E.—7a,

77

ment in the Master's degree, the introduction of the Ph.D. degree, &c„ are all desirable methods towards the encouragement of research. They should be supplemented, if possible, by the introduction of Research Demonstration Fellowships. But it may fairly be asked, how much research of real value, in proportion to the expenditure and effort involved, has been published as a result of these methods. The key of the position is the teaching of the undergraduate classes. This teaching should be of such a nature as to awaken the true spirit of inquiry and love of knowledge for its own sake. In this connection we note with regret the extreme inadequacy of the college libraries. Unless a student is taught while in college to look beyond his professor's notes and the prescribed text-book, and to use a library properly, he is hardly likely to develop the habit later. The poverty of the libraries is but another indication of the lack of the proper kind of university teaching, and so long as the professor is looked on as a crammer and coach the College Councils will not consider it necessary to make any serious effort to remedy matters by providing and other facilities for research. The necessity for a research spirit applies with particular force to the special schools, which are definitely charged with the duty of furthering knowledge in their particular branches. There must be local problems for the Medical, Dental, Home Science, and Engineering Schools, and, above all, for Agriculture. In fact, there is hardly a subject within the Arts, Science, or Law Faculties which has not local problems calling for investigation. It is not sufficient to provide laboratories, and libraries replete with works of reference and current periodicals. Unless members of the professorial staff are actively engaged in research the stimulus .towards the reading necessary for research is lacking. There are certain problems of research, too, which need the combined team-work of numbers of workers in various branches of study ; only a University can usually undertake such tasks. It is true that a fairly large amount of research is done in New Zealand by institutions outside the University—e.g., Department of Agriculture, Cawthron Institute, Dominion Laboratory, Museum staffs, &c. The workers in these institutions should be invited periodically to deliver lectures to University students ; but research, being absolutely essential to university teaching, must also be carried out in the Colleges themselves. The original creation of four University colleges with four small staffs, instead of one central University with one large staff, has probably contributed largely to the lack of research atmosphere in the teaching. Professors have been faced with the difficulty of teaching the whole extent of their subject, instead of specializing in a portion of it, as would have been possible with a larger staff. This defect has been accentuated by the necessity of teaching to an imposed syllabus. Moreover, with a larger staff concentrated in one central University there is the opportunity for discussing problems with colleagues. In this connection it is probable that the annual meeting of the Board of Studies has done something to bring professors together, and that the introduction of the new system of examination by two professors acting together in rotation will be helpful in mitigating the academic isolation inherent in the present system. Exchanges of professors between the colleges might well be tried for short periods for the purpose of dealing with special aspects of subjects. Furthermore, professors should be encouraged to travel for study and to attend conferences abroad. Anything that will tend to keep the teaching vital and bring it into touch with reality and progress should be fostered. In particular, professors should visit Britain or America at suitable intervals, and, in the case of those specially concerned, the Pacific islands, for which New Zealand has now accepted definite responsibilities, cultural as well as political. We were much impressed with the plea put forward by Dr. G. H. Scholefield that the State archives should be collected and made available to research students. It should be remembered that the present is a critical time for placing on record the history of the stirring events of the early settlement of the Dominion, especially in its relation to the Maoris and their culture. When we learn that there is a danger, unless prompt action is taken, that many invaluable records may be destroyed, we would urge that 110 time should be lost in carrying out this essential work of collecting and reducing to order the early documents and archives.

Libraries.

Research in special schools.

Four separate universities involves academic isolation.

Professors should travel.

State archives.