AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 28 August 1926, Page 5

AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE

CRITICISM OF THE. SITE

(BY TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION.)

WELLINGTON, Aug. 27., The Agricultural College Bill was brought clown in the House oi Kepiesentatives to-night by Governor-Gen-eral's message. The Hon. 0. J. Hawken explained tliat the Bill was mainly concerned with the constitution of the governing council which was to be constituted by four members, one appointed by the Governor-General, one by the council of the Auckland University Cbllege, one by the council of Victoria University College and one by the Board of Agricultuie. The measure also provided for the appropriation of the Buchanan and J. Logan Campbell, girts to the- college and the annual appropriation of monies necessary lor the upkeep ol : the college. Mr. G. W. Forbes, Huruuai, regretted the conflict between North and South had been raised, but it only went to show how badly Lincoln College had been treated. That- istitution had done -all that was necessary for many years and done it with the greatest economy. Now there was to be lavish expenditure in the North Island, and he regretted this because it simply meant that experiments in other parts ol the Dominion would he- -starved. He did not look for satisfactory results from, this eo 1 - lege, which w-as to he set upon rich lands near Palmerston North, and which would he useless when applied to other less favoured districts.

Mr. W. S. Glenn, Rangitikei denounced the selection of the site for the college. It was to be situated on one of the richest belts of dairy land in the world. It was not that class of land on which science should be applied. It was on the poorer class of land that they should denote thenattention.

The Hon. D. Buddo, Kaiapoi, wanted to know what provision was being made for the maintenance of Lincoln Agricultural College. Mr. J. A. Nash, Palmerston North, defended the selection of the Palmerston site.

Mr. \V. A. Yeitch, Wanganui, contended that the aim of the college should be to improve low quality lands, and nothing of this kind could be demonstrated at Palmerston North.

The Prime Minister said the House must take the responsibility if the Bill did not. pass, since the Government ditl not- intend to spend much time with it. Mr. Glenn, said the Government could have saved .£3O an acre on tin* site by buying in the Rangitikei.

The Hon. 0. J. Hawken said he was convinced that the site chosen was the best of all that were offered because it embodied a very desirable variation of land, some of it being suitable for wheat growing and dairying, while parf> of it was of much poorer quality. The difficulty with the majority of the sites offered was that they did not include good dairying land. The Bill was read a first time .