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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria University, Wellington N.Z. Vol. 22, No. 10. September 14, 1959
[Introduction]
The universities have been in the news for quite some time now. The local newspapers, who cannot be called enthusiasts for higher learning, have represented the problem mainly in terms of one of its symptoms: the need to pay higher salaries to staff. They have ignored the more important aspects.
Below we publish an article elaborating the subject by Professor L. H. Palmier, associate professor of Asian studies and chairman of the V.U.W. branch of the Association of University Teachers of N.Z.
The world at large has discovered that university education is a good thing. In consequence, the university rolls are swelling fast, faster even than the populations are growing.
Universities depend on their teachers.
To attract some at least of the best brains (nothing else really matters) to teach growing numbers of students, governments have given large increases of salary. British salaries have risen by a fifth, Australian by a sixth.
New Zealand has stayed put.
Obviously, more posts and higher salaries overseas threaten the New Zealand universities. In addition, student numbers here are certain to rise for some considerable time ahead. This means that if New Zealand is to staff her universities, she must fork out more in salaries.
This is so obvious that it cannot be denied.
Even if entrance were made much more rigorous, student numbers would still increase, and more staff would be needed.
Those who have to make the decision, however, drag up all the conceivable objections which can justify Inaction. They say, for instance, that the matching of overseas bids would mean that some senior civil servants would be paid less than full professors.
The only answer to this, of course, is "Dear, dear, and tut tut. If there is something wrong with that, why can't you raise the salaries of the senior civil servants. God knows they deserve it."
To which the answer comes, of course, "Oh, the Public Service Associations will then demand increases for all its members."
So it goes on, in an endless drone. In the meanwhile, of course, what suffers is the community's mind (which the universities alone constitute).