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The Spike or Victoria College Review 1938

Estoilles Argent

page 40

Estoilles Argent

Estoilles Argent in "Spike," 1937, opened with a description of the proposed additions to the College buildings—the Biology block and also an Administration block incorporating a flat for Mr. Brook.

"These new buildings," concluded the note naively, "will be completed in the next year."

We can do no more than devoutly reiterate this statement.

* * *

"Spike" wishes to extend respectful congratulations to Professor T. A. Hunter on his appointment to the newly-created position of Principal of the College.

It would be superfluous to catalogue Professor Hunter s qualifications for such a position, which there is not the slightest doubt that he will fill with all the responsibility and dignity implied therein.

The champion of Academic Freedom, there is none more fitted to guide the destinies of Victoria, over whose interests he has ever kept jealous watch.

* * *

To the Victoria nominees for Rhodes Scholarships this year, Messrs. I. E. Berendsen, B.A., and R. L. Meek, LL.B., we offer our congratulations on selection, and our best wishes for success.

It is surely time that something was done to put Victoria on the list again, and we hope that these men will do the trick.

* * *

Too much stress cannot be laid upon the necessity for understanding and cooperation between the town and the University.

An important step has been taken in establishing such inter-relationship by the recent foundation at V.U.C. of a Chair of Public Administration. This should do much to enable more use to be made in public life of graduates of the University, so that Town and Gown may be of mutual assistance.

We welcome to the staff Mr. J. O. Shearer, M.A., who has been appointed lecturer in Economics. Mr. Shearer, who comes to us from a lectureship in Economics in the University of Western Australia, is a New Zealander, graduating M.A. with first-class honours in 1930 from A.U.C., where his brilliant work in Economics was rewarded with a Rockefeller Foundation Research Fellowship at Cambridge.

Mr. Shearer has held various lecturing posts in New Zealand, being acting-lecturer in Economics both at Otago in 1933 and 1934, and at Auckland in 1935. Since 1936 he has been lecturing in Economics in Perth, Western Australia.

* * *

The Department of Philosophy will be considerably enriched by the arrival of Mr. A. L. Hearnshaw, who has been appointed Lecturer in Philosophy.

Mr. Hearnshaw has had a distinguished career at Cambridge, where his studies of Philosophy culminated in a First in Greats and B.A. with First Class Honours. He, proceeded to London University, where he took the London B.A., making a special study of Psychology. He is expected to arrive in New Zealand early in the new year, and "Spike" extends to him a very hearty welcome.

* * *

For the latter half of the session we have been fortunate in having the services of Dr. Crowther in the position of temporary Lecturer in Philosophy.

Dr. Crowther graduated from Cambridge with the degrees of B.A. with First Class Honours in Psychology, and Ph.D.

We hope he has enjoyed his stay amongst us.

* * *

Bledisloe Medal has come and gone, and "Spike" wishes to congratulate most sincerely the winner, Mr. J. B. Aimers of page 41 V.U.C., whose oration on Wiremu Tamehana, the Maori king-maker, was described by the judges as "a splendidly virile and vigorous speech, admirable in matter and arrangement, and excellent in choice of language, phrasing and delivery."

* * *

Otago were the winners in the Joynt Scroll Contest, which, owing to the participation of Massey Agricultural College, was held at Palmerston North. Congratulations, Otago!

Victoria entered two teams comprising: A Team—Miss M. Shortall and Mr. J. B. Aimers; and B Team—Messrs. A. L. McCulloch and C. A. Myers. "Spike" congratulates these representatives on their selection.

Very hearty congratulations are also due to Mr. N. A. Morrison, who, when Miss Shortall was prevented by a motor accident from appearing, stepped at very short notice into the breach, and made an extremely creditable showing in her place, being placed fourth in the judging of individual speakers.

* * *

With the retirement of Professor T. A. Hunter from the position of Warden of Weir House, the position was filled by the appointment of Mr. R. C. Bradshaw, B.Com., of the staff of the Commerce Faculty.

What more fitting person could be selected for such an office than one of the staff, who is at the same time one of the first residents of Weir House? As a student, active in all branches of College life, being President of the Stud. Ass. in 1936, he should be sufficiently in touch with College affairs to do full justice to his new position.

* * *

An item in the Birthday Honours which caused Victoria's chest to swell with pride was the well-merited award of a Knighthood to Professor T. E. Easterfield.

Professor Easterfield, who was one of the four foundation Professors of Victoria, resigned from the Board in I 91 9 to assume the post of Director of the Cawthron Institute, Nelson. "Spike" extends to him, on behalf of V.U.C., the very heartiest congratulations on the honour conferred upon him.

* * *

"Under the Commonwealth Fund Fellowship Mr. C. S. Plank, Telegraph Engineer of Palmerston North, has been appointed to the American Telephone and Telegraph Company."—"Evening Post," May 17th, 1938.

To Victoria the above statement is one more reason for congratulating Charles S. Plank, to whom we offer also our felicitations on his successful recovery from serious injuries sustained when he was assisting another motorist by the roadside.

