UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 429, 10 May 1937, Page 7

UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

Requirements For New Zealand Wellington, May 19. “The men who founded the university system in New Zealand attempted to give consideration to the special requirements of this country, but they were handicapped by a number of obstacles,” said Professor von Zedlitz at the annual graduation ceremony of Victoria College in the Towir Hall. “One of these was that they made the mistake of bowing to the provincial jealousies of the time. None of them thought for a moment that their sons would attend a New Zealand university—they would, of course, go overseas for • higher education.” Professor von Zedlitz said that if a group of statesmen had set-out to discover what sort of university New Zealand wanted, they would have demanded fulfilment of several considerations. The first was to see that our best scholars did not always drift overseas and stay away. It would also be necessary to overcome the handicap of distance. This could be 'compensated for by making al tractive conditions for teachers. This was by no means solely a matter of salaries. There was the question of length of appointment—New Zealand was an attractive country to visit, but a man would not want to stay here always.