THE LADS OF LEVIN.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 31, 31 October 1907, Page 2

THE LADS OF LEVIN.

MAKING FARMERS OF THEM. ; . Levin is to-day noted for its apples and its experiment farm for : dairying. To-morrow it will bo famous as the house,and traininggound of many of our best farmers. For the Levin Industrial School has; control of 150 boys, and is, making farmers of them., Probably most of the hundred and fifty have been rascals in their [ time: some of thein are still hard cases. But under .tho

jonign influence ,of a bit of. : ''stern" ; discipinc tlicy hro'coming iil6iig nicely, and are Icvolopinrr into farmers of skill and modern deas. The Levin institution is not for the •eception of the worst of..Dr r ,M!Arthur.'s )oys. These go to Burnham. .Levin is for ads'Wlio have' shown moderation' in ' their iscapades: lads who are merely " a bit of a landfill" at homo.' Out at' Levin' they'are ltidSr'the'hand and eye of a strong man; jut, f j nevertheless, so' long as .they fall in vith 1 his ideas of the fitness of things they ippeaj- to' have "a'jolly good : time." 'They ■isiS>' betimos'J -They liavo prayers. They üb. ■ They breakfast," They perform necessary; duties about their: cottages arid the itlier parts of the buildings, and then,'while .liose who are'under fourteen ' years of age ire schooling, the ' older' ! lads farm. . They plough, harrow, plant - trees ' and • sow soeds, juild and mend fences, "st\imp"_ the..padlocks where the roots of felled timbers still >ito hard in the ground, and they milk cows, 'ecd pigs, makebutter, and tend engines. it times a distinguished visitor needs to be Iriven .to the .station'. ;Tommy, ; drive3' him.)r there are parcels to-be taken to or from ;hn township. Dick ana-.Harry and; the ithers take ; turns, as. coachman. Of the lonour of New Zealand has to. be, upheld at 'ootball. A powerful team ms i. raised to. 'down" tho Britishers/ .It is a,great iustiiution. ... i: The place was only opened in, 1905, ; so that it' is.still quite.now. .Most of,,the;.lads.camc jp. from. Cavcrsham,, .when that ~ institution ivas.;given' over/.to the sole: use-,,' of; .girls. Half of;,the,HsQ are still of, school age, and Lbei.other,-half works.. They are housed in separate colonies.-.. Part .resides ,in the main building,,and the.rest are distributed, among Four cottages, called "Clematis ; Cottage," und., other pretty, names after, .New , Zealand plants. ..At each; cottagc resides couple, in charge. Sleep, -meals,,,iand, the indoor, games are'all taken.; at ..the : several cottages., und main., Iraildjng, -.with /.the;!,exception; of. dinner, at "\yhich- the , lads., sit; in one large party...;.... Between jschool A hours outdoor: games, are- indulged in-.witlv.-iwicli vigour, the,shouts from .healthy huig's.ohfthe football 1 ground ... rivalling,in. f jpenetrating power those of ..any junior v'city ..iteaiii. ~,Th? discipline of the place is obviously elastic, and leaves room for liberty. A At the ; ringing iif a bell the boys troop bacTs into school, and 'lessons are 'resumed!' / Whenever a'sufficient'number'of: the school boys liave. attained the 'age' of fourteen years they fare added] tq the wprking promotion wliicli is greatly 1 .appreciated.'.' ..The latest 'hatch of '"proinotikls" jis always',' a matter of'onvy to the leiis .'fortunate schoolmates left bohirid. The .ouUidof'totiefc ( arc multifarious, and: the prafctical' \york ife t ',stip; plemdhted by night' school Wessons;''... The cafc of tho horses is learned with'eagerness. ' The boy ,'is not''born yet , 'who' to handle a horse'.' .The milking/of/cows is 'lesfi sliowy, t ,and .' at first■ | perhaps' j perplexing ,'..t6 the. fingers and , the prists; f hut persistence has its', reward,,, arid all .'in,.good tiroo ,'ihe ' unwilling .'milk.. .is .' jhaclo.'