He is well remembered as one who, in the intervals of being both Secretary and Vice-President of the Students' Association, found time to accumulate both an M.Sc. and a B.Com., represent the College at both hockey and tennis, secure the famous Plank Tennis Courts, reorganise the Cafeteria, and generally make his presence felt at Victoria.

Mr. Plank, who is also a chartered electrical engineer, has been awarded this Fellowship, which does not attach him to any particular university, but, in view of the fact that he is to study transmission engineering, sends him to an organisation the largest of its kind in the U.S.A.

This experience should prove of great value to Mr. Plank, and we wish him every success.

* * *

"Mr. J. N. Sellers, B.A., who left for England at the end of last year, has been appointed by Commander Stephen King-Hall as his personal representative in the North, in connection with the King-Hall News Letter.

"This weekly news letter is conducted by Commander King-Hall, and supplies page 42 expert views on current events. Commander King-Hall has been adopted as the National Labour candidate for the Ormskirk Division of Lancashire."

Mr. Sellers can be relied upon to keep the fair name of Victoria high in the land.

* * *

When, a short while ago, Mr. C. M. P. Brown, M.A., left Victoria with a Post- Graduate Scholarship in Arts to study economics at Cambridge, we felt sure that more would soon be heard of him. And rightly so. A recent message from Home advises us that he has been appointed an assistant to the Economic Adviser to the Midland Bank, London. Mr. Brown was, amongst his many activities at V.U.C., on the Editorial Staff of "Spike" 1935, and we wish him every success.

* * *

It is a considerable feather in Victoria s not entirely unadorned cap to think that out of 35 applicants for the position of A.U.C. Registrar, the successful one should be Mr. L. O. Desborough, B.Com., of V.U.C.

A power in the Football Club, the Cafeteria organisation and the Executive, and a pillar of the social life of the College, he is a loss to us. However, we feel sure he will acquit himself creditably in the responsible position he now holds. "Spike" wishes to congratulate him both upon his appointment and upon his proposed excursion into matrimony.

* * *

A recent appointment of interest to V.U.C. is that of Mr. G. E. F. Wood, M.A., of the staff of the Government Statistician's Office, to the position of Government Statistician in Palestine, under the jurisdiction of the British Colonial Office.

Mr. Wood graduated from Victoria in 1924 with honours in Economics, in which subject he was Senior Scholar in 1921.

He will be stationed at Jerusalem, and expects to assume his new office before the end of this year.

The late Mr. H. E. M. Fildes, Kelburn, Wellington, left one of the finest collections of books on the early history of New Zealand existing in the Dominion.

All Mr. Fildes's collection, which covers a wide range of recorded fact from as far back as the voyages of Captain Cook down to later days, was carefully catalogued in a manner that made them readily available to the student. This collection, which is to be known as the Fildes Bequest, is by far the most extensive addition of its' kind to the College Library, and should prove a valuable asset, more especially in view of the forthcoming Centennial of New Zealand.

* * *

Much has been heard recently of the Building Fund. Club functions pay their profits to it, and the public are urged to contribute.

But much more will be heard of it in the near future. An enthusiastic Building Committee is engaged in extensive preparations for a great Building Campaign early in 1939, and every endeavour is being made to make it a boom year for Building Fund contributions.

* * *

During the past year, students of V.U.C. have contributed, both by functions held at the College and by giving assistance at town functions, to the organisations engaged in raising funds for relief of children rendered homeless in both China and Spain.

* * *

Mention must be made of the publication of "Modern Trends in Education," the proceedings of the N.E.F. Conference in New Zealand in 1937.

This work was edited by Mr. A. E. Campbell with the assistance of Mr. C. L. Bailey, and to both these gentlemen our congratulations are offered on an important contribution to educational literature in New Zealand.

page 43

Victoria is most fortunate in her College Library which, more especially since the extensions by Carnegie grants, has been made one of the most up-to-date in New Zealand.

For the past two years the Librarian, Mr. H. G. Miller, M.A., and his staff, have been engaged in the monumental task of completely re-classifying and indexing the Library according to the Library of Congress system of classification.

The system obtaining at present of arranging the books in sections, with a division for each teaching department in the College, will be superseded by the new system, which will be in operation at the beginning of next session. The proposed system provides for only one classification at the entire Library, with thousands of sub-divisions, literature on every subject being arranged in as many sub-divisions as required. Thus, there will be one classification list or catalogue only, and application to it and location of any work on a particular subject will automatically enable the student to locate all other works on that subject, which will be in the same sub-division.

This system, which is employed by no other library in New Zealand, is a marked advance in library organisation and will greatly assist students in their use of the library.

* * *

A striking development in the co-operation existing among the University Colleges of the Dominion is the Inter-Library Lending Scheme which has been in operation all this year.

Under this scheme, a student may borrow from any of the other University College libraries, any book or books not available at his own College. The only charge made for this privilege is the payment of postage one way at a specially reduced library rate.

Although not so far very widely known, this scheme has great possibilities, and it is expected that extensive use will be made of it in future.