AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVIII, 7 March 1925, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

DOMINION INQUIRY

evidence; of experts

The Board of Inquiry into presentday requirements in tlie matter of agricultural education, which' has been set up bv the Government, has commenced its - sitting at Parliament House, Wellington, under the chairmanship or Sir .James G. Wilson, president of the Board of Agriculture. Tlie personnel of the board is coinposed of members of the Board of Agriculture and representatives of the Departments of Agriculture, Education, and the Senate of the University ot New Zealand. Order of Reference.

Following is the order of reference governing tlie inquiry : (a) What new agricultural training institution or institutions are required in order to provide facilities in accordance with the Dominion’s present-day requirements, for the efficient training of (1) Students desirous of taking a University degree in agriculture, fitting them fully to become either instructors or research workers in agriculture. (2) Students desirous of becoming farmers' veil equipped with a knowledge of -the principles of scientific agriculture as applied to the work of practical farming in all its branches. (|q The probable number of students of the kind mentioned in paragraph (1) that could be utilised in New Zealand after taking their degrees. (c.) How such an institution or institutions should be equipped as regards staff, laboratories, and farming land. fcl) Where each or any of such institutions should be situated in order to best serve efficiently the present requirements of the Dominion as a whole. (e) To what extent, and under what conditions, could the Canterbury Agricultural College he utilised (subject to the approval of the Board of Governors) as an integral portion of the general scheme. (f) What estimated Government expenditure would be involved by giving effect to the Commission’s recommendations regarding paragraphs (a), (c), (cl), and (e) immediately above. A Sound Investment. Evidence was given by Mr. W. D. Hunt, of the Royal Agricultural Society, who said that so far as agricultural’products were concerned New Zealand was a self-contained country. The importation of these products was comparatively small, as they were practically the only exports. That being so, the whole of the imports of this country were paid for by our agricultural exports, and they met the interest on cur overseas, public, and private debts. Agriculture was the main spring of this country, and everything else was dependent upon its welfare. Nothing could improve the industry more than an improved knowledge of the subject, and he considered that a sound system of agricultural education would be one of the best investments that the country could enter into. He was. of opinion that such education should be taken out to the farms themselves or in the immediate vicinity of the farms. This would require a large number of agrieultudal instructors, and any comprehensive system of education must not only provide those instructors, but must also prepare pupils to benefit by such instruction.

Referring to the establishment of si Chair of Agriculture, -Mr. Hunt said this would be very much better than the setting up of a number of chairs at various centres. If there were several chairs the students avou ld be divided into smaller numbers, and make the teaching less efficient than would be tlie. case if they had one chair. He favoured tlie establishment of the chair at Wellington because the city was Very central, and here the Agricultural Department and the offices of the Department were at hand to give whatever assistance was required. r A Difficulty. Dr. P. Marshall, president of the New Zealand Institute, next gave evidence. He contended that it was impossible to separate one portion of agricultural education from another, and thought there would be no harm in having an agricultural college in each University centre for those who were going to be teachers of agriculture or managers of farms. He felt there should at least be two such colleges in New Zealand. Scientific education in the agricultural colleges should, he thought, be associated from the very start with its agricultural relations, and it was an advantage for there to be as many institutions as the number of students warranted, and that the finances could provide for in the country. There was also the question of agricultural research, which should be put on a different basis altogether than that of agricultural education.

