EDUCATIONAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 330, 23 January 1909, Page 2

EDUCATIONAL.

SYSTEM OF CIVIL SERVICE APPOINTMENTS. : ALLEGATIONS BY SIR ROBERT STOUT. By Telegraph.—Press Association, i . Auckland, Friday. I At the University' Senate Dr. Fitchett moved that it would be an advantage both to the Government and to the University if the Civil Service examinations were conducted by the University. The Chancellor, Sir Robert StouJ, said that there was an anomaly in the system of appointments, and declared tiiat ]iositions had been given to some officers over the head* of their senior?. Many appointments were made of persons' who had never passed the examin ations. ■ Mis Honor said he thought it welf to ventilate, the matter, as justice would be done if public opinion were aroused. In supporting the resolution, he said that the Education Department was al-

ways first to be adversely affected by any stress in the country's finances, so the. less examinations the Department 'had to bear the better. He thought there should be a test of physical fitness for tho Civil Service. The resolution was carried. OIAORI AS AN OPTIONAL SUBJECT. AN INTERESTING MEMORIAL. - . Auckland, Last Night. , A memorial from the Maori Conference held in Wellington last year, praying, that the Maori language ought to lie added to the list of optional subjects for the matriculation examination, was - rend at the University Senate this afternoon. The memorial pointed out that i Maoris seeking to enter upon a Univcri feity course were under a great disnd- • ■ vantage in having to be instructed and ' (examined in a language not their mother tongue. While, the Fronc'n and • German residents shared largely in this i disadvantage, the Maoris' were not like ■ them, viz., given the opportunity of . using their mother tongue as an exam- , ination subject. The University of Cap* Colony had remedied a similar inequal- , ity by permitting the Zulu, Basuto, and ■Kaffir tongues to be used as optional subjects for matriculation. The Boin- . bay University did the same in regard to six different languages native to the Indian Peninsula, and the MeGill University, Canada, extended the same .privilege to tho aboriginal inhabitants of that Dominion. The Maori was therefore in> a worse position than many other aboriginal races in the British •Empire, who had never been promised *iy solemn treaty "all the rights and privileges of British .subjects." It we.s ivitalry necessary thai the talented and ambitious among the Maori youth should be thoroughly conversant with and masters of their mother tongue in order that they might exert their Influence on their own people. The exclusion of the Maori language for all placci in the University calendar either encouraged them to drop the study and so become less useful to their own people and to the whole State, or it forced them to carry a large burden of useless knowledge towards their University career. Tho Maori tongue was more useful to members of the learned profesions practising in New Zealand, and especially to member* of the medical profession, than any other living language, ■except English. The memorial asked the Senate to ordain that the Maori language should bo added to the list of optional subjects for the niatriculatio'.i examination and be held to be a modern language for the purposes of the medical ■ preliminary examination of the New Zealand University. , Mr. 'Hoghcn, said the question was not an easy one. 'He moved that the Senate approve of the inclusion of Maori in the optional subjects for matriculation, and refer the matter to the .Authors and Period Committee. :

i Mr. F. 15. 'Bnumc seconded the motion. ' The Vice-chancellor (Hon. C. G. •Urown) spoke, of the necessity of preI serving in its purity a language -whifli" contained much traditional lore. He thought it would lie a, very good thing to encourage people to take lip the study of tlin .Maori tongue, as it was ono that would soon liecome corrupted. 'At the present time he. understood : t was possible to preserve! the Maori tongue in. its classic form, hut unless fcicps were taken to do so "classic" 'Maori would he lost. The motion was I carried. I