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Salient: Victoria University Students' Paper. Vol. 28, No. 11. 1965.

Student Hostels: Radical Plan

page 14

Student Hostels: Radical Plan

Palmerston City Council Proposal

The Palmerston North City Council is considering a radical new plan for student hostels.

It proposes to raise a loan of £90,000 which will qualify for full government subsidy. The resulting £450,000 will provide about 300 places for students at Massey University.

The loan charge will be £6853 per year—somewhat less than normal because of a 50 per cent loan contribution offer by the Government at a lower interest rate.

The amount of the loan charge will be met by an extra rate of .0825d in the pound—roughly 6/11 a year on a £1000 section.

The loan will also initiate an accumulating and continuously subsidisable fund from a levy on students' board to provide for further hostel boarding.

Local Reactions

The scheme has been described as "rather sensational" by the Palmerston North newspaper The Tribune It says that the scheme was supported by an overwhelming majority of Palmerston North city councillors when announced.

"The scheme presents to Palmerstonians a unique challenge to make a small, recurring financial sacrifice—without the promise of any immediate and tangible benefit to themselves—for the long-term good of the city, the district, and the university," the paper comments.

But it points out that many people feel that university facilities should be financed from national taxation.

Massey University, it says, performs important national and international roles, and should have been treated by the Government as a special case, with 100 per cent government contributions to hostel costs.

But it notes the Government's failure to do so, and stresses the moral obligation on Palmerston North, the danger of developing student, slums, and the business and cultural advantages accruing from a growing university.

"The early erection of new hostels and a continuous programme of extending student accommodation are matters of the greatest urgency to both the university and the city," The Tribune comments.