The Hawera Star. THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1929. FARM TRAINING FOR BOYS.

Hawera Star, Volume XLIX, 5 September 1929, Page 4

The Hawera Star.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 1929. FARM TRAINING FOR BOYS.

Delivered every evening by 6 o'clock in Hawera, Manaia, Norznanby, Okaiawa, Hit ham. Mangatoki, Kaponga, Alton, Hurley vi He, I’atea, Waverley, Mokoia, Whakamara, Ohangai, Meremere. Fraser Road and Ararata.

The Press Association reports to-day that “an important decision” has been reached by Cabinet with reference to the iraiinng of New Zealand boys 1 in farm work. Though a move in 'this direction is welcome, it is vet too early to form an opinion of the value of the provisions so far made to gain this end. The Government has approved the. establishment of a system whereby hoys desiring to go on the land may be brought into touch with practical farmers able; to offer them employment, and provisions have been made, without introducing irritating restrictions, to ensure that the boys will be equitably treated, but so far there has been no move by the Government to carry the scheme further. As we have stated many times in discussing this subject, parents and boys will require something more definite in the shape of prospects before they will be able to enthuse about a. training scheme. There are j probably some wild will be glad of the setting up of a system which will merely bring them into touch with the right class of farmer, but there are many more who will persist in asking what are their opportunities of acquiring land for themselves after they have served their period of training. Gainnet’s announcement, does not. answer i this question with any firmness, though I a n indication has been given that there is something to hope for in the Government’s proposed amendment of the land laws and in its land settlement legislation. Nobody knows very much about) these things as yet, and even that, part of the legislative programme which is known docs not. arouse th.at feeling of confidence which will be needed by those who are contemplating making rural occupations their life’s work. To have been of real importance and to) have given the public an opportunity of* judging its valuefi the scheme approved by Cabinet yesterday should have been more com prehensive and have included j something definite in regard to the ae-| quirenvent of land by the trainees. It is noticeable, too, that this skeleton of a. scheme announced by Cabinet provides for only six months’ training. It will be interesting to hear what the practical farmer lias to say of a sixmonths training scheme. Probably lie wild contend (that at the end of six months the trainee will be only well settled down to his new conditions and beginning to grow really useful to his employer. It is obvious that a boy can not. be expected to have progressed very far until lie has worked twelve mouths and experienced the changing I conditions of the four seasons. The Government ’s scheme does not limit the •training period to six months, but it lays down conditions only for that 'period; after that a lloy’s wages will depend upon liis value to 'tie farmer. That arrangement will meet with the approval of all who have any knowledge of farming conditions, for it is essential that any apprent ice-ship to the land should be fairly elastic in its terms, but it demonstrates that any scheme which stops short at training, making no. attempt to assist in putting that training! to the best Use, both for the boy and the country, falls far short of the primary-object, which .is to attract boys to the land and overcome the difficulty which the parents of many promising boys are experiencing in finding careers for .their sons.