WAIKATO AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 149, 24 June 1908, Page 5

WAIKATO AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL.

A CHANGED ASPECT. 1! ' . '";." . ■■■-■■ ■' [ A report -was received at this moraine meetmg qflthe: Aucklafad Edncatio § % Board stating that since the "report > the director on the establishment of aj ' Agricultural School at HamUton Was i ; sued in March. ]907, the financial aspee« has changed considerably. ' , The number of free pupils that iriigU" attend the school was estimated: at 10 5 I J and it was: thought ithat the Educatio Department would provide the aniraj S ? alowance of £15 for eac pupil. .Thus■•';the income was estimate at. ..-£.lsoO~per annum,: and applicatio %'■ made to the- Department ■in Janiiar last for a grant of £6000 for the "ere< I tion of a building. ' '* • The Education Department, with view to cutting down expenses, are abou I : ■to reduce by-one-half the capitationbi I|' I those classes 'which deal with subject*! '■'■ that may be in the curriculunf : of a. secondary school; and it is possibW j that further reductions may take place j The section of the Act that render* lit possibte for a student; who has ob! tamed.a certificate of proficiency to ob tain free tuition, and upon whom thi i! Government has hitherto paid a niaxi ?■ ':■ jmnm capitation of £15, is apparentlj M '"becoming too great a: drain on '-tM :| j Treasuryj : and it is necessary, therefore - I j in instituting any fresh classes, to pfc* '*■'[■ ceed with caution. ' •'■ .- v I • "It has to be: remembered; also,, that '" the number of these students attendj ing any freshly-instituted classes is -a j maximum, and' that the ■ numbers graduj ally: fall away until the-average supply i of! those who obtain the certincatesffoj • proficiency in any, one year Vis. reached. The number of students at the HaTnilj ton West District High School who obI tamed certificates of proficiency last year j-was 20; the number at Hamilton East i5, arid the number f roiri fourteen other j schools in the district totalled 30. :-■'■' I There "are at present on the roll of the j Hamilton West District High- School 371 .pupils, and 67 in the secondary departI ment of . the school; '■ and • the ■they attend are held in the Town Hall. I It is understood that 1 a number of ; the residents of : Hamilton desire the I establishment of a High School, where proper acommodation could -be provided j for these'scholars; A grant for 'the establishment of •; ah Agricultural School has been applied for, arid has been re- : fused by the Education Department; on ilie-ground that miich of the"-work could be- carried' out -by ; the District High , School, and probaUy also fr6m fear of establishing a precedent. ■■■::.-■■- i It may be pointed out, also, that cadets'- can 'now entered at the ex»: periinentiil farm at JRuakura—they- receive 2/6 a -week and their! that the Government contemplate putf ting up : a lecture rooni'atlfche. farm. '^ There appear} ■ bertwocourses open: (I) The establishment oi; a .High School,' the : control of .which, vested; in a Board of Gover-. nors; (2) the erection of a building for. the District High.- Sehool'in which the 07 scholars now in the secondary depart-: riieht of the- present District High School,'. as well as olher scholars, could be ac-i comir.odated, and /where in struction in: ! subject's specially?, related to ■• agriculture./ could \>e given. Xn connection -with, this sehoolclass robins for subjects of manual and technical instruction could also be erected; ■ ' ■.'■* -■ ' ■■" m ~ ■'•• ■■ ■■ ■ ■ YYhile a large.portion of the experimental work in agriculture, and its application to '■: conditions in New Zea- - land/-devolves upon the Agricultural- De« ; - partinent, the distribution of that knowledge in of instruction ia ■; in.-the hands of ; flie'educational bodies; j and; whichever of the above courses ia; adopted" it.would appear;'to be necessary to appoint one instriietor: at least specially 1 qualified to'teach "subjects directly i bearing upon agriculture, and to ■ diffuse * among 1 "the- ; young -the; knowledge rendered available by the Agricultural Department'; '" ~MJf. Ptn- suggested that the best thing : tluit could bu done would be: to-dis-sociate the High'School'-from the second-... ary; '.department, and add to ihe former special agrieulturial classes. He moved that Messrs. Greenslade and Edgecuinbe" be appointed to go into the matter, and bring lip a further report on "the queatioa ofHamilton's" requirements. , . .-■ .'■ ■v.• • ■ -■: :■ ' ■ ■■■• ■ -■■,:',' : .V