STATES FARMS IN AUSTRALIA.

Auckland Star, Volume XLV, Issue 127, 29 May 1914, Page 11

STATES FARMS IN AUSTRALIA.

THE SYSTEM ON WHICH THEY ARE ESTABLISHES. OXE NOTABLE SUCCESS. sore detail? ExrLAiym

The oflVial report upon thr operations of the Government Agricultural Department at Pitt Town, in New South Wales, line been published. The farm, which consists of 2150 acres, was established for the purpose of relieving distress i_:tueed through unemployment. Of late, years the farm has been devoted to the training of lads, chiefly immigrants. After they have completed a course of training they are placed in employment with farmer<. The director of the Labour Rurran nt Now South Wales regards the farm ;!.-* n gTeat. when the usefulness of the training the la</e receive Ix-r.ime known among the farming community, the dema-nd for their servtf-es Inrgrly excinxled the supply. That, condition of affairs contdnuee up to the, present. The majority of the ktil?, come from the cities, ami they have been employed at various classes of wort., clerical ■mil manual. In til their arrival at tho farm many of them had no conception ' even nt whxt a farm looked /ike. Within ten or twelve weeks tney wfl-p taught the rudiments of general farrr.fnj;. It is now proposed to arrange for. the holding nf evening lectures twice a -week, when the underlying prim-iples *>[ farming will be explained. The number of lads who have j undertaken farm trs-iping fincn t,he istart-i-ig of the scheme, is i;, 4:;. Of these 1 12:? were placed in emrp] oVT n,.nt in country districts. .liJ left. l>eforp the o.ompletioii of their training, while ti-3 wen , dijmitiwd for various re:A?on«. The training is not i ontined to in/rrcigrant boys only. Aerom- ; modation I-* pro\-ided for on* , hundred j lads, and (J\r Department is £Tlad In j have that number always in residence. i Openings Px jst for city lails from many I pails of, Australia, and a position on ii farm >c station is a«mred at. the end of I the training period. No fi'ps are charged i for tuition, and in addition the boys are. he tfsPd and fed, free of course. At the ' e/trl of the training employment is asi fiiired on & f.imi at a commencing wage {of nut loss than IU/ per week and keep •for the first three month*. It il stated j (hat the New South Wale* Minister of \ Labour ami Industry recently visite<l the larrn and e\pre.-sed himeelf as highly s-.uistieJ with the way in which it, was ueing conducted. If farms such as the one mentioned could only be established jin New Zealand the tendency of the lads oi the .Yiuntry to migrate to the large , I centres of population could be consider- , ably l«s*en«i. while inducements would , be offcrcil to the city lad to find more . ; hea.lthy and congenial employment in jtbe country.