FARM TRAINING

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 188, 11 May 1928, Page 12

FARM TRAINING

DISCUSSED BY TECHNICAL

TEACHERS

CAUSES RESTRICTING OPERATIONS

The special report on agricultural courses presented to the technical teachers’ conference on Wednesday was discussed yesterday. Mr. L. J. Wild (Feilding) drew attention to the dearth of land available for such courses. Mr. J. G. Howell said he had endeavoured to got an agricultural course instituted in Wellington, but without success.

Mr. W. Fraser (Hamilton) referred to the fact Unit his district was a dairying one providing about £5,000,000 worth of produce in the course of the year. There a rural industrial course had been established. It was satisfactory to note that about 50 per cent, of the boys attending the course went on the land, and found this course of much greater value to them than an academic course.

Mr. Wild thought a move might be made in the direction of getting in touch witli farmers for the purpose of using their farms for observation purposes. That was done in Canada, where the farmers were guaranteed against loss and so permitted them to view the operations on the farm. The committee's report was adopted with the addition of the following: — That to facilitate the co-ordinating workin primary and post-primary schools the present system of supervision of primary school work by agricultural instructors lie taken over by the post-primary school of- tlie districts concerned, and that tlie whole system of agricultural education be co-ordinated under a departmental supervisor of agricultural education.