DAIRY SCIENCE COURSE.

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 18 December 1925, Page 4

DAIRY SCIENCE COURSE.

TO BE ESTABLISHED SHORTLY. VT H ANVER A TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL. Following closely upon the estabiish- +. tlie dairy .laboratory m Hawera, it lias been decided to institute a dairy uot of the Iteration of Dairy Fac- • line been obtained.) and Air o ri Vea*e sdentist to the federation, will arrange the curriculum. This course is of especial interest, as it is believed that the school is the first in New Zealand to . provide educational facilities in this direction. In the course of his annual report at the brealring-up ceremony of the Hawera Technical High School last evening, the principal, Mr Gray, said: “During the coming year w e hope te> begin a course which may have farreaching effects. Io boys, and girls too, if they wish, will, -be given an opportunity of specialising in dairy science, so that they may be ready.to take up the important positions which are sure to be available in the dairy world before many years have passed. In this connection, the school is fortunate in having the backing of. the federated dairy companies.” Mi- Veale, in explaining the course, reviewed the manner in which the -research laboratory had been established in Ha ever a under the Federation of Dairy Factories. He said that the establishment of the Hawera laboratory, which was the first, but would not by any means b e the last, of its kind, had opened up a new profession in New Zealand. As the work increased, and as more laboratories were equipped, boys and 1 girls who had taken "a course in dairy science would be able to obtain positions in them. Up t-p the present factory managers had “graduated” only in the manufacturing section of their' work. They had carried on in the face of certain difficulties -iWwith remarkable success. Th e conditions liad been rather favourable, but. a change wasi now coming, and the manager’s task was daily growing harder. Recently much trouble had been met, and farmers were finding that the need for scientific assistance was more than’ ever necessary. This was a factor which would increase until each factory would require to have at least one scientist on its staff. Visitors to New Zealand had been astounded that so much success had been achieved in view ‘of the difficulties to he overcome. Quite a remarkable fact, he continued, was that very little routine work towards the controlling of the public milk supply was done in New Zealand. This was most necessary duty, as milk was so liable to collect bacteria and disease and so endanger public health. New Zealand had been blessed with a favourable climate and an absence of most cattle diseases, but now - these latter were fast becoming . more prevalent amongst the dairy, herds and this increased the necessity for having a scientist in each town to supervise the public milk supply. b The principal of the Hawera Technical High School,, continued Mr Veale, realised the position, and had decided to place on the curriculum of his school a course of dairy science. The federation had given its co-operation, and the principal had invited him (the speaker) to draw up a curriculum for the course. There was no reason why girls should not study the course as well as boys, as there were several qualifications required in which girls excelled. For this reason the course would not be exclusively for hoys. It was hoped that, as Hawera was the first town to adopt the scheme, it- would ultimately become a centre for the training of experts in the profession. A general standard of advanced edu- A cation at ’east up to matriculation would be a necessary qualification; but this course would be taken concurrently with the dairy science instruction. The special subjects of this course would be found very interesting, students being given the opportunity of visiting the federation’s laboratory. After completion of the course, the students could take up positions in the various laboratories. The Instruction throughout Mould be mainlv practbal work. In conclusion, Mr Veale hoped a large number of students would avail themselves of the opportunity thus piesented. He beheved that by the rime the Government had established further first s . tad «"ts would be ready to take up positions.