THE DAIRY SCHOOL.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 147, 16 March 1908, Page 8

THE DAIRY SCHOOL.

■ • ,i . • i V PALMERSTON WINS,

CABINET FIXES THE, LOCALITY.

THE BATOLE OF THE SITES;

, The; scramble for the Dairy School is over. Cabinet 'on Saturday selected Palnierston North as the site.' After a full and careful investigation of'the various sites offered, the Government, said the Premier, had come to tho decision thatiPalmcrston North was the most suitable .place.. Tho school will, also combine an experimental station, arid this will be,one of its.most useful functions. THE SEARCH . FOR A SITE. Thero rhas been quite a-flutter of excitement over this search for a" site —a flutter which,now'that it must pass away, will leave a painful emptiness over the gossip of tho dairying 'districts'. Numerous districts • have been shaking- the Ministerial trap ' in a hops' that the plum would fall into their particular, lap, and it- must bo admitted that tho,Hon. Ry; M'Nab has experienced a trying —almost;a' lively.'— time.- As long ago as the early days; of Mt. '^Kinsclla —before the loign of.'Mr. M'Nab began—a dairy school was thought about, and letters offering it home f came >in from various quarters. . The letters at' first-were mild, merely : pointing out. the superiority, of tho particular district advocated over all 'others.; But as the list of claimants ,increased,- heat'was-added to. tho agitation,, and-; the; pressure around tho Minister - bccame acu^o.; Peaco was secured by tho aiuiouncoiiient that Mr. Singleton, who was ear-marked to. bo the principal, of tho scho6l," was'to go out into the world to study fo'roigh.'dairy ; 'schoo]s; Tho .pcaqe,'. howovoi - , was short-lived. Singleton in duo time' returned, ■ and' the- battle of the sites was waged again< with>renewed vigour. Almost every town th'at calls itsolf a dairying centre and is nominated itself, and, tho day of tho great,.final "ballot" has been iwaitcd. with almost intolerable suspense and impatience. On ;wh,om would the choice fall? 1 !'■" THE BALLOT PAPER." 1 This was the ''ballot" .paper:— STRATFORD.' 'V ■"'* HAWERA. - ' " ■ MARTON. . . LEVIN.,, !• •' . PALMERSTON NORTH; FISILDING. .. WOODVILLE. : . ' \ ' HASTINGS. . . . V. , HAMILTON. Foiidirig's', backed :up by 'an jffer of a oO : acro sito from Slr.\Lethbridgo, i irid by its prospect's of a great; future'. It lsked'also .for a. college of agriculture. - Lovin relied. on'its exporimeht farnij and .ts State;, dairy, herd; which, it contended, ;v ero indispensable'; to 1 tho dairy school. It vas essential that the pupils and teachers iho'uld'bo in;touch.\vith the source of. supply —to study - liow ',to produco the milk. Thero ■ijiS:. only: qne . place ,'that- fulfilled.. this recrement,? arid .that was 1 'Levin.' Marton :urged, its, central position.' - A iyndicate .which .. had cut. up, largo estates: nto dairy-fgrm sizes offered a tpri-acro 1 site. Hawora . find Stratford offered no sites, jut : relied :ori the obvious, advantages '.of iheir districts over all others.

VVoodyiJlo (like Hawora) voiced its claims through its Chamber of Commerce.

<• .Hastings, 'as early as 1906, pointed i out, through the . chairman of . the Heretauhga Co-operative Dairy, Company, its tromeridous progress.- .- ;V. . ■•' V •' ' , ' RESEARCH WORK. Exactly what work-it will, perform is perhaps . not yet. finally ... known, evon .by tho Minister ihimself . But fa general outline of. his views on the matter were given to a Dominion representative on. the ground at the last Manawatu show. The Minister, then said:— .' i : ' 7

'• " There is great.scbpe for research at such a school: The work. would embrace chemi- . cal tests, of -.- milk, microseopinal ■. tests , to ascertaiii : the bacterial contents aiid, other qualities, -of freshmilk, , con-, doiisod milkj and 'dried milk; 'investigations into the water, content of butter for export, in elaboration: of work already ■ being done at New' Plymouth ' by - onb.yof our. experts. Specialists will b'o engaged at tho school, giving their time wholly, to that work. At least that is,-roughly, something of what is : intonded. .-The details, . howover,'-have Still to bo gbhe into." • 1

SOME CONSIDERATIONS. In speaking' to. a''.Dominion reporter of Levin's, claiins, the Premier said it was considered \that r -students- who would' attend a dairy school . would riot, .as'a, general rule, require the.ordinary knowledge," such as they would'gaiii' at the Wereroa- experimental farm.- v.Palmerstori' North was ono Of ' the best , centres and gathering places in the Dpmiriibri _ for ifarmers, . arid, In addition to ithisV thet-e.'was the question of, accoriimpdatiori, for the Students, who would probably number .100.-- This question Had .to be,care- . fully, considered, inasmuch as provision worilcl have to ,be made, probably by tho country,. unless a centre Was .chosen where accommodation already, existed. Among the many ques-. tions raised,'said the Premier, this'had been! an outstanding aspect in the interests of the' students ■ themselves.. In addition 1 to the centrality:. of-, Palmerston North there was also ' the advantage ofits- groat annual' gatherings of farmers at show times, and on such occasions' opportunity would be visitprs flf seeing what was being done. The experimental 'nature pf the institution would bo ,most useful,in this/respect. .The whole matter, concluded tho Premier,- had been veiy carefully considered, arid in their'selection the Government ■ were confident that they-, had acted . wisely and in tho best interests of the institution.. v . The Minister for Lands (Mr. M'Nab) states that is intended to make the school a institution. Ho. believed' it would be the nrstr of. its kind ■in Australasia. The Public Trustee Jiad already in hand between £2000 arid £3000 'towards tho school from endowinents. No delay would take place in tho institution of tho school. • THE SITE AND ENDOWMENT. Tho school will be erected on a pprtion ofthe Manawatu A. arid P. show grourid. Tho building will be an important addition to the, already imppsing edifices on that extensive area; The ondowment is a Borough Reserve of 45 acres "1- rood lying on the .southern outskirts of the Borough, arid skirted on one-sido by tho Manawatu River. • It- is better known as tho old'racecourse reserve, ori which, for many years— until; in fact; ithe last three or. four years— tho Manawatu Racing Club held its fixtures. PALMERSTON'S AGILITY.' • Palmerston did net allpw the grass to grow Under' its feet, in the matter of the school. When an institution was first mentioned, a deputation of the Agricultural and Pastoral' Association,, the Chamber of Commerce, arid other local poople of commercial standing deputatioriised the Borough Council,-, and urged tlie'pffor of the Racecourse Reserve. ITio.mattor was discussed and debated for soirie time, became a pla,nk in local politics, and finally it was decided, to mako the offer, , arid the member for the district. (Mr. \W. T. Wood) was instructed to introduce an' eriipowbring Bill-into Parliament. ! Tho "Bill was duly passed. Then the proposal ciurid boforo tho A. and P. Association the treasurer, r Mr. J. M. Johnston) tP 'offer-a portion of the.show grounds for a. site for the. school and the experimental station.' . The show grounds arc in the heart of tho Borough, and in proximity to tlio square , arid the railway station, and' theso facts were urged as additional reasons why Palmcrstrm should' he selected, sinco. it might be . thought.; the Racecpurso Roservo was too distant frorii tho contro of thetPwn. The proposal whs carried by-, tho -'Association, to confer-the land .was included (with the re-pffer pf the Racecourse Reserve ' now.- as .an endowment) in the "wMhing-uji"' Aot of last session.