THE NEW RHODES SCHOLAR.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XXXV, Issue 1185, 16 December 1913, Page 4

THE NEW RHODES SCHOLAR.

FINE SCHOLASTIC RECORD

Mr William Meirion Jones, the recently selected Rhodes scholar, is 20 years of age, and is the youngest son ol Mr 1). W. Jones, headmaster of the Papakura Public School. Born at Papakura Valley, Mr Jones received his early education in his father’s school. His scholastic record is a brilliant one. At the 1904 examinations he qualified for both a junior national and junior district scholarship, and entered the Auckland Grammar School, being then considerably younger than the boys amongst whom he was placed. In spite of this 1 e beat all-comers at the senior district scholarship examinations in 1906, heading the list for the Auckland Province. Two years later he was awarded a senior national scholarship, coming 16th for the Dominion, but being under 16 years of age he was precluded from accepting it. In 1909 he won a junior university scholarship, being fifth on the list for New Zealand, and as he was then old enough to be matriculated, he became an undergraduate at the Auckland University College, During his career at the college, Mr Jones gained first-class passes in every subject in which he kept terms. He won premiums in pure mathematics, applied mathematics, chemistry, and geology, and was placed second in Latin, At the November examinations last year he gained his B.Sc. degree, winning senior scholarship in both pure and applied mathematics, these being the only two senior scholarships which fell to Auckland students. At the November examinations of this year he sat tor his M Sc. degree, his honours subject being mathematics, but the results of these examinations are not yet available. Scholastic achievements al me

do not ensure a candidate's selection as a Rhodes scholar. Considerable attention is paid to excellence in athletic sports, and on this side Mr Jones’ record is a good one, hockey being the game to which he has devoted most attention. At the beginning of the season which has just ended, he made his debut as a senior grade player, and by the time the representative teams were selected bis unusual promise as a full-back had earned him inclusion in the second senior representative team which toured the Auckland province. Mr Jones is also a tennis player of considerable ability, and shows promise as a cricketer. In the social life of the college he has done good work. In 1911 he was treasurer of the Christian Union, and secretary of the tennis club; in 1912 he was the recording secretary of the Christian Union, a member of the Executive Committee of the men’s Commonroom Club, and in 1913 executive president ot the Tennis Club, and secretary of the Musical Society. Mr Jones is the fifth Aucklaud candidate out of eleven to secure selection as a Rhodes scholar, the oilier four being Messrs S. N. Ziman, K. Sisam, A. G. Marshall, and A. Wallace. Auckland now holds the record for Rhodes scholars, Otago being next with four.