DR. I. HUNTED.]

75

1.—13 a.

48. Can you say what opinion is held in England of the diploma granted by the Australian universities? —I do not know. If a young Australian goes Home and shows capability they do not worry what diploma he has got. A man may have a high degree and be a very helpless man with his fingers. 49. How does the examination set at Home compare with the examination set in New Zealand? —1 do not know. I have had no experience of medical examinations in New Zealand. 50. Have you seen the papers?— Yes. 51. How do they compare with the papers at Home? —The papers are all very much on the same lines. 52. The Home examinations are not more difficult? —It all depends what examination you are going for. For instance, there can be no comparison between the degree in medicine of the London University and that of the New Zealand University. But I am not one of those who lay such stress on the examination. It is not a question of examination—it is a question of training. 53. But does not the examination test the training largely?—lt depends on the nature of the examination. Ido not believe in a mere written paper —an answer to four or five questions. I believe it is the wickedest thing that was ever done in the way of examinations. A very good man might be failed, and a very poor man might pass. 54. The same system obtains in New Zealand as obtains in England as regards examination, whether it is oral or written or practical, is not that so?—lt all depends what examination you go for. The practical examination for Bachelor of .Medicine of London is very much more severe than the examination here. 55. Take Edinburgh ? —I do not know Edinburgh. 56. You were saying that it was run as a charitable-aid institution : what do I understand you to mean by that?— The point is this: you have got a University, and the University has laboratories. The laboratory of the Medical School is the Hospital. The University Council is placed in this position : it has got to accept as its teachers people who are selected b}' the Charitable Aid Board, which is composed of men who are not in a position to select teachers at all, as they have shown in the past by the hopeless way in which they have thrown people all over the place. Ihey just take the generic term " medical man " and think a man is good anywhere. 57. Mr. SideyJ\ Your chief object in coming here to-day, I understand, is to give evidence in support of a Royal Commission? —Yes. 58. What work do you suggest the Royal Commission should undertake? —It should be a Commission of inquiry. 59. Into what?—lt should make full inquiry. I am speaking particularly of the Medical School, but I am also a graduate of the University in arts and science, and I think, from what I recollect of the University, that great improvement could be made all through. Of course, that is a matter of twenty years ago. 60. The main purpose in the setting up of a Royal Commission, in the opinion of the Reform Association, is to inquire into the constitution of the University with a view to giving the professors a rather larger share in the framing of the curricula? —I should think it would be a good thing to have the scope of the inquiry enlarged if that is the only thing that is to be considered. 61. At any rate, what you think is probably the most urgent thing is an inquiry into the Otago University Medical School? —No. An inquiry into the Law School may be more urgent. All I say is that it is urgent. 62. You gave us Professor MacGregor's opinion : how long ago is it since he gave thai opinion? —Twenty-five years ago. 63. Do you mean to suggest that the conditions as they exist to-day are the same as they were twenty-five years ago?—lt was a prophecy of what would happen if they had a full medical course. They had no full medical course then. 64. When Dr. MacGregor spoke he suggested that there should not be a full medical course? —Yes. 65. Do you wish u,s also to infer that the same argument could be applied to the conditions to-day—that there should not be a Medical School? —No; I have already disclaimed that. 66. Ihen you are entirely of opinion that there should be a Medical School in New Zealand? —Yes, I think there should be. But if there was a Royal Commission and that Commission brought out a man who had had great experience, and that man came to the conclusion that it would be better for us to wait for a period of years, I should be quite willing to fall in with that idea. 67. The general impression that would be gathered from your evidence is that the present Medical School is turning out a large number of incompetent men : that is what you wish us to understand] — No. My evidence with regard to those matters specially relates to" 1903-1905. I say things have improved since. To get me into saying that it is turning out incompetent men is to put me in a false position. 68. What is the use of giving us evidence about conditions as they were ten years ago?— What is the good of asking me what sort of man is turned out from the Dunedin University when I am not in close contact with these people? 69. You see what the effect of your evidence to-day is—wholesale condemnation of the whole institution ?—W T ith regard to that wholesale condemnation nobody has ever been able, during the course of eight years, to deny one point that I have raised. 70. What can you tell us about the institution to-day: that is what we want to know? Surely, in order to find out the position of anything, the proper thing to do is to start off giving its history. 71. You told us about the bacteriology. We know very well that that cannot be said of the conditions to-day : you must admit that? —But you know very well that when these things are