CANTERBURY COLLEGE.

Globe, Volume IV, Issue 315, 16 June 1875, Page 2

CANTERBURY COLLEGE.

A meeting of the Board of Governors of the Canterbury College was held yesterday morning at the Public Library. Present— Mr H. B. Gresson (chairman), the Most Rev the Primate, Revs Canon Willock, W. J. Habens, 0. Fraser, and J. Buller, and Messrs Tancred, Montgomery, Potts, Webb, Cowlishaw, and Knight. After the minutes of the previous meeting had been confirmed, the chairman said that the deputation appointed had waited on the Government since the last meeting of the Board. At the interview, the Government told the deputation that they could not go into the Museum question at all, and from what could be gathered, the latter were given to understand that if the Board entered into any arrangement with the contractors or submitted their claims for compensation, they (the Board) would do so at their own peril. With regard to the vote for the erection of the College, the Government were not prepared to place the sum on the supplementary estimates, as the Provincial Council had already refused to pass the vote, and an opinion had also been expressed by the Executive as another reason why this should not be done that the question of site had not been finally determined upon by the Board. So far as the Public Library was concerned, the deputation had been informed that a sum of £4OOO had been placed on the supplementary estimates for the erection of the building. The deputation had represented to the Government the unsuitableness of the Normal School for the purposes of a college, but nothing definite had been decided upon in this direction. The chairman then called upon the secretary to read the following letter ; “ Provincial Secretary’s Offices, “ 2nd June, 1875. “ Sir, —In answer to your communication respecting the vote for the Museum, I have the honor to inform you that the Government cannot ask the Council to reconsider the matter. The Council has already by a large majority declined to expend money upon the erection of additions to the building, and the Government must, therefore, consider the question as settled. With regard to what you have said as to the liability of the Governors to the contractors, I beg to state that the Government have been advised that the contract is not in accordance with the provisions of the Audit Act of 1868, and that under any circumstances no portion of the money could have been paid without the money had been re-voted. This is clear proof of itself that there can be no liability, otherwise it must be assumed that the Council could not decline to pass the vote. If such were the case, then there would clearly have been no necessity for making it are-vote at all. There cannot beany doubt that the vote stood in exactly the same position as any other vote, that is, that the amount became ‘ revenue of the period ensuing’ in the terms of the Act, and therefore any contract entered into must be taken to be subject to the Provincial Council passing the vote, that is, there being no appropriation of the money for the purpose, there could be no contract entered into within the meaning of the Audit Act, 1868. “ The contractors were perfectly aware that the works were to be paid for out of the public money, and that by law there was no appropriation for the purpose, and that the contract therefore was subject to the amount being voted by the Council. “ Under these circumstances, the Government consider it only right to inform you that if the Board of Governors follow the view expressed in your letter as to the claims that may be made and submit to them, the Government would not feel justified in taking any “further steps, and the Governors would do so at their own peril. “ I have, &c, “W. M. Maskbll, “ Provincial Secretary,” The meeting next proceeded by ballot to fill up the four vacancies on the Board, the names being taken in the order of nomination, which resulted ia the election of the