Dr. Marshall was. of the opinion that it was undesirable to have more than one centre where agricultural research was undertaken. Such a college should have considerable endowments, and endowments for those students who were accepted as qualified for research so that they could travel round the country and deal with the problems in their out-of-door bearings in the exact spheres where there were the most striking features. Present Instruction. Mr. A. H. Cockayne, Director of the Fields Division of the Department of Agriculture, speaking of agricultural instructors, which staff he controlled, said the principal weaknesses . of this system were fourfold. The districts were too large, the means of locomotion were poor, the effort to combine the various requirements needed was too much to expect, and the work was much too heavy. The pay was not attractive, and consequently he experienced difficulty in obtaining the type of the man required. The main weakness was the wide area the inspectors had to cover, and the wider the area the lower became the efficiency of the inspector, no matter what his qualifications might lie. Replying to the chairman, who asked to what extent witness thought the* staff of agricultural instructors should he increased. Mr. Cockayne said that that was rather a difficult question to answer It was not only a question of finance, hut also one In which a reasonable age on the part of the instructor was desirable. He had found that men who had taken an agricultural, degree and were 21 years of age were not suitable as instructors. The Department wanted men of good judgment and fair age, of as wide experience as possible, and academically qualified. Arens Too Wide. Wli'at was particularly needed were additional men to cany out investigations, and he considered we were shockingly backward in any knowledge of farm economies in New Zealand. This knowledge lie felt was fundamental to agriculture generally. The number of instructors should he increased, although he did not like to say what number would he sufficient, as so much depended upon the man himself. . The areas were far too wide, and great difficulty wa spinet with because of this, and farmers in every part of Now Zealand considered they had

as much right to the services oJ an instructor as anybody else. The American system in this respect, he thought, was the best, as a man was allocated to a certain area and that area was a small one. He was a follower of Ibe Hunt school in the belief that the place for the teaching of farming should be on the farms of the country, and the worst plaecy to teach fanning was in State or University institutions. Far more important than the training of the University graduate in New Zealand was tlie granting of the facilities for a better education of the average boy who was unfortunate enough to have to become a farm labourer at the age of 14, 15., or 16 years of age. The only way this could be done was' by a really well-thought-out scheme or short course work, and he did not think that a diploma course at an agricultural college or university was going to fulfil the necessary requirements. Tlie actual farming* operations and the science of farming, should be taught on the farm itself. That large amount of knowledge which made farm work not only intelligible bub probably also agreeable, which tended to keep a man in the country and make him proud of his profession, was a sort of work which should be incorporated in intensive short cuorses of about two months duration each during the slack winter season. Answering the Hon. G. Fowlds, the witness said one central agricultural university for New Zealand eras the ideal dream in tlie agricultural interests of this country. Gove of the Land.

Air. AY. H. Poison, president of the Farmers’ Union, who also gave evidence, said if there was any country in the world where a scientific basis for agricultural education was necessary it was New Zealand. Til the far north and on the north-west coast there was much land which had gone back to nature which could have been developed and cultivated if a knowledge of agricultural science had been more universal throughout the country. He considered the more schools of agriculture we had in various parts of tlie country the better, but he was quite satisfied there should he only one chair of agriculture, which should he established at. "Wellington, as being the most central city. Asked how he would inculcate a greater love of the land into the youth of the country, Mr. Poison said by popularising the land and giving youths better opportunities of getting on the land. To-day he had neither opportunity nor incentive. The problem to-day wsfs to make, the country more attractive than the town. The\ country was not being sufficiently worked and there was very great difficulty in obtaining labour to do the drudgery work of agricultural life.

Giving evidence on behalf of the New Zealand Farmers’ Union, Mr W. B. Matheson said the greatest evidence and need .for a greater study of agriculture and for giving farmers an opportunity of gaining a wide knowledge of scientific farming was contained in the fact that land in some parts of the Dominion was reverting to second growth, and in the remark of the Minister for Agriculture (the Hon. W. Nosworthy) that the Dominion could not extend or even maintain its exports' without summoning the aid of agriculture find science. He referred to the parochial attitude whereby each province was anxious to possess the college. - Ministers were pestered so much that they were almost sick of the whole question.

The Government should announce at once its intention to spend £IOO,OOO, which would be part of the scheme to provide eventually a really good agrieuturnl college. It should be a national scheme, and the college should be situated in a rural locality. .Farm schools did excellent work, but did not provide equipment for research or tuition. He commended the American system, whereby an agricultural student took off liis coat during tlie vacation and performed actual farming work. Air Holmes (Levin) favoured several centres of agricultural learning and practical training. One of the colleges should be located at AVeraroa. Messrs C. I. .darkness (Horowhenua). Hobson (Mayor of Levin), and W. H. Field, M.P.. supported Mr Holmes. Members of the board will visit Feilding to-morrow, and others will go to Ruakura. Subsequently the whole hoard will meet in Auckland to hear further evidence.