Nowhere has the necessity of rigid] economy been more evident during} the past few years than in the _uniwerzities of Western Canada. For, during the boom years when _th price of wheat Wi and money Was. relatively "plentiful, additions} were made to buildings and equipment and staff that the people of} the provinces could nardly afford. With the onset of the depression even the minimum upkeep charges could only be met with di@culty, and the former riverly of the colleges was} forgotten in the effort to keep alive, 'Three years ago the heads of the] universities of 'Manitoba, Saskatche. wan, Alberta and. British Columbia met' and agreed to ce-operate ni every possible way. Consolidation was considered; but local. pride was Rot as important a barrier as was the fact that: each of the universities had equipped itself with a magni cent set of expensive building, on which interest and operating charges would have.to be met. Each university, therefore, determined on the courses in which it could best spec ize, and there have been concessions made to allow of concentration certain studies in a single university.
While all universities continue to teach the usual arts and classics subjects, in the field of engineering there has been 2. change: Alberta emphasizes mining. Saskatchewan mechanical engineering, and British Columbia forestry. Saskatchewan has become the chief music-teaching centre of the four provinces, while Aberta specializes in drama. British Columbia has abandoned its Taw course, and its students 0 to one oF other of the three price provinces, Alberta is the only one with a well. established commercial course, and in addition this university' has encouraged the giving of the first two years of lectures in. small private self-supporting schools, where it will be cheaper for the students to
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.