E.—7

21

Another test may be applied—namely, the total enrolments of students attending the first-term lectures, which lias been tabulated for four years, and shows the following results : — L 906 1,188 11)07 1,365 1908 .. .. .. .. .. .. •• •• 1,458 L 909 .. .. .. .. ■■ l- (i - ;! Here, again, most gratifying progress is shown. Bui this large increase (which chiefly arises from the classics, English, mathematics, modern languages, and mental science departments, although several other departments show gratifying increases also) carries with it enlarged responsibilities for the Board of Governors. In brief, the classes have outgrown the accommodation provided, and one of the urgent necessities is to obtain larger lecture-rooms, and more of them. The new chemical laboratory is how in course of erection, and it is to be hoped it will be in work-ing-order for the first term of 1910. lam of opinion that the Board will find itself compelled to utilize the present chemical laboratory for the purpose of providing increased accommodation after it has been vacated by the Chemistry Professor and his staff. The building is at present an eyesore, and was erected a greal many years ago as a temporary structure ; but the lecture-room which it contains is one of the moel commodious in the whole College, and I cannot sec how we can avoid using that for temporary requirements, until funds are available for the increase of permanent lecture-rooms in t he ( lollege. Members of the I'.oard are aware that I am one of those who consider that the time has come when a physical chair should be established, and a Professor appointed to take charge of it. During my recent visit to Australia I came into contact with several gentlemen belonging to both the Sydney and Melbourne Universities competent to express opinions on the subject, and they confirmed the opinion which has been expressed at this table by several members, that no modern University can be regarded as fully equipped which does not provide for a chair of physics. The relation which exists .ii present between the School of Engineering and the physics department can only be of a temporary character, and I am of opinion that the. hoard should take this question of the establishment of a chair of physics into its consideration at an early date, with the view of appointing a Professor to the chair, who should be requested to begin his duties next year, and himself report to the Board as to the con struct ion and equipment of the laboratory that would be required for his purposes. A further need of the College is the erection of a proper library. At present there is only a small collection of books, and they are stored in a room which does not contain a single table or chair for a reader. Such a state of things needs no comment. The College library should be the finest collection of scientific literature in the. province, and up to date. It should also have abundant accommodation for students and teachers, and 1 shall never be satisfied until this want is supplied. I have now mentioned three necessities —increased lecture accommodation, a physical laboratory, and a College library —the supply of which are necessary if the College is to attain a complete measure of usefulness. The cost would be at least £20,000, made up thus: — £ Increased accommodation .. .. .. .. .. .. 10,000 IMiysical laboratory and equipment .. .. .. .. .. 6,000 College library .. .. .. .. •• ■• •• 4,000 20,000 The question is, where can we look lor the money i It is impossible to provide auy reasonable portion of tins large sum from the College Maintenance Account. Every penny of that is required for the working of the institution. Three courses remain open to us : (1) To sell some of our reserves or use some of our capital funds for the purpose; or (2) to borrow on the securities we possess. I cannot recommend the Board to adopt either of these courses. The first would imply the parting with part ol -the splendid heritage we possess, and the lessening for all time of our revenues ; the second would result in the work of the College being crippled by heavy annual payments for interest, and in money being speni in stone which is required for higher purposes —the work the College was established to carry out. (3.) The third course is to look to the Dominion Government and Parliament for the necessary funds. The development of education has been so great and rapid in the Dominion during the last ten years that the Central Government has won general praise for its policy in that behalf. The University is the apex of the system, and it would be the height of folly to strengthen the primary, the technical, and the secondary systems, and starve the university colleges. Our present necessities are in large part caused by the Government insisting upon candidates for the teaching service taking a University course, which has led to several of the lecture-rooms being overcrowded. Surely no higher purpose could be served by a University College than the training of teachers ; but it is equally clear that this must carry with it some responsibility on the part of the Government to assist us to carry out the work they have laid upon us. The Prime Minister has shown he realizes, in some degree, the duty of the Government in this matter by not only giving us the Coldstream Reserve and its accrued rentals a strictly legal obligation, which he was the first to realize —but has also promised £4,000 as a subsidy towards the cost of the chemical laboratory. When it is borne in mind that other colleges in this country are entirely sustained by direct annual votes from the Dominion Treasury, whilst Canterbury has established and maintained for thirty-six years its own University College, virtually unaided by the Government, our claim for assistance in the hour of our necessity becomes unanswerable. I therefore urge that the Prime Minister should be asked to meet the Board and Canterbury members of Parliament, and that a request should be preferred for the sum named, to be spread over five years, so that the three important works I have named may be undertaken without delay. The vast importance of educational work, both for the present and future generations, as compared with some of the purposes for which money has been so freely spent in the past, is sufficient justification for the request I have made.