PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS—SECTION J. 199 
It was owing to a full appreciation of these facts that Mr. 
Bruce Smith, the present Minister for Public Works (New South 
Wales), in a recent minute, has restricted the purely professional 
appointments in the department over which he presides to 
graduates in engineering of the University of Sydney, instead of 
continuing the cadet system, which is acknowledged by the chief 
public officers to be most unsatisfactory. Mr. Bruce Smith’s 
action in this matter is worthy of imitation, and I sincerely 
recommend it to the Government of Victoria with reference to 
the engineering graduates of the Melbourne University. ; 
I may mention here, for the benefit of the Railway Com- 
missioners of the various colonies, and the directors of companies 
where engineering knowledge and skill are required, that the 
properly-trained colonial engineer possesses many advantages over 
his English brother in designing and carrying out civil engineering 
works in the colonies. He understands better the nature of the 
materials of construction with which he has to deal; he has 
obtained his professional training in connection with works which 
have been constructed under conditions and circumstances which 
are essentially different from those existing in England. He is 
generally a much better surveyor, and I consider him to be equal 
in every other respect. In Mechanical Engineering, on the other 
hand, the engineer trained in England has an advantage, in 
consequence of the larger works and more complete machinery 
with with he is brought i in contact. 
I will now briefly describe the course of engineering education 
provided at the University of Sydney. 
Candidates for the degree of Bachelor of Engineering must, in 
the first place, pass the Senior Public Examination, or an exami- 
nation equivalent to the Senior Public Examination, in the 
following subjects, viz., Latin and one of the three languages, 
Greek, French, German, and three of the following: subjects, viz., 
Arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Elementary 
Surveying and Astronomy, Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, 
unless they have previously passed the first year of the Arts 
course. During the first year, the candidates are required to 
attend the courses of instruction and pass the examinations in the 
following subjects :— 
1. Chemistry, Inorganic (with two terms laboratory practice). 
2. Descriptive Geometry and Drawing. 
3. Mathematics. 
4. Mechanics. 
5, Physies. 
6. Physiography. 
In the second year the candidates are required to attend the 
courses of instruction and pass the examinations in the following 
subjects :— 
1. Applied 1 tee hiiaios (with laboratory practice). 
2. Geology. 
