1920.] 
Stout. —A Science Institute for Wellington. 
9 
their conduct should be criticized. In the House of Representatives there 
was considerable opposition, mainly on what was termed economic grounds. 
It was not made a party question, and of the opponents of the measure in 
the House, who numbered twenty, not one of them is now alive. Of those 
who supported the measure there are four alive. 
It was considered that those engaged in geology, chemistry, and biology 
could, either as professors or instructors, do university work for at least 
six months in the year, while the rest of the year they could be employed 
in research work and in field work. No effort was made afterwards to 
revive the scheme of 1887. 
In 1894 an Act w r as passed called “ The Middle District of New Zealand 
University College Act,” and a University college was founded, but the 
Government declined to give it any assistance, and the Act was repealed 
by the Victoria College Act, 1897. Victoria College was instituted by that 
statute. 
Since 1887 the expense of the colony on scientific work has greatly 
increased. The Museum vote in 1918 was £4,151, the Chemical Laboratory 
£5,743, Geological Survey £4,215, and for science beyond these the vote 
was at least £2,000 or £3,000 more. There have also been, almost every 
year, other special votes. But what perhaps is more important to the 
Dominion is that these scientific Departments give no aid to the teaching 
of our youth. I held the opinion in 1887, and I hold it now, that it would 
have been a wise thing for New Zealand to have had a large scientific 
institute or University college situated in Wellington that could have done 
all the research work and technical work required by the various Govern¬ 
ment Departments, and which at the same time should have been a teaching 
institution. Some aid could have been got from students doing research 
work when they were not engaged in their studies during the University 
session, and the whole of the scientific work of the colony could have been 
more co-ordinated than it is now. There would have been one great 
Chemical Department, a great Geological Department, one Agricultural 
Department, and one Biological Department, and with these various Depart¬ 
ments a great impetus would have been given to scientific research, and a * 
great impetus given to science generally in the whole of New Zealand. 
However, the majority of the Legislative Councillors in 1887 thought 
they knew better. Some of them opposed the University Act on the ground 
that the colony could not afford to pay for the higher education ; others 
did it apparently on the ground that the higher education was not necessary 
for New Zealand ; and perhaps it may be only charitable to assume that 
there were no other reasons for opposition to this scheme for an Institute 
of Science in the capital of New Zealand. Whether it is possible now to 
revive that scheme is for the Parliament to consider. In my opinion it 
would be the most economical thing to do now. The establishment of such 
an institution would not interfere with scientific work for University colleges, 
but it would be an economical gain to the Government were there one large 
Science University in Wellington with the several divisions that I have 
mentioned—namely, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, and Agriculture, in¬ 
cluding dairying, aboriculture, and horticulture. I am convinced that if 
such an institution were established it would be carried on for many years 
to come at no greater expense than the colony is now paying for its science 
in Wellington—I mean the cost of science to the Victoria University College 
and the cost of science to the various Departments that have science under 
their control. 
