LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1023, 12 January 1911, Page 2

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

f GOVERNMENT EXPERIMENTAL ' FARM, RUAKURA. •Sir,—l beg to call tho attention of tho p public to the true state of affairs in con- t nection with the management of the above r j farm, and the Government system of c training cadet.s. c One of the objccts of this farm j is the (raining of young men as cadcts, \ wlio will eventually become farmers. In j tho early part of November the Minister j of Agriculture stated that new quarters ( had been erected for the accommodation j of cadets, ancl these would shortly be { opened. Young men roniiug as cadets j would then receive a thorough .training ( by experts in each branch of farm work, j and extra facilities in the form of books, { lectures, etc., would be provided. They j would- receive 2s. 6d, per week at iirst, t rising by stages. Nearly two. months j have passed since this .statement was. j made, several months havo." passed since : the buildings were finished, and nothing , further has been dono in the matter be- , yond introducing the. 2s. Gd. per week. : Is it right, I. ask, to bring young men to < the farm for such .a-ridiculous wage, and . tvsat them as'if they wero farm labour- , ers, both in accommodation; .and in dis- , tribution of work? With the exception . of ono department, there is not a.quali- , lied man in charge to instruct . cadets. The manager, whom you would naturally expect to bo a thoroughly qualified man, and willing to give every facility for learning to cadets, takes no interest iu them. I would also bring to yoiir notice that outside the -subjects of cadcts, the farm hands throughout aro..disgusted with things. As an example of the total lack of any system existing on the' farm/ the public may be interested to know that within the last, three months six tuen have left the .dairy section., One man had been employed here for five years. In the interests of justice and-.fair'play, it is high' time a thorough investigation yas made, and I would ask the local ,M.P. to brine tho matter before Hie Department of ; Agriculture.— I ailvc-lc:,- " - ■ S;E.