UNIVERSITY WANTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2894, 25 August 1909, Page 89

UNIVERSITY WANTS.

! DEPUTATIONS TO HON. R. M'KENZIE. ! FAVOURABLE REPLIES. I After his arrival on the 19th instant by the early train from Lawrence, in completion of his tour of Otago and Southland, the Hon. R. M'Kenzie, in his capacity of Minister of Mines, paid *a visit at 11.30 a.m. to th© new School of Mines preparatory to the formal opening ceremony in the afternoon. He was accompanied by the Hons. J. R. Sinclair and J. T. Paul, M.L.C.'c, and Messrs G. M. Thomson, J. F. Arnold, and T. K. Sidey, M.P.'s. Of the i University staff there were present Pro- ; fessors Park, Marshall, Waters, Dr Scott, and Mr Mason (registrar). The Minister I was conducted all over the building under the guidance of the staff, and had explained to him the purpose of each department. After the examination was completed several matters were placed before him in , connection with the- school. i Mr Sidey, speaking in his capacity of a member of the University Council, introduced the deputation. The first matter -was in connection with the Government grant to the Mining School. At the 'time that the school was established (at the request of the Government) a subsidy of £500 per annum was . promised, but this was afterI wards increased to £750, which cum had I been received for about 10 years, up till I last year, when only £.500 was received. He pointed out that sums of money had been expended by the colony on mining education in different parts of the country for a good many years. When the first grant of £500 was promised the, amount bo expended was very small, but it' had gradually increased ~by reason of grants to other ! schools and in other ways, till by the time the gTant was raised to £750 per year I the total amount of money disbursed by j the Mines Department for mining education \va3 £3800. Since then other increases had been made, till last year the expenditure reached £4800. He would ask the Miniefer ■to note that although the grants made ' r this purpose outside Otago had been step..-, y I increasing, last year their grant had been i curtailed by £250. He further pointed out that this School of Mines was the only one i in Otago, and thus the only money expended by the department in mining education in Otago was £500. H there were not this 6chool in connection with the UniwerI sity of Otago there would, no doubt, be a number of smaller scnools similar to those found in the Auckland province, where there were no less than fiv© conducted by the Mines Department. The Government had affirmed the desirability of the School of Mines remaining in Dunedin, and it seemed to them, in face of that, somewhat inconsistent and contradictory of the Government to give them lesß than before , for the carrying on of the soliool. Another ! matter in which assistance was required was the equipment of the building. The sum of £5000 had been voted for construction i purposes, and of this sum it had been honed something nrould be available for the equipi ment, bat unfortunately their' anticipation | as to the cost had been exceeded— -the ' foundations alone were £300 more than was expected — till the whole amount was absorbed, so that nothing remained wherewith to procure equipment, for which purpose £600 to £1000 was really required. A further matter he would direct the Minister's attention to was the question of underground service for the students before they could take positions as mine-managers in New Zealand. The regulations governing the position were considered unnecessarily harsh. Ordinarily a student took four years to complete his courae at the Mining School, and during this"time he was able to obtain one year of practical experience. In order to comply with the requirements of the act in connection with the mine-manager's certificate, he had to secure five years' experience of underground working, and had thus | to pat iii another four years of labour after I completion of his course, thus making eight years in all. He submitted that, considering the training giiren in that institution, less should be required of students in the way of underground service. In Great Britain a distinction was drawn between coal mining and metal mining. The " Coal Mines Regulation Act of 1895" provided that five years' practical experience was necessary, but an amendment in 1903 said that graduates of mining schools were exempted from two years' underground service. They asked for the granting of a similar concession in this country. With regard to metal mining neither the Home Country, America, Queensland, West Australia, or South Australia required any practical exgenence on the part of students. In Ngw South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland j three years' experience alone was required, , and in connection with this he would point out that a conference of the members of the Boards pf Examiners for the different States of the Commonwealth was held -at Melbourne in 1896, and the members had agreed upon three years' experience as being quite sufficient. The position was that New Zealand with three years' experience could not obtain certificates in this country, but those students of the British colleges who held certificates granted oh the basis of three years' experience in the Home Land could obtain positions in New Zealand as their certificates were recognised here. He thought if the Minister would look carefully into this matter he would see there was some room for relaxation.

Professor Park plawd before the Minister the position with regard to the equipment of the school They had four departments — mining, geological, metallurgical, and surveying. In three of th«*e they were fairly well equipped fo far as appliaiicos were concerned, but in the important matter of teaching applied mechanics they had no appliances whatever, .md had be?n teaching the subject under the disability of taking the students to foundries and engineering ivorfe. He thought they deserved tome assistance In connection with this matter. Auckland College had spent £260 and Canterbury Col!eg« some thousands in securing the necessary machinery. In connection, the regulations governing underground service he thought that in metal mining three years' experience was quite sufficient, although coal mining was different, involving as it did risk to life, and probably five years' service was necessary. Another matter requiring attention was that of mining school scholarships. At the present time the Mines Department offered four of £50 per year each — two in Auckland, one on the West Coast, and one in Otago. The Otago scholarship had been a dead letter for the simple reason that there wss no Government mining school in Otago io take advantage of it. The scholarships had been instituted some years ago by Mr Seddon after consultation with him (Professor Park)

