Veterinary School Plan Approved In Principle

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29192, 30 April 1960, Page 12

Veterinary School Plan Approved In Principle

(Neto Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, April 29. The Cabinet has approved, in principle, of the establishment of a veterinary school in New Zealand and has asked the Ministers of Agriculture and Education to confer with the Senate of the University of New Zealand and recommend a specific proposal. When he announced this today the Minister of Agriculture (Mr Skinner) said he hoped details such as location, cost and the nature of the college would be settled before the end of this year and that work on the establishment of the school would begin immediately afterward.

“This decisive step,” said Mr Skinner, “culminates investigations over a number of years and recommendations by a number of committees which have inquired into veterinary education and the need or otherwise for a school to be established in New Zealand.

“The ground has been well covered by these previous inquiries and the data and findings should be of great value to the Government and the Senate in drawing up a specific proposal covering cost, staffing, location, and administration for the Cabinet's consideration.

“The growing problem of shortage of veterinarians and the likely affect of this on our national economy, almost completely dependent as we are on primary industries, make it advisable to advance definite proposals as soon as possible. “In the last 10 or 15 years there has been great expansion in the scope for employment of veterinarians by the Department of Agriculture in research, diagnostic. and advisory work, in

farmers’ veterinary services, by agricultural colleges, and in private practice,” said Mr Skinner “There are at present approximately 250 veterinarians with vacancies for about 60 more and it has been estimated that within the foreseeable future the need would be about 500.

“Our need for veterinarians appears to have reached a stage requiring a school of a size that was considered by the Loveday report on veterinary education published in the United Kingdom in 1946 to be optimum, with an annual intake of 30 students, a graduating class for 25. and 100 to 120 students in residence for a four years' course. Now that the dveelopment of a specific proposal has been requested by the Cabinet the cost of meeting this peed in the country’s development can be estimated. “Though the initial school will be expected to cater for minimum requirements for a bachelor’s degree, it is inevitable that provision will have to be made for eventual research and postgraduate study, with emphasis on local problems.”