BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ CLUBS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 14 August 1928, Page 6

BOYS’ AND GIRLS’ CLUBS.

A GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY

MINISTER OUT LINKS SCHEME

An announcement of importance, not only to the whole of the farming industry, but a iso to the whole of the farming industry and to those enthusiastic helpers in the towns, was made by the 'Minister of Agriculture (Hon. 0. J. Han hen) at Tokaora. School yesterday when presenting a trophy to the school. He said first that the decision had been made to grant a subsidy of £ for |j up to a sum of £SU, for South Taranaki. The Farmers’ Union executive had advised the Department that the help was needed in order that the work might be developed and fostered! as was fitting for such an important organisation. Mr Hawken said also that he_ had selected a man, with wide experience in that class of work to act as (supervisor, but the appointment had to be confirmed. Referring specially to the work in South Taranaki, he said it was a pleasure to see the work of the Boys’ .and Girls’ Olubtsi and to realise they had taken root dn South Taranaki, where some of the earliest competitions had been held. Tokaora had won in one of thvß> early competitions organised as a feature, of the A. and P. Show. The children, lie beKeved, could teach their fathers how to farm and he hoped they would continue to go on learning more and more. They bad a. better chance than their parents with teachers to show them how to grow crops and to rear calves. He hoped they would in their turn become good farmers. He referred to the 188 tons per acre plot o-own by a local boy ns showing what “could be done by teaching and creating an interest in the work. It was extraordinary, ho said, they .should be able to get these results, which were immensely valuable to the community. South Taranaki had some of the very best land and the greater production" consequent upon improved methods, as indicated by the plot mentioned, showed how important a factor tlie clubs were. Money wa® to be made by more intensive farming and bv growing crops like that mentioned. He hoped they would continue the good work and show others that good crops could be grown and good calves- aea.red. Referring to finance for the clubsi, Mr Hawken .said that he knew that the Fanners’ Union in the. past had had <neat difficulties in getting the money to run the clubs. Ho had pleasure in stating that during the last few days the. Government had decided to grant a. subsidy, not very much, he feared, but enough, he hoped, to enable the work to be carried forward. It was, he said, always a great thing to accomplish what others had failed to do., not so much for the leake of winning, but of .succeeding in what bad been set as an objective. He said he was sure tiie Boys’ and Girls’ Ciubs were going to lie .a big tilling in New Zealand. They were "so in America. They helped the young people to become good farm-eirs. and li.a assured them the. Government thought a lot of the _ movement. The clubs bad made agriculture ,eal’!y intensive, and would' compel better methods. This beautiful country, continued Mr Hawken. was not half used 'and he instanced Denmark n.s an example of intensive farming. There, lie isa.id. in a country onlv one-sixth the size of Nev Zealand, forty-five million pounds worth of bacon, blitter and cheese wi3re produced, while in this country their value had just reached twenty millions. The climate was colder and the land not so good. There was plenty or room, here for good farming, and lie hoped that farmers would aim not at acquiring more land, but at farming the land they held even better and more intensively. That, he «vid in conclusion. was what they should aim at and that -was one of the lessons to be’ learnt from the agricultural clubs for boys and girls.