Farm School for Hawke’s Bay

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XVII, Issue 180, 15 July 1927, Page 8

Farm School for Hawke’s Bay

Sub-Committee’s Further Report

Otane Property Recommended

The sub-committee appointed by the local body representatives to make- further investigations of lands suitable for a farm school for Hawke's Bay. again reported to a meeting of representatives this morning in Hastings. Their report is as follows* Your sub-committee having been directed to inspect Smedley Estate and to report its opinion as to the suitability of Smedley as a site for an agricultural farm school and to obtain general information aim, having reported, ano been directed to furnish further explanatory and other details, and having carefully considered the further matters referred to it, begs leave to submit the following as its report. Your sub-comm litee has incorporated herein the main portions of its former report, it has revised the table of estimates of receipts and expenditure and has dealt with new matter raited at the last general meeting. SMEDLEY UNSUITABLE. Your sub-committee examined Smedley and inspected other properties in various parts of Waipawa county and district, agreed on by your committee, and ranging from about 500 acres to about 2300 acres m area, the prices asked for which varied from £lB 10/- to £4O per acre In the opinion of the majority of your sub-committee ©medley is unsuitable tor the purpose mentioned fc.r the reason that the requirements of an agricultural farm school call for a property that can be used for the greatest variety of instruction and uses in practical area n at the minimum of outlay for working expenses, manures, plotting off etc., and in cur opinion Smedley does not fulfil these requirements on account of the poor Quality of the land, its roughness znd altitude and its climatic conditions also on arcunnt of distance from sale centres and railway, the latter making hoth for the loss of time and heavy transport charges for individuals and farm requirements such as etc and for the further reason that Smedley can he profitably employed as managed at present, and can. if considered necessary q r advisable. be used to financially assist the scheme your sub-committee suggests in this report, and Smedley would if such schemp be .adopted he also available for giving supplementary instruction and experience*, on a different class of land from the main farm, tn farm students who m»sired it or whose bent rendered such facilities of «ervice to the general educational scheme. Your sub-committee is also of opinion that Smedley should be retained as an endowment to any scheme of training that may ho inaugurated in Hawke’s Bay.’Cabinet having, it is understood, promised to so use it. HOWARD BEQUEST. Subject to the understanding that the Howard Estate shall be used primarily for providing practical agricultural education in Hawke’s' Bay, your sub-committe® assuming the probability of the farm school receiving substantial assistance from the services of the Government instructors from time to time, would consider that it would not be unfair, after the requirements of n farm school for this district had heen fully provided for. inclusive of th® annual allotment fop capital redemption account out of the Howard Estate if a portion of the profits from that estate were used in aid of any larger scheme either within or beyond Hawke’s Bar. but thpv are convinced that the ideq unnermost in the mind of the late Mr Howard was the provision of practical instruction and experience for young men having sntitude and enthusiasm and preferably for sons of small farmers who were deserving and energetic who wished to improve themselves and learn their business hv their own efforts and consequently your subcommittee consider that such provision should have the first call upon the estate funds, and the matter the amount to he detached for other schemes could then be dealt with by the Board of Control referred *o further on. Tt is also considered that the surplus sheep from Smedley could be profitably fattened upon th® main farm to the financial benefit of the accounts of both places. Wp do not in any way suggest that the farm school and Smedlpv should he under the same working management.

OTANE PROPEERTY MOST SUITABLE.

In making their recommendations your sub-committee have had in view the choice of a property that would, under proper management, go furthest towards being self-supporting, and which would be calculated to require least financial assistance and at the same time one that would be suitable for the greatest variety of manipulation in the way of stock and crop raising, and experimental work, and having a variety of soils, and readily accessible vet not so near a large centre of population as to become a distraction to students, and being a property needing the least expenditure to fit it for immediate use as a farm school. Your subcommittee have also had in view rhe intelligent development of Hawke’s ,Bav lands and the increasing necessity for more intense cultivation, also the desirability of lectures ‘ind demonstrations being given bv members of the Government Departments and others, and have considered proximity to railway as making for a saving of time and expense of travel to lecturers and fanners generally; they have also in view the advantage of minimum transit charges for requirements and for produce and urchases. and the nearness of stocK sale yards at Otane and Waipukurau appears distinctly advantgeous for demonstration purposes. The difference in trnsport charges calculated on 26 miles from Smedley to rail, as against 1 mile from Otane to rail, would not be less than £1 per ton and there would be a proportionate disparity in travelling expenses. The added costs consequent on extra distance from rail would in the opinion of your sub-committe® amount to not less than £5OO per year or 25 pel

