TARANAKI SCHOLARSHIPS.

Taranaki Daily News, 31 March 1921, Page 5

TARANAKI SCHOLARSHIPS.

BROADENING THE BASIS. At Hawera on Thursday evening Mr. Dixon, the Reform candidate, and previously a member of the Education Board, referred to the Opaku reserve. By the University Act of 1868 certain land, including 10,000 acres at Opaku, near W’averley, was declared a reserve for the endowment of a colonial university to be established. The New Zealand University Act of 1874 provided that the revenue from this reserve should be for higher education in the province of Taranaki, scholarships to be awarded annually of £6O on the results of the junior scholarship examination of the university and to be tenable for three years. A return ot the annual revenue f?om the reserve showed the amount to be £1325, and the estimated accumulated revenue to March 31, 1921, amounted to £17,000. During the five years to March 31 £2250 had been paid to the university in scholarships and £365 had been spent in management and other expenses. Less than £5OO had been used during five years for the original purpose. The reason for this appeared to be that the examination papers set too high a standard and were too difficult.

Seeing that the scholarship was not of private foundation, but was a public endowment, he thought the basis of competition might be broadened; so that the scholarships could go to the Taranaki Candidates taking the highest places at the matriculation examination. He thought the name of the scholarship might be amplified so as to read “Taranaki scholarship for the promotion of agricultural studies and research.” There was a sum. of £BOO per annum available. and junior and senior agriculture 1 scholarships might be awarded. This was a matter the Farmers’ Union might take up and assist him in carrying through. He had been trying for the last ten years to make clear to Ministers the way in which this money should be dealt with, and he was glad that he was going to have an opportunity of going down and doing this as their member. (Laughter and applause.) Mr. Dixon spoke of the backwardness of New Zealand in scientific and industrial research, and said that if the scholarships could be used in that direction there would be some encouragement for the Taranaki students' to go ahead and make a name for themselves. —Star.