truth was, that when two educational bodies charged with elements of antagonism, however small, met together, the records necessarily conveyed to the mind of their reader the merest outline of the business transacted, because allowance had to be made for friction and the free play of sentiment and prejudice on both sides. Thus brief records were but the sketchy outlines of lengthened debate and much anxious consideration. However, as the question seemed still scarcely to be understood by the Council, he would briefly refer to the many considerations which were embraced in the settlement of the question. In the first place, there was a difficulty in the nomination of the New Zealand University; and there was the fact that the Council of the Otago University had already been nominated, and had, as it were, priority of existence. In the second place, there was the difficulty of obtaining the consent of eligible persons to act on the .New Zealand University Council; and, in the third ■ place, there were preconce.ved expectations entertained by the Otago University and its Council as to the advantages te accrue to it from the passing of the Act in 1870. Again, in maturing the Act of 1870 itself, there was the necessity of satisfying that craving for a share of its advantages which pervaded the whole country. And yet again there was a difficulty, and it was a very material one—that the period • under the operation of the Act which rendered it possible for a dissolution of the Otago University and the establishment of a New Zealand University at Dunedin in its stead bad already expired ; and thus the first meeting of the Council was embai rased by the series of circumstances to which he alluded. There were, of course, certain leading types of high-class educational institutions which were familiar to them all. There were the Universities of Cambridge and Oxford, and the Scotch Universities ; there was, again, the London University, an institution of a later date, which had been eminently useful. The model of the London University was that which appeared to the Council of the New Zealand University the best adapted to New Zealand. It appeared to them that the great desideratum considering the many requirements which pressed upon the limits I funds at the disposal of the Council, was a system which would admit of the judicious distribution of those funds at their disposal over the country in the most equitable manner possible, the one great object of high-class education being always kept in view. Therefore, it appeared to the Council of the New Zealand University that their most important duty was the framing of certain resolutions or statutes for the affiliation, of high-class colleges all over New Zealand, on the model of those educational establishments which so largely existed over the three kingdoms in affiliation to the London University. He would explain to honorable members what the system was which obtained in the London University. That institution began simply as an examining body, having two rooms in Somerset House. It made inquiries and received applications from educational institutions of high-class in the three kingdoms, and inquired into the efficiecy of tbe methods of instruction adopted in those institutions. When the merit of those institiitjoqs reached a certain point of exce}lenpe, they were admitted to affiliation with the London University. The result was, that after a certain course of study in classics and mathematics, the studeuts were sent up from all parts of the kingdom for matriculation examination to the London University. The students were divided into classes of merit. Some were, of course, rejected, and a published list was regularly issued of the status and performances of the different students of the various educational establishments affiliated. That list was largely circulated amongst parents, and the means were thus afforded of acquiring information as to the effic : ency of educational establishments all over the country, and parents could distinctly see where their sons, were most likely to obtain the beat education. After the matriculation examination, a oouple.of years were invariably allowed to elapse, and at the expiration of that time the different students who had passed the piwious examination were examine! for the B. A. degree by the same body in tbe same manner. The degrees granted by ti c London University were recognised by the country and the State ; and the result was, that a much larger number had been receiving university educations than hed ever been the case in either England or Ireland prior to the establishment of this institution. Now, taking into consideration the scattered nature of the population, and other circumstances of the Colony, the Council of the New Zealand University considered that the great object was to stimulate high-class education all over the Colony, and establish such as would oblige the different colleges to adopt a high-class education standard, and, further, to stimulate their efforts in that direction by such a distribution of the grant of 13,000, and of the land revenue at their disposal, as might appear most desirable. Now, tbe great desire in the furtherance of that fundamental principle which intlueuced tlieCoun.il of the New Zealand University, was to induce the Otago University to consent to become the principal ornament of the New Zealand University, and to become the grand leading affiliated institution of tbe Colony, and to receive funds in aid from the resources placed at the disposal of the New Zealand University, It was sought the more earnestly to effect that object, because it iyas felt that the iuterest of the Qtaga University could not suffer in reality, if it merely had the power to grant |a Provincial degree. That degree would be, of course, a smaller mark of distinction, not only in the Province, but throughout the

Colony ; as a University degree coming from a section of a very small community, like New Zealand, would bear upon the face of it, to the minds of most peop'e, less value than one coming from the Colony itself. Again, the Council of the New Zealand University bad considered that, inasmuch as there would always be a considerable class of people in the Colony who could afford to maintain their children at a distance from home, and who would naturally seek the highest education they could get; and inasmuch as Otago had been prominent in the advancement of education, and had gathered together a staff competent to insure the highest class of education, therefore, it was agreed that, in addition to the assistance derived from its funds, the Otago University would also be benefited in the manner he had just indicated, and the high-class educational efforts of other pa‘ ts of the country would by this means escape being stifled or checked in the bud. It had been remarked by the Hon. Mr Holmes, on the previous day, that the money which had been allocated by the Act of 1870 to the New Zealand University was lying idle. That was not exactly the base, as the money was lying at interest. He considered that the material basis of a future University, no matter how that basis might be utilised, had already been framed by the Council of the New Zealand University ; but he considered, further, that the careful and anxious consideration which the Council had given the matter was not without its value, nnd he hoped that the influence which that Council of the University might be able to bring to bear on the different branches of the Legislature, and the feelings of the people in regard to the question would also result beneficially.