THE SCHOOL OF FORESTRY

Press, Volume LXX, Issue 21148, 26 April 1934, Page 10

THE SCHOOL OF FORESTRY

——♦ POSSIBLE CLOSING STUDENTS WARNED NO GOVERNMENT GRANT SINCE 1932 The Canterbury College School of Forestry—the only one in New Zealand—is in danger of being closed at the end of the year. The students taking forestry courses at the college have been told to be prepared for the school to close when the present academic year's work is completed. Up to the end of 1932 the school received a Government grant of approximately £IOOO a year, but early in 1933 the Minister for Education (the Hon. R. Masters) informed the Canterbury College Board of Governors that this grant would be discontinued. Last year the expenses of maintaining the school—which has been a centre of research as well as a teaching institution —were paid out of the general funds of the college, although without the Government grant this was some strain on them. At December 31, 1932, the school of forestry account was, according to the chairman's statement, overdrawn by £1322. This year again no grant has been made by the Government: The ' revenue of the school from students' fees is small, and it is understood that the college authorities, whose funds have been depleted by smaller returns from endowment because of the depression, have been compelled to consider closing the school altogether. Development Since 1919 The foundations of the school, the courses of which are being taken this year by eight students, were laid in 1919, when Mr T. W. Adams, of Greendale, North Canterbury, made the generous bequest of an estate of 100 acres and £2OOO to assist in the establishment. Mr C. E. Foweraker was appointed Lecturer in Forestry in 1921, and a programme of lectures and research work was begun. About 1920 a deputation from Canterbury waited on the Government asking for the establishment of a recognised forestry school at the college. After that the Minister for Education was called on to decide between the respective claims of Canterbury and Auckland, and in 1924 it was decided that both should be recognised, and a Parliamentary vote of £2OOO annually, to be divided equally between the schools, was granted. In addition £6OO was granted for the purchase of initial equipment. The Auckland school was founded in 192 G. j Later the Director of Education j ' (Mr John Caughley) reported to the j Minister that in his opinion two schools were unnecessary, and about I 1927 Mr L. Macintosh Ellis, then j Director of Forestry, recommended ( that the Auckland school should be ; eliminated, and the work concen- i trated in Canterbury. This recom- j mendation was not put into effect ! until the end of 1930. \ Effect of Lack of Grant | When the Canterbury school ! opened as the sole school of forestry | for the Dominion in 1931, the num- i ber of students increased from 16 j to 26. It was thought at that time that Canterbury would receive the | whole of the Parliamentary grant of I £2OOO a year, but the Government j did not provide the full sum, the grant for Canterbury remaining at ! £IOOO (less deductions) as before. '; The withdrawal of the grant at the i beginning of last year meant an im- j mediate curtailment of the activ- I ities of the school. The full-time teaching staff was reduced to two ! —Mr Foweraker and Mr F. E. j Hutchinson—and the services of student assistants had to be dispensed with. In addition the library no longer received new books, being limited to periodicals. The school ' became in effect almost entirely a j teaching institution, as little or no j research work could be undertaken. The value of the school was emphasised by Mr L. Macintosh Ellis when he visited Christchurch on Monday. He then said that he hoped the valuable educative work of the school would be continued, as it was realised that the need for trained men in forest work was even | greater now than it was years ago. j The Courses Provided The school provides two courses: (1) The degree course, preparing students for the degree of Bachelor of Forestry Science in the University of New Zealand, this course being intended for the training of professional foresters with a high degree of technical knowledge; (2) the associate course, preparing for the certificate of Canterbury College, and being of a lower standard than the degree course. j The school has full laboratory and field equipment for all practical \ work in forestry, a library, museum and forest nursery being provided. Field camps have been held alternately in Westland and in Canterbury. With the coming of the depression the students graduating from the school have found it increasingly difficult to obtain suitable employment. Normally they used to look for appointment to positions with the State Forest Service or with private forestry companies, but with practically no public service appointments being made, most of them now can look to no more than temporary work in the plantations, where they are classed as labourers.