DAIRYING CLASSES. ,

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LII, Issue 9187, 6 September 1906, Page 4

DAIRYING CLASSES. ,

The- ; JEducation Boards are attempting a good deal in the way of providing technical instruction for the youtlfc of the '- colony, but we are sorry to notice that tihe facilities offered areinot taken advan- 1 tag© of as they might fee. Not^so very j long ago there was considerable 'Agitation about the need for the appoinsnent of s agricultural acience instructors, md as a . reaujt, dt> was, arranged that Mr James Grant, supervisor of the school classes in ; elementary agriculture, should }, give a, ■ oourso of lectures at the Hawera* District ~, \ High SohooL A very comprehensive and ' apparently useful land -workable :pro- , , gramme was> prepared j f^d after a good , deal qf trouble wb§ t ijaJopn to thoroughly advertise the classes ; thje'' efforts 4nded in dismal failure. The proof that the people had not awtakened. to the neefll about which so much had' been heard w& shown in the fact that no pupils put in an appearance. 'Undismayed by that reward 1 for their desire to. advance the science of the soil the Education Board, with com-meria^ble-?peTseverance,!are now attempting to arrange for dairy classes'. It. is quite likely that the institution of these will meet with the requirements;; of this' district more directly than classes ior agriculture, and we sincerely hope t&at such will , be -the case. lir a' better wiich has .been forwarded t ,to the). School^ Committee the Board declare themselves to be extiemely desirous of promoting by every means in their- power tihe interests of the agricultural -part of the community; within the bounds' of the education district' over which, they preside. As an instructor ,of agriculture has- already been appointed y it is now tbe aim of the Board to jcommiswon an expert in dairying,- .and tihis they are rrepared to do if a -sofScient number can be enrolled. ■ The proposal is to engage an expert, with a complete, equipment of appliances and apparatus, to visjt two schools 1 each .day and a dairy factory 1 tihe same evening. The school classes- wotjld be for children in Standards V. and VI. and young people who had recently left sdhoql; the evening- glasses are for adults onßr. It .is pointed out^!t&g& .'without the sympathy and 00-operation of, the committees the Board can dp nothing, and the action oi the committees ' will of course depend .tipon their knowledge of local desire in - respeot to the acquirement of the special knowledge to be made available. So far as we can gather the establishment i>i these schools in other centres has -bee© a very great success, and notwithstanding the disappointment over the agricultural classes we hope the School Ctanmitfee will give^ tbe. Board's proposals a favorabl* j consideration. In some instances complaint is made that the children have al- . 1 'ready too much to learn, but allowance is ' to be made by fcho, inspectors for the time 1 fche-pupiW awe taken from other< classes ito attend the 'dairy* lessons. We r do not suppose that mudh, good would be gained ■ by imposing another burden upon boys ! who are destined to follow other pursuits i la|e, -but^to Jnoso wiho may be expected 'to take up" dairying as their means livelihood no equipment can be too complete, - -and bjr^hem the opportunity proposed ,to be offered by the Board should be eagerly availed of.