AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTORS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 21 June 1928, Page 9

AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTORS.

DEPARTMENTAL ATTITUDE. A TARANAKI PROTEST. At the Taranaki Educational Board meeting yesterday at New Plymouth, strong exception was taken to a statement regarding agricultural instructors made to Council of Education by the- director (Mr. T. B. Strong). According to a Press report, he bad complained that the present control of the instructors militated against efficiency. He pointed' out that in one district there was a far larger proportion of instructors to the school population than wa.s the case in Auckland andother districts. He suggested the instructors should he under the control of the department.

Mr. S. G. Smith said that if the director had referred to Taranaki in his statement lie was unfair in not having placed before' the council the' board’s full and complete reply to the Minister when the matter was previously brought up by the department. Mr. Strong had said that if the instructors could afford to pay 23 visits to one school, then obviously that particular district was over staffed'. Mr. Smith pointed out-, that if this referred to the Manaia District High School, the position was that it was not an ordinary ease. The secondary assistant there had not been qualified to teach science and the instructor had to teach there. Some action was necessary in this matter, for the department might bring down a. regulation affecting the position. The board was emphatically of the opinion that the instructor® should remain under the control of the board.' Mr. White considered' the attitude of the Department entirely wrong and that boards were better able to weigh up local conditions. The Taranaki board had used the instructors for definite teaching of classes'. He believed if council liad decided to have a. uniform system of agricultural administration throughout the Dominion. Unless the boards were allowed individual action the only alternative was to bring Taranaki into line with other hoards. Mr. Smith pointed out that although Auckland was the largest education district in New Zealand, it contained the largest city population, amongst whom there was no chance of proper agricultural instruction. He added that this province was more thickly populated in rural districts than any other province.

It was decided that the Minister should- be advised of the board’s regret that its objections against the proposed change of control were not placed before the council.