..tq.. flow freely.'Tlie .propter,. feeding^!df',' ( the dairy hird;.' tlie' Value, .of'. cover,,'tb'e" importance'.of cleanliness,: the"'sigiiificaiiceVpf.;temperature .are. mysteries ~which-sopn. are mysteries nd longer, to the,.wide-awake -farmers of tomorrow..,. It is , the ,duty' of .tlie.far.m "overseer., and his three /assistants to. answer promptly.-, and , intelligently, .'the . questions which are' showered, upon them. ... •The -cream is separated and made , into butter in a well-built, dairy, in .of .two ladies. .... Electricity • turns ' the. qh.urn.*... The electric current: is.'generated'...by' a machine near-by, driven by an," oil engine. { -The.: chief Bngipeer. .in ,proud,tiaffy,...indus-; trioiis • ..be..-, seeii,, :l polishing brass with, .much elbow greasp.i One, wonders what, thoughts,, are in his... mind .as, he ; rubs rythmically. What.!ambitioiis,?,.\What. castles in: the'air, hie is building: for, those, great days to come ~;vhen:.be'. ,w'ill...iwearva:the-> Iflttprsi'l.l.C.E.;,after his, name and tbcTTa star] in the .engineering firmamenfrof! the Newi,Zealand, Dominion ?-..,;0r. will!.h6;iown-;a.steam-plough 'or manage a dairy...factory2i.,i-The stumping in paddocks that are to be golden with grain in years to come is hard work. But thero . ar^. : many ..shoulders, put to, the wheel,, arid labow^avi^'..de^^\aro ! .Jcahied. Older', paddocks,' already, cleared,; . are, being plougii'ed (as ;per. sketch),.,, or harrowed— operations that are somewhat tiring grid monotonous and allow time for much thinking., , But they > also-, afford- opportunities for drivingv horses- :and- using' Uiorse, languagematters which .compensate. Pride;iri the excellence of.the'work;.done.also, no doubt, has "its .'place.'--- Sometimes-'' hedges 1 ,are planted 'so", much 1 1 recommended for admitting the winter winds and excluding the summer ones when , the, crops are "standing. " And','there -is' an ' orchard, where. .'"somethingabout'.light' 1 ! tillage, .'and pruning) 1 and. flavours is -'picked 1 up..,- - But, you will ask'; what is, tb t be; tho'eiid of all', this?'''iWhither t will'..-.these',' lads drift whon they have passed' 'the ~age'.:'pf ] .rai. youth and become men? r V The ,preparation.'for, this, red-letter .timo-rr the;,dawn of, real life-j iri, the:.existence ,; ol thesis jalmost homeless lads—is as perfect as that,!.of,;,thpdays,; ojE-.; IJnti. tho -boys' become ,21 years, .of-i(ige, they, •Wards .of the,Stato,.for t .the.fiat, of-. Dr. ,M'At; t-hur hns been,,that,;-with, those, years, .thoj sliall'' remain at. ,tho .industrial;) school; during the pleasure ofi.His noj'.' "His Excellency, (ri however, usuallj pleases, to. let the lads.,.,put.;,on farms, foi wages j .long before' ■ tlieyi are ..twcnty r qne, .arraying, the legal,,control : }n, .a looser, garmpnl of .paternal, supervision.;; ~TBe wages an still,, lpgally,! the. Statp's,.property,, and; tin State disppses of : l:hcin ; in - tho.. 'following way:—Suppose a hoy's vago is 10s., a week' Seven shillings of that is allowed to th< boy to clothe himself arid make merry. Th< other three shillings -are., banked -'; by the school authorities'for 'a day in ; thc future when the boy shall -have some good '-purpose to which to devote it. Then it is handec over.' to! him, ■ and-he-becomes'. free. :• Th< bankin" i account-. sometimes, swells to bif dimensions.,. One boy has £42 awaiting his claim, and . some day, ;-when,! -perhaps; lit leases'a farm,-this:-suin'will buyi> him ! i plough and,horses. ,- ' i;. '