1.—13 a.

26

[T. H. TjABT.

but if the sixty students mentioned above spend ,£15(1 a year each —and that is a moderate estimate —then New-Zealanders send .£9,000 a year Home to maintain these students. The Legislature's duty in this matter is clear. It ascertains by a Royal Commission whether medicine can be taught efficiently in Nexv Zealand. Tf it can, then it should give the necessary financial help to make the medical teaching efficient. If medicine cannot be taught efficiently, then it is high time, on the grounds of public economy and in the interest of the sick, that the school should Inclosed. Personally, I believe xve can do in New Zealand xvhat is done in New South Wales and Victoria. In both those countries the locally-trained medical man has displaced the foreigntrained, and that is so, even though in Dr. Bevy's student days, I take it, that in Edinburgh University there xvere more Australians than New-Zealanders. It is high time that our Senate was reorganized and gave up wasting its time on petty details of crrrricula, and gave its attention to the Medical School and other equally important matters, such as an efficient Agricultural School and the encouragement of research. The present position of our University is that those who can afford to go abroad frequently do so; but the University is good enough for the poor man's son, who has no choice but to attend one of our- colleges or- have no university training. The next question is that of evening work : Unix'ersities sometimes provide evening lectures for those xvho are earning their livelihood during the day, and xvho are consequently unable to attend daylectures. In my experience evening students are usually an earnest, hard-working body of men, who value highly the education they make sacrifices to obtain. In other universities the evening course for a degree is often extended to last a year or txvo longer than the day course, otherwise it would be impossible for the evening student to cox'er the same ground as the day student. Some universities provide no evening lectures, holding that a degree does not merely imply that a student has listened to a course of lectures and passed certain examinations, but that for a period of years the student has been taken apart from his ordinary life, so that he has been free to experience fully the personal influence nf bis teachers, and of his felloxv-students in the daily life of a university—free tn make full use of the libraries, museums, and xx'orkshops. A universityfails to educate its students if it merely affords instruction in the lecture-room or workshop. If the only education provided for a degree—it cannot be called a university education—is evening lectures extending over three x-ears, then not only do the many influences referred to above disappear, but the standard of instruction is lowered, nnd positive harm done to those students, usually in the majority, xvho could give their xvhole time to a university education. Noxv. in the North Island colleges most of the lectures are delivered after 5 p.m.. and so these colleges are practically night schools. What should be merely an additional means of university education becomes the only education available to many New Zealand students. To meet the hardship nf the exceptional student, a hardship is inflicted on all the students. Let us consider the position of the most intelligent youths of from eighteen to twenty-one years of age, who are intellectually fit for a university education, and consequently 7 upon whom more than any one else depends the future of Nexv Zealand. T have here an extract from the " Provisional Regulations for the Military Forces of the Dominion for 1911." The minimum amount of training to be carried out annually by all ranks of the Territorial Force. Reserves, and Senior Cadets will be as follows ; Territorial Force: (a) thirty drills (twenty of which will be outdoor parades); (b) twelve half-day or six whole-day parades (all of which xvill be exercises in the field, except in the case of Garrison Artillery units, which xvill be exercised at the works of defence to xx'hich they are allotted on mobilization); (c) seven days' annual training in camp (exclusive of the days of arrival and depar tnre); (d) prescribed course of musketry. "Drill" equals one hour and a half actual instruction; "one-half day" equals not less than three hours' instruction in daxdight; "whole day eqrrals not less than six hours' instruction by day or night. What do the State and the University in their xvisdom do for these people? The State compels them to prepare for the defence of this Dominion ; it requires them to attend thirty drills of an hour and a half, twelve half-day drills, and a xveek's training in camp. The university system in the North Tsland invites these box-s to earn their living concurrently xvith their university education. Noxv. all competent authorities are agreed that to obtain a degree in three x-ears is sufficient to occupy 7 the whole and undivided attention of any student. Tlie student in this island is expected not only to do that, but to earn his living and take his share in the defence of his country. And this is done, gentlemen, in a community xx-hich holds itself up to the world as a model in the humanity and xvisdom of its social arrangements. You may ask. What is the remedy' T do not suggest that the student should at present be relieved of his military training. Later, when that training is working smoothly. university students might xvell be exempt as a recognition that to undergo 1 a university education implies sacrifices and a training more valuable oven than those involved in our military service, and to expect both forms of training is to expect more than is possible of students from eighteen to twenty-one x-ears of age. But T certainly think it is high time that the Legislature made it possible for the North Tsland colleges to cease being mere night schools. In England night schools have alxvax-s been refused recognition as universities. The normal training in Victoria College and Auckland University College should be a day training, evening classes being held for thos. xx-ho cannot attend during the day. T would like to lay stress upon that. The University Colleges should encourage students to attend during the day. and not encourage them to be night students. There seems to me no possible reason why the North Tsland should be so far behind the South Tsland in this matter. Dr. McDoxx-ell. in his evidence, appeared to think xve xvish to discriminate botxveen evening students and day students in academic arrangements. Op the contrary, as one who attended certain evening lectures in Sydney University. T think it is most undesirable tn make any discrimination between the two classes of students. T do not think any member of the University Reform Association xvishes to put the evening students at any disadvantage. I think, however, il certainly is the duty of the Legislature to provide day classes in the North Tsland.