ADDRESS. 19 



lessly and w.astefully spending money, or there is no connection what- 

 ever between the higher intelligence and the prosperity of a nation. 

 I have already referred to the views of Mr. Chamberlain and Lord 

 Ilosebery on this point ; we know what Mr. Chamberlain has done at 

 Birmingham ; we know the strenuous efforts made by the commercial 

 leaders of Manchester and Liverpool ; we know, also, the opinion of men 

 of science. 



If while we spend so freely to maintain our sea-power our export of 

 manufactured articles is relatively reduced because our competitors beat 

 us in the markets of the vv-orld, what is the end of the vista thus opened 

 up to us ? A Navy growing stronger every year and requiring larger votes 

 to guard our commerce and communications, and a vanishing quantity of 

 commerce to guard — a reduced national income to meet an increasing 

 taxation ! 



The pity is that our Government has considered sea-power alone ; that 

 while so completely guarding our commerce it has given no thought to 

 one of the main conditions on which its production and increase depend. 

 A glance could have shown that other countries were building Universities 

 even faster than they were building battleships ; were, in fact, considering 

 brain-power first and sea-power afterwards. 



Surely it is my duty as your President to point out the danger ahead, 

 if such ignoring of the true situation should be allowed to continue. May 

 I express a hope that at last, in Mr. Chamberlain's words, ' The time is 

 coming when Governments will give more attention to this matter' 1 



What loill they cost ? 



The comparison shows that we want eight new Universities, some of 

 >vhich, of course, will be colleges promoted to University rank and fitted 

 to carry on University work. Three of them are already named : Man- 

 chester, Liverpool, Leeds. 



Let us take this number and deal with it on the battleship condition, 

 although a modern University on American or German models will cost 

 more to build than a battleship. 



If our present University shortage be dealt with on battleship con- 

 ditions, to correct it we should expend at least 8,000,000/. for new con- 

 struction, and for the pay-sheet we should have to provide (S x 50,000/.) 

 400,000/. yearly for jjersonnel and up-keep ; for it is of no use to build 

 either ships or Universities without manning them. Let us say, roughly, 

 capitalising the yearly payment at 2^ per cent., 24,000,000/. 



At this stage it is important to inquire whether this sum, arrived at 

 by analogy merely, has any relation to our real University needs. 



I have spent a year in making inquiries, as full as I could make them, 

 of friends conversant with the real present needs of each of the Univer- 

 sities, old and new. I have obtained statistics which would fill a volume, 

 and personally I believe that this sum at least is required to bring our 



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