Wednesday, March 27, 1968 We have heard much, Mr. Speaker , in recent weeks in this Legislature of an existing economic crisis. Apropos of this, reference has been made, and quite appro¬ priately so, to the natural resources of our Province, their production, their proces¬ sing1, their marketing and their proper use and development. We must also look to the human resources. If our human resources deteriorate, our abundance of natural resources will, in the loner run, be of no avail, and we may find ourselves living: in the unhappy land described by Goldsmith. "Hastening ills a prey, where wealth accumulates, and men decay." Mr. Speaker , we must produce and provide in this Province the kind of men and women who possess and can impart to others the knowledge and the humanity that makes a people and a Province great. We must use every means in our power to recruit and to retain the very best teachers for the proper education of the youth of this Province. The Provincial Treasurer announced in his Budget Address that $1,823,875 would be spent during the next fiscal year on higher education. This amount as we worked out yesterday, to a per capita grant for a full-time student in our universi¬ ties of approximately $935. Last year, as you all know the grant was $775. and this increase reckoned on a percentage basis is somewhere in the neighbourhood of 22%. We have seen fit in our formula this year to recognize not only the full-time students but also the part-time students who are attending our two universities in increasing- numbers and I personally feel. Mr. Speaker , that this is one of the more important roles of the university of today, to provide those facilities which people in the com¬ munity, be they in the teaching profession or in some other walk of life, desire and require. The student move has just started to strike higher education in Canada , and all indications point to tremendous growth at this level of education. The Economic Council of Canada predicts that university enrollment will increase by about thirty to thirty-five thousand students a year to a total of 540,000 by 1975. Of our total educational budget, 15.5% is being spent on university education, and again. I must say, and I must admit that we lag behind many of the other Canadian Provinces in this respect. There are many methods and formulas whereby support to universities can be provided. The amount of money which is now required is large and will become increasingly so in the years ahead. The financing of university education in this province poses a problem which calls for the full understanding and co-operation of the public, the universities, and the government. To that end, as recommended in the Bladen Commission of a few years ago, in their report on the financing of higher education, universities must recognize the need for co-ordination and co-operation between universities in the interests of eco¬ nomy and efficiency, and that they take the initiative in presenting such plans to their provincial government. And again, recalling some of the recommendations of the Bladen Commission, the universities must recognize the importance of exploring all methods of reducing- costs which are not inimicable to academic qualities so that they may continue to pursue excellence without extravagance. Dean Bladen also made certain recommendations to provincial governments, and I would like to quote two, One of these, "that the government require the uni¬ versities which they support to take appropriate steps to economize resources by co-operation and co-ordination wherever such economies can be secured without aca¬ demic injury." And secondly, "that the g-overnment adopt some method of deter¬ mining university operating and capital grants as will permit more rational forward planning by the universities." Specifically, and I quote from Dean Bladen 's report. "We recommend that all provinces that have not yet established a grants commission do so and that in all such commissions there be strong academic representation." And I am very pleased, Mr. Speaker , to see the great interest that is in evidence —313—