SCIENTIFIC FARMING.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 64, 15 March 1924, Page 7

SCIENTIFIC FARMING.

CHAIR CF AGRICULTUREsiB J. IO&AN CAMPBELLS LEGACY. £20.000 AVAILABLE >*EXT ■SEPTEMBER. PAYMENT FACILITATED BY THE TRUSTEES. ■Waiving their right to postpone the payment of the £20,000 legacy, the trustees of the late .Sir John Logan Camphell have just informed the Auckland University College Council, through the registrar (Mr. Itocke O'Shea). of their intention to hand over the money on September 30 next. The letter from the trustees of the will (Messrs. Alfred b. Bankart and Albert E. Bollard) reads: — '-Under the will of the late Sir John Logan Campbell the trustees are directed in their unfettered discretion to pay to the Auckland College Council attariied to the University of New Zealand the sum of twenty, thousand pounds for the foundaton of'a Chair of Agriculture, under conditions set out and which are already in the possession of the Council. Authority is also expressly given to postpone the payment of this £20,000 until all annuities created under the will shall have ceased to be payable. Although such payment has not ceased, yet the trustees are so impressed with the urgent necessity of giving practical effect to the wishes of the late Sir John Logan Campbell that 'our young settlers should be taught through the University of New Zealand to carry on the calling of farmer and grazier on a scientific basis' that they, taking into their consideration the general position of the estate, have concluded that they are justified in waiving the postponement of the payment of this bequest. We have therefore to notify you of our intention to pay your Council the sum of twenty thousand pounds on the 30th September, 1924." Sir John's Ideal. : "Believing as I do that agriculture will for many years be the main source of wealth to the Dominion of New Zealand, as foreshadowed by mc in the year 1877." This is the paragraph in the will of the late Sir John Logan Campbell, who died on June 23, 1912, with which he prefaced his munificent legacy of £20,000 to the Auckland University College Council for the founding of a chair of agriculture. And his will went on to say: "As the special climatic conditions of the Auckland provincial district require special treatment. I am of opinion that it is most desirable that our young settlers should be taught through the University of New Zealand to carry on the calling of farmers and graziers on a scientific basis, I direct that £20,000 shall be invested so as to form an endowment for the maintenance of a professor of agriculture, and that, the nrofepsorship shall be called the '•Logan Campbell professorship of agriculture." Help From Sit R. Stout. Sir John directed that the College Council should frame such regulations for carrying on the work as seemed fit, having regard to the general ideas laid down in Sir Robert Stout's memorandum. This last-mentioned document was drawn up by Sir Robert, then Chancellor of the university, at the request of Sir John Logan Campbell, who for many years had had it in his mind to do something for the industry upon which he saw the colony must be mainly dependent for many years. Sir Robert's memorandum is a most interesting document, and so thoroughly practical that it is no wonder the generous benefactor embodied it in his will as a general direction to the College Council. "The great defect of our university education." wrote Sir Robert, "is that much of it is out of touch with our industries." He went on to show Viow it emphasised the literary and professional sides, and in contrast with that tendency he pointed out that Xow Zealand must be mainly dependent on its agriculture. Mainly Theoretical. The suggestion of Sir Robert for the founding of the professorship were. 1 1) That the professorship should be called the Logan Campbell professorship of agriculture. (2) That for the first year after the grant to the university, thp income should be kept for the purpose of helping in the foundation of a library or a laboratory for agrieulturr. <:>> The Government would no doubt give facilities for students acquiring practical experience at YVaerenga or other exj perimental farms under Government control. The laboratory therefore would have to deal with mainly theoretical departments of agriculture. i 4) The University College has in its chemical and biological laboratories amnle appliancefor teaching the main narts of an agriculture course. 15) As physiolosy is now being made a subject for fhe degree of Bachelor of Science, 'he university may in future be able to have a professor of physioloay who would teach both what is called human and animal physiology, and this would be a help for students who are going in for a medical degree. "I believe." added Sir Robert, "thai the gain *o New Zealand would hr im j mense if Agriculture v.ere made hfientide We waste hundreds of thousand-. ' ja year in foolish experiments through j I want of our farmers understanding ?"ils. , 'manures, physioloojry and plant, life ■ 'Our country will never be ■ ! unless its main industries are guided by j ■intellect and science. -, i No Ti:se to be Lost. ! Naturally the College Council is j i deeply grateful to the trustees lor i facilitating the payment of Sir Johns splendid legacy. For a long time the Council has been maturing plans fur i the establishment of education in j i agriculture. As the donor points out a I 'good deal of the machinery for impartin" an education in the various ! branches already exists in the province. Eventually a school will no doubt be established at Orakei, where the Government has promised an adequate reserve for the purposes of carrying on education in agriculture, but in the meantime no time is (o lip li>st in establishing at the University College the chair of agriculture. Th>-re will !>e a certain amount of preliminary work to j;et through, but the Council/having had the matter under consideration for some time now. in view of the legacy. is quite prepared to take advantage of the trustees" forethought in waiving the right to postpone payment of the | £20.000. The Auckland' Agricultural and Pastoral Association is'backing the' coiin-i! loyally in the matter of the establishment of a school, and with thi* enthusiasm that ha = always been >limrn for the prujr -r tlicro i.« no doubt that wh<Mi the nioiir-v is paici over tn the council there will be no delay in starting this much-needed project. ■£§>»-..-■ i