CURRENT TOPICS.
fl THE (K'AKU RESERVE. It is to bo hoped that the educational authorities and the people of Taranaki generally will not be too much engrossed by the affairs of the war to treat with indifference the report that an attempt is being made on behalf of Victoria. College to Interfere with the Opaku Reserve (gays the llawera Star). This reserve is becoming a valuable property, and there is already to its credit a fairly large sum of money. It has therefore rather often attracted attention from the authorities of Victoria College. But the Victoria College is in the main a purely Wellington provincial institution, and there is no just reason why it should be considered to have any claim on a Taranaki reserve. That the reserve is of such a character has been already recognised by Parliament in earmarking revenue from it to the foundation of Taranaki scholarships. Victoria College has no more claim to the reserve than lins 'Auckland College or, for that matter, either of the South Island University Colleges. The Minister of Education is reported to have said that he will respect the trust, whatever it is found to be, which of course ia good of him; but this is not quite the point. A narrow reading of the trust may do great injustice. Admittedly Taranaki at present lias no university college; nor is it likely to have one for Rome time. But that is not a reason why it should be robbed of the provision for the future. At one time the North Island had 110 university colleges, but wo imagine that. Auckland and Wellington would have had a good deal to say if it had been proposed to divert revenue, from their reserves to the support of the South Island colleges. .Of course if there is to be a new policy, a policy of poo.ing alt the educational reserves and casting on the general Government the duty of providing out ot one central chest for all educational expenditure that is a different matter. In that case the South Island would be required to give up some of its rich reserves, and no doubt iustice would bo done to all New Zealand. But if it i» merely proposed to deal with tho Taranaki reserve, then we hope-the people of Taranaki will support their Parliamentary representatives 1 ia demanding "Hands off."
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Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 99, 22 September 1914, Page 7
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396CURRENT TOPICS. Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 99, 22 September 1914, Page 7
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