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present wants for some time to come. If the wealthy citizens of Wellington do not imitate those of Birmingham, Montreal, Toronto, Sydney, and other British communities and recognize by their gifts the value of a University College in their midst, the Government is the only source from which the money could come, and Government perforce, on account of other calls upon it, must give the absolute minimum necessary for efficiency : the private citizen's generosity is not so limited. Canterbury College. Some additional lecture-rooms (say one large and two small) are required in the arts and science departments ; the present physical laboratory should be replaced by a more suitable structure : a room properly built and equipped for the library is urgently needed ; additional lecture-rooms, laboratory, and equipment are required in the School of Engineering ; and more accommodation for the proper comfort of professors and students. The heating and lighting are at present unsatisfactory ; the former will entail a considerable outlay/not exactly estimated ; the latter is not easy to correct. The question of the provision of additional lecture-rooms, of library and physical laboratory cannot be considered apart from the question of the overlapping, which is very marked in Christchurch as regards the institutions other than those of University rank. In my opinion the existence of a School of Art and a Technical College as two distinct institutions in a city of the size of Christchurch, or indeed of a city three or four times as large, is wasteful of both effort and money. The School of Art is situated on part of the College site, and is built (most of it) in the same style as the College. If by mutual agreement (and that is the only way in which it could come to pass) an amalgamation could be effected between the School of Art and the Technical College, the additional accommodation for the University College could be provided gradually by the absorption of the present School of Art, with some new buildings to be added from time to time. The College is in a good financial position, and with perhaps a little assistance from Government (not exceeding pound for pound) could do what is required. Otago University. The increase of students, especially in medicine, calls urgently for increased accommodation. Most urgent needs are. for more laboratory room for the work in anatomy, practical physiology, and histology, and practical chemistry ; for a large pathological museum, and for increased accommodation for materia medica. In the near future permanent accommodation of a suitable character should be found for the department of home science, and the facilities for the teaching of the several branches of physics and for the practical work in biology should be improved. . The College has found the cost of installing a new system of drainage a severe strain on its resources. Extra space required for the arts department and for a students' hall and other rooms is being provided by voluntary contributions with a Government subsidy of £2 for £1. There remain to be satisfied the wants recited above. The requirements for practical work in anatomy and chemistry could be best met by the extension 45 ft. northwards of the wing now devoted to these subjects. The accommodation for each should be doubled —the present chemical laboratory, which is not suitable for a main laboratory, could be used for advanced work. The requirements for physiology, bacteriology, pathology, &c, could be satisfied by a slight modification of the top floor of the present building and by a suitable extension southwards, with due regard to architectural considerations. The cost of these two extensions with the necessary fittings I estimate at £10,750, or, say, £11,000. The cost of the additions required for the efficient teaching of biology proposed to be made in the form of a laboratory, lecture-room, and the usual small rooms attached, I estimate at about £1,800. I have made no estimate of the cost of the provision that may be required for physics and home science, as it depends to some extent upon the rearrangement of the rooms in the faculty of arts, when the building now in progress is completed. The calls upon the funds of the Otago University already exhaust its power to contribute to new works, and the debt of £10,000, the amount of debentures still outstanding, forms a serious handicap to the institution, and it would be of immense benefit if it could be liquidated. I suggest that some proportion, say £1,000 per annum, of the additional revenue I have recommended in the former part of my report be devoted to the repayment of the debentures until they are all redeemed. The amounts named above for additions may seem large, but it appears to me that thejtruest economy is to endeavour to secure'f.he conditions that will give the medical school the highest efficiency possible under the circumstances. £4,000 a year for the next four years, or even £3,000 a year for the next five years, might meet all reasonable requirements. Taking into consideration the requirements of all four colleges calling for expenditure of capital, the total amount that should be provided can hardly be set down as less than £70,000, or £14,000 a year for the next five years. All the needs for capital expenditure, except the cost of the new buildings for Auckland, could be met out of the balance available from the share of the national endowment revenue proposed to be allocated to higher education, thus leaving, say, £10,000 a year for five years to be provided by Government. SUMMARY Of PRINCIPAL RECOMMENDATIONS. , 1. In lieu of all present statutory, specialization, and other grants (except subsidies) to give statutory grants as follows : — £ Auckland University College .. .. .. .. .. 7,000 Victoria College .. .. .. .. .. ..7,000 Canterbury College .. .. . . . . .. .. 2,000 University of Otago . . . . . . .. .. 5,500

3—E. 7a.

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