Hill. — On University Extension. 399 



schooling as possible. The primary schools, however, con- 

 stitute the limit of the large majority of children, and even 

 long before the highest standard of the school is reached 

 necessity has caused the withdrawal of most of those who 

 successfully met the requirements of the lower standards. In 

 the case of children who succeed in getting through the 

 standard course, and would proceed further, the question of 

 school fees bars the way. Many parents would gladly sacri- 

 fice the earning-capacity of their children if by so doing it 

 would enable them to be instructed in the higher branches of 

 knowledge, but at present this is impossible. Fees are 

 chargeable at every high school and university college in the 

 colony, and they undoubtedly constitute a bar to the acquisi- 

 tion of that form of wealth which should be free to every one 

 choosing to seek after it. But why are fees necessary for 

 attendance at secondary schools, or even university colleges ? 

 Were they private institutions like the class schools in Eng- 

 land, to which reference has been made, the case would be on 

 a different footing, but all the higher educational institutions 

 are highly endowed by the State. Defective organization is 

 at the root of the whole matter, but no man in the country 

 has yet been bold enough to attack this important question. 

 The subject, however, will have to be dealt with, for it is to 

 the best interest of the country that the revenues from educa- 

 tion endowments are spent for the common good. 



But let us inquire as to the character and extent of these 

 endowments. The information is to be obtained among the 

 public records. From time to time there have been published 

 to the order of the House of Representatives certain papers 

 dealing with the extent and value of the land areas that have 

 been reserved in this colony — First, for the benefit of primary 

 education ; second, for secondary education ; third, for the 

 special endowment of certain high schools ; fourth, for the 

 endowment of university colleges ; fifth,, for the endowment of 

 a university. The latest return of such reserves in my posses- 

 sion is dated 1885, and I am uncertain whether any public 

 return has been issued since then. This, however, is suffi- 

 cient for the purpose of my inquiry, as it shows that the 

 colonists have not been unmindful in the way of making large 

 endowments for the maintenance and support of education. 



The extent of land reserved in the colony for the benefit of 

 primary education amounted to 466,049 acres in 1885 ; but 

 under what is known as the Education Reserves Act of 1877 

 there must be set aside 5 per cent, of all the land in the 

 colony before being offered for public sale. Thus large reser- 

 vations must have been made during the past ten years, and 

 no doubt the lands set aside and known as primary-education 

 reserves must largely exceed 500,000 acres. All these lands 