at the Thames Mining School, and had been based upon regulations drawn up by himself These "wera evolved on the understanding ihat they would apply only to Government mining schools, but ac the Otago Planing School was not a Government institution, but was a part of the Otago University, the regulations did not apply to it, and accordingly, as there was no Government mining school in Otago, advanlage had not been taken of the scholarship as "the intention had been it should , be taken advantage of. A further matter ' in connc^ncn with the equipment of the school was the teaching of the subject of applied electricity, which had been mad« compulsory in *-he examinations of the University of New Zealand on the advice of the London Board of Examiners. Thbugh the subject was compulsory they_ had no ! equipment w>ith which to teach it. They ; had a room ready, and if the Government j equipped it they would undertake to proI vide a teacher. The Government at the Mining Schools of Thames and Waihi taught the subject by maintaining electrical experts. The minimum cost of the installation here would be about £500, while the -cost of the equipment for the teaching of applied* mechanics would be from £300 to £500. ' • * The Hons. J. T. Paul and J. R. Sinclair and Messrs G. "M. Thomson and J. F, '■■ Arnold also spoke in support of the requests made. ! The Hon. Mr. 3VFKenzie prefaced' hia reply, by acknowledging the remarks upon the high standing of the graduates of the Otago School of Mine*. He recognised, he said, that probably they had the very best mining school in the Dominion, and one which had been a credit to the country ever since its -inception. In connection with the application for a return to the grant of £750, be said that there were now many schools of mining in New Zealand, and all were worthy of wpport. The consequence was that the assistance given to all had become a considerable sum. Personally, however, he felt very much inclined indeed, to assist them in getting their grant increased to £750 instead of £500— ("Hear, hear"),— es he recognised .the v*lue of the work- being done. With reference to the equipment for the teaching of applied electricity -and applied mechanics, this was certainly required to bring the school to" a proper efficiency, but the £800 necessary was a -considerable earn, --and he did not know whether Parliament would put it at his disposal. The vote for mining wo 6 limited every year, but he was very willing indeed to provide this equipment if Parliament would vote it. Their request in connection with the reduction of the term of service underground was a matter in which almost every man in New , Zealand was against them. It had been several times before the Gold Mines Com- | mittee since he had been in the- House, and everyone had ridiculed the proposal. He j found that throughout the mining districts I of" New Zealand the miners considered that ■ five years' service was quite short enough, : and, personally, he agreed with them, as i the risk to Life in the mines was great. He thought, however, there should be some dietineUcn. between gold mines and coal mines, as the danger in coal mines was mucn greater than in gold mines, owing to the gases geocerated and ao forth. He considered that the retju^afcion fixing the five years' term made the New Zealand students more valuable than those of three years' experience only, as in all parts of tho world New Zealand Students had a good reputation in connection with mininjg matters. Probably all the students turned^ out in New Zealand could not obtain positions in New Zealand, as they would see the mines in otfoar parts •but that", he coneidered, was a good thing, as they would see the mines in other parts of the world, and mining was a subject in which perfection could never be attained. 1 With regard to the statements made that British certificates given on only three years' experience were being accepted in New Zealand on an equality with the local ones of , five years he had not heard of this obtaining before. He would make inquiries and see whether they could not be brougW upon th© same footing. He was fully alive- to j the fact that to reduce the New Zealand term would be strenuously and strongly opj posed by every man in N*ew Zealand, but . he would make inquiries and see whether I they would agree to a reduction, though, ! personally, he thought they were right enough as tfcev were. In regard to the scholarship regulations, .he would have the matter investigated to see whether any alteration could be made without interfering with any other part of the country. Mr Sidey thanked him on behalf of the deputation for his reply, and also mentioned to him 'questions in connection with the Dental School, Veterinary School, and University reserves, which had been placed before the- Hon. G. Fowlds, MiniiteT of Education, on a recent visit, with a view to securing th* Minister's sympathetic consideration of the questions when they came before the Cabinet.

A STOKM 1A TH* HUy. GORE, August 20. Mr Wragge forwards to the Mataura Ensign the following from Akaroa : — " As advised last montl. would be the case, another yreat storm is now going on in the sun It measures about 27,000 miles in 1 diameter, and the entire disturbed area is ! considerably more. It is partly connected ! with the outburst of a month ugo. The | Japanese earthquake is the direct result, and ye.t further seismic and magnetic disturbances are likeiy. Continue to watch the cablegrams." The storm i^ the centre of great 1 activity the photosphere in the vicinity being ripped adrift and gready disturbed. Watch for indications on the seismograph at Melbourne and for telegraphic perturI bation.

liOIOKI - x T HIM. WELLINGTON, August 19. The following mew scale of charges ' for residence, medical attendance, medicine, nursing, and baths at Rotorua Sanatorium is gazetted : — Patients admitted under regulations 3 and 4, £1 10s per week ; j ..tients admitted under regulation 5, £1 Is per week ; patients admitted under regulation 6, £2 2s per -week ; patients admitted under regulation 7, free. — Bamboo I. aes do not blossom until 30 years old.