cent, of the amount (£2000) suggested as the annual redemption payment. Therefore on this transport item alone the site- recommenced shows a substantial economy apart from the greater convenience. The same site has the additional advantage in being in such a position that its development is open to the view of travellers by rail and of numerous other persons, and the farm is so centrally situate that farmers from far an<J near could attend lectures and observe practical demonstrations at any time at a minimum of time, travel and inconvenience. 1000 ACRES FIRST-CLASS LAND. Your sub-committee has kept in view that the outlay for improvements. staff and overhead expenses is practically the same for. sav >OO acres as for twice or thrice the area, and such a property as is needed is naturally not easily to be found, nor could it be expected that one uouid be acquired at a price per acre calculated on mere grazing land, and such being the case it was necessary to choose an area of such a size that the improvements it carried would bear a practical proportion in service and value to such area, and t»v that means to entire that the asset itself, taken in conjunction with tin? cost would be reasonably calculated to provide a workable proposition, and one which would give a business return on the outlay an.d which mmhu at th® same time be an establishment suitable in every way for rhe educational scheme which vour committee is seeking td set up. For comparison: Management wages cost on a smaller farm, sav 500 acres. £1250. average £2 10s per acre, anil on 1740 acres averages a fraction over 14s 4d per acre. It may be as well to mention here that tne property we recommend was not and is not on the market. It was offered to us at our express rec ties t for the special purpose and was selected 0v us out of a larger area, and is the pick of the property of about 2700 acies. \\e therefore beg leave ?o report that in the opinion of the majority of vour sub-committee the portion (1740 acres) of the propertv of Mr A. \ . Collins, near Otane is most suitable for a. farm school. It comprises about 1000 acres of firstclass flat land adjoining Te Aute ’"’amp land towards the north ■nA b tl 6 beintr hil,v Pastoral land. /he property will o-row any of the usual root and grain crops, as well as fruit and vegetables caTly “ ttei h®’"® produce d econonu-

Your committee has a list of the juildings; they are in first-class order. With an addition of f<* r or five rooms for students, the staff and about 20 students could readily be accommodated. Another cow-shed will be required for milking purposes. We have ascertained that the buildings are insurable for £7200 and we place the value of fencing at 25/- per chain, viz: £2675 for 26f miles. In addition there are about 17 acres of pine and blue-gum plantations which we value at £5OO. After full enquiry and careful reconsideration we place the carrying capacity at two wet ewes and one dry sheep per acre and |250 rows in addition nn grass alone. The price asked for the property is £4O per acre. Our estimates are:— LIABILITIES. Purchase money land, £69,600; interest at 5J per cent., £3828. One hundred and fifty breeding cows at £5, £750; interest at 6 per cent., £45. One hundred milking cows at £lO. £1000; interest 6 per cent., £6O. Pigs to cost £5O; interest 6 per cent-, £3. Three thousand and eighty wet ewes at £l, £3OBO and 1540 dry sheep at £l, 9 £1540; interest at 6 percent., £277 4/0.

Eight bulls at £l5 15/-, £126; interest at 6 per cent., £7 11/3. Thirty-five rams at £8 8/-, £294; interest at 6 per cent., £l7 12/9. Total: £76,440.

Insurance on £7200, £2B 16/-; rates, say £200; manager’s wages, £500; cowman. £250; first-class ploughman and fencer, £250; firstclass shepherd. £250; 2) per cent, death rate on cows, £43 15/-; 24 per cent, death rate on 4620 sheep, £ll5 10/-: balance, profit £877 11/-; total, £6754. INCOME. Dairying 200 acres—Butterfat 100 cows, 2001bs butterfat each at 1/3 per lb., £1250; 40 heifer calves at 30/- each, £6O; 50 pigs at £3 each, fat, £150; 150 breeding cows to produce 140 calves to sell as yearlings at £5 each, £420; balance of land, 1540 acres to carry 2 wet ewes and 1 dry sheep per acre, land in natural condition, ewes to produce 95 per cent, lambs, 2926 at £l, £2926; wool from 2926 ewes at 7/- per head, £1024; wool from 1540 wethers at 7/per head, £539; profit on 1540 wethers at's/- per head, £385; total, £6754. There should be further income from agricultural pursuits. For instance oat crop 50 acres should produce 2 tons to the acre at £4, viz: £4OO net. Lucerne could be profitably grown and with mangolds, turnips and rape, the carrying capacity .could be profitably increased, the sheep capacity being estimated as on grass alone. The growing of these crops would be inexpensive as students’ labour would be available. About 700 acres of the Otane property is no nearly similar to the pastoral country between Norsewood and Napier and from the range to the coast that it appears to us to be most suitable lor use in demonstrating how such lands can and should be worked so as to bring them back into good pasture after dry or unfavourable seasons or alter unintelligent managment. So much of Hawke’s Bay land has gone back that we think one of the most useful purposes of the school would be the teaching and demonstration of the practicability of bringing these lands back and so to considerably increase the returns from them in preference to putting men on the back country.

