91

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of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology. (4.) That the faculty report to the Council that in their opinion a Medical School block should be erected on a site in the immediate neighbourhdod of the Hospital to afford sufheient space to meet the requirements of the more purely medical subjects, and that the faculty approves of the extension proposed in connection with the medical buildings of the University. Dr. Valintine supplements this by recommending that there be a whole-time Professor of Bacteriology, and that the principal lecturers in the Medical School be paid such a salary as will induce them to regard their University work us of primary and not, as at present, of secondary importance. Thus the present needs of the Medical School may be summarized: (J.) Buildings: («) Extension of the present block north and south so as to give accommodation for anatomy, physiology, and chemistry; (6) 11 new medical block near the Hospital for purely medical subjects. (2.) Full-time Professors of Pathology and Bacteriology. (3.) Appointment of assistants to the Professors of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology, and Lecturer on Diseases of Children. (4.) Increase of the salaries of the principal lecturers in the, Medical School." In support of our request that money may be voted to enable us to house and to ei|uip our Medical School more adequately I desire to present the following facts: (I.) As regards buildings. («.) The extension of the present medical block : The (irst part of this block was erected in 1878, when we hail only five medical students in the University. It was intended to provide rooms on the ground floor for chemistry and on the upper floor for anatomy. Since that year the number of the medical students has risen from five to 141, and the number in the class of anatomy this year is sixty-two, not including the class in surgical anatomy. The result is the anatomy-room is utterly inadequate for the requirements of the school, and temporary accommodation for some of the students had to be made this year in an adjoining room, which is, however, required for its own proper purpose. In 1004, by the generosity of Wolff Harris, Esq., supplemented by a grant from the Government, we were enabled to appoint a Professor of Physiology, and for him accommodation was provided by extending the Medical School southward. At that time the students in physiology numbered—junior, sixteen; senior, eleven; while this year there are sixty-one students attending Professor Malcolm's classes. In L9lO the laboratory accommodation was increased, but now it is quite insufficient evm for present needs. In the physiology laboratory this year there are thirty-five students at work where there is room for only thirty-two. At first sight this may not seem serious overcrowding, but it must lie remembered that we provide only 2 J ft. desk-space for the students instead of Ift. On this point Professor Malcolm says, "The newer developments of practical physiology render it imperative that we should provide 4 ft. desk-room for each student." Then, store-rooms and preparation-rooms are non-existent, and owing to the increased amount of preparation to l)e done, the material and apparatus to be stored, great loss and inconvenience is experienced. The Council of the University is getting plans prepared for the extension of the medical buildings north and south, as recommended by the faculty, that it may meet the needs of Professors Scott and Malcolm, and it hopes that a vote for this work will be made without delay, so that, if possible, the enlarged building may be ready for next year, (b.) A new medical block near the Hospital for purely medical subjects : In urging the Committee to recommend a grant for this work I content myself by saying that Dr. Valintine and the whole staff of the Medical School are most emphatic in making this recommendation to our College Council. I shall leave it to Dr. Colquhoun to give the reasons in detail. The staff: The time is more than due for the appointment of full-time Professors of Pathology and Bacteriology. It was interesting to see how emphatic the members of the faculty and the Inspector-Ger.eral of Hospitals were on this point. The need for assistants to the Professors of Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology is being painfully impressed on the University Council by the breakdown in health of one of our professors. Surely it is not becoming that the men who occupy important Chairs in our University should be so overworked that the breaking-point comes all too soon. Further, the Council looks to you to help it to such an increase in its annual grant as will enable it to appoint a lecturer on the diseases of children. That the principal lecturers in the Medical School should be so paid that they may be expected to give their Universitywork the first and not jthe second place in their thoughts is Dr. Valiutine's recommendation, and must surely commend itself to every one who desires to see the work of the school made as efficient as possible. Arts and science: In my letter to the Minister of Education 1 wrote regarding the report of the teachers in arts and science as follows: "Some of our Arts and Science Professors are miserably paid and overworked, and much will be done to increase the efficiency of the work in this department if you can meet the needs stated in this report." Here is the report presented to the Council by the Professors in Arts and Science : — "(1.) This meeting of members of the faculties of arts and science wishes to draw the attention of the Council to the following resolution passed unanimously at a meeting of the Professorial Board held on the Gth May. 1913: That all those members of the staff who have to devote the whole of their time to University work and to take honours classes should be paid adequate salaries. (2.) That the attention of the Council be drawn to the fact that the Inspector-General of Schools, in his report on the University Colleges of New Zealand —K.-7a, 1012, page 10— recommends that the average salary of professors be £700, and on the same page he makes definite recommendations as to the allotment of professorial Chairs. Further, that this meeting considers that such recommendations should be regarded as a minimum. (3.) That the Council be reminded that the salaries paid to the professors who were first appointed represented a far higher pur-chasing-value than the same salaries at the present day. (4.) That a trained assistant should be provided for the Professor of Biology, at a salary of .-£2OO or .£2oo, to assist specially in the botanical work. (5.) That an assistant be granted to the Professor of Mathematics, at a salary