CANTERBURY COLLEGE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 13, 16 June 1913, Page 2

CANTERBURY COLLEGE.

". ] THE ADDRESS. : the; students Cleave; ... i' | ,' Per Press Association. ; "■ "■:<'< •; .- '• Ghristchurch, June' 'l3. • The capping; ceremony/ait Canterbury | College, in the earlier stages, was | rowdy, and Sir Robert Stout was interrupted continually., the stu|4ents,> rQse iV and.^t o the-jhal^..aini] l Sir Robert; prqjseed! iiis. address. '/.,'Th'e'; 'ijianpe'llor soinc length'witli'tlie'proposed uniy#rsity reforms, and, after 'contracting the constitution, of the New-Zealand University those, in Europe,, lie said they .c,qujd o'f-'the quesisioif-of ref Qrjik jkjQk tlais: propositions Jtfchafc.lto. thing cpuj4-be, ,assailed;..aV v Tljo l , New tl ZgnlaM UMVefsity is a "State institutibrif las that it is properly managed, and that moneys of the State given to it are , utilised; (3) it is the;duty of t)ie State to see 'that the widest possible ,use is made'of'this State, institution, a)id that, neither fear nor favor infhi- ■ 'ehces its management:-' He contended » .'that the State had a right to set up a -Royal Commission" to examine the'Uni- ' vfersity. Continuing, he said: "The question will then be if~the State has a right to know the kind of student that is) being turned ; olit,"and how often is this enquiry..4o< be made? Ought not the State to know yearly what work is done? If not,„why,not? and,..if. yearly, "how can it "know saVe by external examination ?. The i demand,. thereforoy for a' Rdyal Commission admits the rights of the State know,ho\y it,s highesjt educational institution is heing governed, aijd what -kind"of "knowledge the students possess.- .The State makes<such enquiries its, primary .and sec- ; 'oridary educatipnj t|i'erg is a right of .in-.. ' spection in all'Schools,''and'the niati;iciilation scholarship" and other entrance exaiiiinations, and theijunior Civil Service examinations are all external,examina- , tipns, and some .guide, to.the, State, as, ,;to the management'of the : primary and secondary schools. If, then, it is the .right and-duty of the State to'khoW i that persons getting degrees have know- , ;ledge, can the....Stajfe accept ,the report, of; teachers?. If the State flight to ido so in the' case'of the' Uhivefsitv,' wliv sh;ould it not do so in the c'ase-of the primary andjiecondaryschools?: Jnspe'e- ■: tidns must be done away with,,and is there need of, even a central education department?' Further, is riot a secmid- . ary school teacher as worthy'of' trust , ~as a professor? ,And should not.his eer- [\ .tificate be sufficient for., entrance into the University? Hitherto, it has not : 'been considered that any ; slur was cast on primary school teachers because the education lioard sent inspectors to re.port on their schools.and onytheir, teaclialt countries, where ..there 'is State aid to; education:' The ' public secondary 'schools are also til open to inspection. I 'am not aware "-that ■ the : ''professors have,recommended that a certificate, by ,aiiy teacher of, a secondary or primary school, should be sufficient to entitle a pupil to Admittance to 'the university. (The eminent professors we have 1M in • .New, Zealand,.,whp have, borne the-heat/ and the burden ; of the day in founding our university system, not only lia'ye not complained of external examinations,'hut they were.members of the' Senate who established the -system. Need I mention the names of Cook, > Sale, Shand, MacGregor and. the- two Browns,, amongst others?" ..""''