AGRICULTURE'S PLACE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 69, 18 September 1925, Page 6

AGRICULTURE'S PLACE

The report of the Board of Agricultiire,upon agricultural instruction will undoubtedly prove most: valuablei in assisting to give this'subject the place which it should hold in New; Zealand's education - system. For a long time the subject was neglected, and when, latterly, it,.began to receive greater attention there was no set scheme of development. The .report supplies that need, and provides a plan of development which may gradually be put into operation. We hope that an immediate start -will vbe made, ';. and"for this the first step must be the-, constitution of the Board recommended to control farm training colleges, solthat' th!ere will be no overlapping or division of responsibility. With such a Board in being the l^arni Training Colleges may quickly be reorganised to .pro-, vide the intensive courses recommended. ...Agricultural-, extension work and the shoi'fc "refresher" courses for fanners may also "be instituted without delay: Upon the recommendations regarding the training"'of'teachers, the place of -elementary; agriculture in ""i* versity entrance arid other .examinations, nud the establielimeiit of

agricultural high schools, we should prefer to have an opinion from the educational authorities. It is fight that agriculture should no longer remain in its old neglected position; but we must be- careful to guard against upsetting the balance of the courses now arranged and defeating the purpose of -the primary and secondary schools, which is to provide a sound general education for all. Before agricultural high schools are established,- too, the advice of the Secondary Schools . Board, proposed by the University Commission, should be obtained.

In its recommendations regarding university work in agriculture the Board has adopted sound principles ; but it appears to have hesitated in applying these to its practical recommendations. While affirming definitely that one agricultural college of university standing is all that New Zealand requires for the immediate future, it has advised the provision at, three centres of facilities for degree work, and has suggested encouragement of post-graduate work at yet another centre. '-W,© appreciate the difficulties with which the Board was faced in following its principles to a logical conclusion. • With threo centres already possessing ,the nucleus of a college, it was no doubt reluctant to advise .that for' the,, future only one should be developed, but it does, appear to us that it would have been better to give this V advice. We may be. misinterpreting the Board's proposals in concluding that, until the time for a. fullyequipped college has come, it advises continuance and even support 6f the present dissipation of money and energy; but that seems to be the effect of its recommendation. At the same time the Board has at least supported in theory the sound advice for concentration previously given by experts. With a new arid non-parochial University governing body it may be possible to put this theory > into practice.. H