It is recognised that horses and implements as well as seed and manure would require to be purchased for cropping but their cost would be more than covered by the resulting crops in Addition to the benefit from additional carrying capacity.

We place the extra rooms and additional cow-shed at £5OO but have not carried it into account for the reason that it does not appear likely it would come into the first year’s account. FOR TRAINING AND DEMONSTRATION. The idea ot your sub-committee is that the property could be successfully worked as a training and demonstration farm and for carrying on with a paid staff ot working managers and the aid of Government instructors, instruction in dairying, sheep cattie and pig raising, the culture of grain and root crops, fruit and vegetable growing, demonstration in lucerne growing and hay cropping, the scientific treatment of soils, tbe uses of manures and generally to give a practical education to •tudents and men on land particularly in Hanke's Bay. We also have in view the suitability of the. property for breeding stud sheep and the benefit to Hawke’s Bay in having available stud sheep acclimatised in the district and the pursuit would provide an instructional course to students. The principal in charge of the Farm School should be a practical farmer and capable of giving instruction to students. If funds are needed to supplement the income and/or to pay students »e suggest that the net annual profit from Smedley is the fund to which resort should be made, more especially as it seems plain from what is known of the late Mr Howard’s wishes that a farm such as the one recommended and the methods vnd pursuits set out above provide a practical solution of the problem raised by Mr Howard's benefaction.

CONTROL BOARD FOR SMEDLEY AND OTANE.

We would also suggest as a sound business proposition the adviseableness oi arranging that a fund ot say £2OOO a year be established as a first charge on the annual profits from Smedley and be applied together with any surplus profits from the Farm School to the redemption of the capital debt upon the Utane property making the latter debt free in thirty five years at the longest without any debit to the capital account of Smedley. With Smedley earmarked for the purpose of providing agricultural education in Hawke s Lay there should be no difficulty as regards financing the capital cost of the Otane property. Smedley and Otane together would provide more than ample margin ot security for debentures, and both properties would be a perpetual endowment, without any liability being thrown on the State Funds. If a substantial cash payment were required immediately resort could be had to the accumulated profit from Smedley of which you have the figures and/or by debentures at oi per cent, redeemable at the option of the Control Board. We would suggest that both Smedley and Otane be under the control of a single board, the Minister of Agriculture and the Public Trustee to be ex officio members with power to nominate proxies and that say not less than five additional members be appointed by the boroughs and counties in Hawke’s Bay. Tho two properties, to lie under separate w...k--ing managements. STUDENTS FOR TRAINING. We suggest that preference be given to students having some practical knowledge of farming. Juniors to be apprenticed for a minimum of one year. Students to be at least fifteen years of age and to be of good character. That students’ courses may be worked out on either property or partly on one and partly on the other and/or partly or wholly in any of the subjects for instruction, in all eases with the sanction of the board of control on the recommendation of one of the managers. The total period of all courses for any student not to exceed three years. Students to be paid five shillings per week during first year and ten shillings per week afterwards. Students to come provided with sufficient outfit ior six montns and to provide their own clothing afterwards. Students to be provided with tuition, board, lodging, free of cost and with their fares or free transit in exchanging over from one farm to the other, also with free medical and surgical attendance.

The board to fully cover itself by insurance against all claims of students and employees arising from injury or dearth by accident occurring while engaged upon either farm or in the course of their employment there.

Regulations to be adopted covering working rules for students and providing for discipline and for reasonable holidays. Full facilities to be given students for attendance at the usual services of their respective churches and free transit there and back to a be provided within a reasonable radius.

Undeistanding that the conclusions of the Committee of Delegates will be submitted to the Hon. the Minister for Agriculture for consideration we have not attempted to frame regulations which would be framed by the Hoard of Control..

REPORT ON LAST VISIT TO SMEDLEY.

Another visit by the full committee to Smedley to inspect a position of the estate with a view to the suitability for dairying was made last month.

Your committee consider there is similar land near the main buildings and it would be a mistake to consider erecting another set of buildings so rar away from the homestead, a distance of four miles. A road would nave to be made at n expense.

The front portion of land inspected is flat and 80 to 9u acres ploughable; the balance is steep hill country which we do not consider ploughable. Soil of light quality and stony nature.

The blocks are poorly watered from a cattle point of view, but water could be pumped from river at a considerable expense. The land is exposed but shelter belts could be tdanted. This alter the fact that the climatic conditions are severe and your committee does not recommend this position for dairying. MAIN OBJECTIONS. (1) Distance from main buildings four miles. (2) Creamery Waipukurau 25 miles. (3) Cost of production. (4) Expense for water scheme. (5) Small area of land which ploughable. (6) Similar land in larger quanti. ties nearer homestead.