following: gentlemen :—Mr W. J. W. Hamilton, Mr R. Wilkin, hou B. W. Stafford, and Sir Cracroft Wilson. The Rev C. Fraser moved—“ That the three existing committees he amalgamated, with instructions to meet on the first Monday in each month at ten a.m. for the despatch of business, five to form a quorum.” The Rev Canon Willock seconded the motion. Mr Montgomery suggested that the resolution should be withdrawn, and the whole question of what number should constitute the committee, and how many form a quorum be decided at the quarterly meeting of the Board. The Rev Mr Fraser accepted the suggestion, and with leave withdrew his resolution. The secretary read the following report from the Museum committee : “ In compliance with the resolution of the Board of Governors of the 3lst May last the committee report as follows with respect to the balance due to Mr Lock for the Maori house. “ On the 18th of July last the Secretary for Public Works wrote to the then chairman of the Board of Governors, stating that the Provincial Government was prepared to hand over to the Board the material belonging to the Maori house, and to place at their disposal the sum of £SOO voted by the Provincial Council»provided the Board was willing to undertake the erection of the building. “ On the 30th of July last the Board passed the following resolution : “ ‘ That the Board of Governors are willing to undertake the erection of the Maori house on the Government providing £SOO for that purpose.’ A copy of the foregoing resolution was forwarded by the chairman to the Secretary for Public Works by letter of the 31st July last, whereupon the chairman was informed by letter of the Bth August last, from the office of the Secretary for Public Works, that a voucher for £SOO had been forwarded to the Provincial Treasury for payment to the College trustees under the conditions indicated in his letter of the 18th July and the resolution passed by the Board on the 30th of July, and the Board was informed that the Provincial Engineer had been instructed to hand over to the order of the chairman all the materials for the building in the possession of the Government. The money was paid and the material banded over accordingly. “ On the 4th of January last Dr Yon Haast by letter claimed from the Government the sum of £3l 4s 2d, balance due to Mr Lock, and the then Provincial Secretary by letter of the Bth January stated that the Government had no funds from which to pay the account, and suggested that application be made to the College authorities. “ The committee, on referring to the account, perceive that the expenditure was incurred before the materials were received by the Government and long before they were handed over to the Board. Under the circumstances the committee are of opinion that the Board can in no wise be held liable for the payment of the balance due to Mr Lock.” In reply to Mr Montgomery, The chairman said that the question involved in the report had not been submitted to the present Government. Mr Cowlishaw moved “ That the report be adopted, and that a copy be forwarded to the Provincial Government.” Mr Webb seconded the motion, which was agreed to. The secretary read the following resolutions passed at a meeting of the College committee, held on the 14th June, 1875, and brought up as a report from that committee:— Resolved scholars shall be expected to devote themselves to the acquisition of a liberal education as distinguished from one merely technical. “2. Subject to the fundamental principle they shall be allowed the privilege the limits hereinafter described) of selecting from year to year the subjects they will undertake to study. . “ 3. That the selection permitted must be such as to secure a fair measure of progress, and the courses of successive years must be reasonably varied. “4. That each scholar shall in every session attend lectures in at least four subjects as hereinafter defined, and shall have not less than fourteen hours in each week occupied with lectures. “ 5. Selection in every case is to be made from the following list. “ Latin to count one subject, Greek, one subject; Mathematics (as for a B.A. degree) one subject; higher mathematics, one subject ; modern language or English literature, one subject; jurisprudence or logic and moral philosophy, one subject; physical science, one or two subjects ; natural science one or two subjects. “6. Th it physical science and natural science shall not be so grouped in any case, as to make up more than two subjects for the purposes of these regulations.” Resolved—“ That the Rev C. Fraser’s suggestions for a College curriculum be submitted to the three Professors of the College for consideration, and that the chairman be asked to arrange a conference between them and the committee.” Resolved—“ 1. That it is desirable that lecturers should be appointed Las soon as circumstances admit] for the subjects of moral and mental philosophy, political economy and logic, especially as there are some students who are entering their third year. “2. That the Board of Governors should take into consideration how far their present arrangements and prospects of future permanent appointments are interfered with by the withdrawal of the Agricultural School endowment from the Chair of chemistry.” The clauses of the report were considered seriatim, and Nos 1 to 6 inclusive, were adopted. On the motion of Mr Montgomery, the second last clause was adopted, with the insertion of the words in brackets. The final clause of the report was postponed for consideration until the quarterly meeting of the Board. In reply to Mr Potts, the chairman, with the consent of the meeting, said that, should a communication be received from the Government, relative to a site for the College, a special meeting of the Board would be called to consider it. The chairman said thst, as £4OOO had been placed on the estimates for the erection of the Public Library, it would be as well that steps were taken to put the building in motion. Mr Armson, architect, who was in attendance, showed a tracing of a building that could be erected for that sum. The Board then adjourned,