EDUCATIONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 91, 6 April 1908, Page 2

EDUCATIONAL.

NEW TRAINING AND DENTAI/ COLLEGE.

ATTACHED TO DUNEDIN UNIVERSITY.

Per Press Association. Diinedin, Saturday Night. The foundation stone of the new training college on the site of the present Union street school was laid by .sir Joseph Ward this afternoon in the

presence of a large aud representative gathering, included in which was the Hon. 0. Fowlds, Minister of Education. In the course of lug remarks before lay-

ing the foundation, the Prime Minister said that the total amount granted for building the college was £BOSO. In 18'JU the total pupite in the Training Colleges in the Dominion was 101, of which Duue-

din's proportion was 70, while at pre' sent the total number was 300, of whom 80 were in the Dunedin College. The total allowances to students in the four colleges in the Dominion was £10,023,

and iu addition £2109 was paid by the Government on behalf of students for

university fees. Three thousand pounds was paid annually by the Government for salaries of teachers in the Training Colleges. The Hon. Mr. Fowlds said that the movement for re-organisation of training colleges in the four University centres was the greatest educational ijtti-

provement taken up i n New Zealand for many years. The claim made upon teachers in modern days was very much greater than it had been i n the old days, and proper equipment was most necessary. In the last few ycar3 many increases had been made in the salaries of teachers, and while some might need attention, he believed it would be found, generally speaking, that the pay of the New Zealand teachers was equal to that of teachers in other parts of the -world. There were now 61 male teacherß and 292 female teachers in training, and, in spite of. the cry that young men were not entering the profession, ho thought the above proportion a very reasonable one.

At the conclusion of the ceremony the

Ministers proceeded to the dental school (a- recent" adjunct to the University), whish Mas officially Opened by Mr. Fowlds. Speeches were delivered by Hon. Mr. Fowlds, Sir J. G .Ward, J. Allen, M.P. (Vice-Chancellor of the Univer-

nil}-) Dr. Pickerill (director of the school), mill Mr. T. K. Sidey, M.P. The local speakers paid tribute to tlie Government for the generous assistance rendered in connection with the establishment of tlie school, and all referred in terms of praise to Mr. Sidey's energy mnl cnthusia™ in connection with the scheme.

■Dr. Pickerill stated that since the school was opened in July last over 1100 dental operations had been performed on 483 patients. At present there were over 100 patients on the books, and this nils regarded as a weak spot, inasmuch as it showed the demand was greater than the present facilities. He also said when lie came to New Zealand he expected to find matters in connection with the people's teeth fairly bad, but v/M not prepared for the actuality, namely, that conditions in Dunedin were worse than in England, and he had no reason to believe Dunedin was worse than other parts of the Dominion.

Messrs. Allen, Sidey, Armstrong, and Dr. Pickerill advocated bringing th» equipment of the school throughly up to date, thus placing it on a level with the leading dental schools in the Old World and America.