SUPPORT GIVEN

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 54, Issue 32652, 30 November 1945, Page 3

SUPPORT GIVEN

AGRICULTURAL SCHOOL

STH. AUCKLAND DISTRICT

MEETING HELD AT THAMES

Unanimous support for the proposal to establish an Agricultural High School for the South Auckland dis-

trict was expressed at a meeting on Friday morning, when the Auckland Education Board’s committee, Investigating the proposal, visited Thames.

Doubless because of the time foi which it was arranged, the meeting was not as well, attended as might have, been expected, but nevertheless was fully representative of local secondary educational, farming and commercial interests, the Thames High School Board, staff, Parent-Teacher Association, Northern Thames Subprovincial Executive of the Farmers’. Union, District Council of Primary Production, Department of Agriculture, and Chamber of Commerce sending representatives. His Worship the Mayor, Mr S. Ensor, presided. Members of the committee present were Mr J. M. McWhannell, chairman, Mr W. I. Bowyer, a farmer of considerable experience, and Mr A. Bell, former headmaster of the Tauranga District • High School, where a successful agricultural course was inaugurated. With them was Mr J. H. Dennehy, B.Agr., in an advisory capacity. Meeting Addressed The three first-named all addressed the meeting, Summarising the proposals. They emphasised that the question of site was not a matter for dis-, mission—this would be decided by the Education Board—and, in fact, no representations in favour of any particular site were made. The need for the school is particularly called for because of the evident drift from the land to the cities, and South Auckland, most productive area in the Dominion, has in fact no school which can cater adequately for post-primary agricultural training. At the proposed school, train” c will be of a highly practical nature. The speakers felt that in the past the practical side of education had been too much neglected, but this was being altered to-day. Mr G., Hawkins emphasised the desirability of the school giving opportunity for practical experience oh the land, and to his representations Mr McWhannell gave an assurance that the, proposal would be on practical lines, which, Mr Hawkins said, he was very pleased) to hear. Adequate Education At the same time there will be no lack of opportunity at the visualised school,, for. Which some 100 pupils are airCady offering, for a full education

from such aspects as literature, mu.-.ic and sport, and it will be borne in mind that the farmer must be a handyman and have a good working knowledge of allied trades. The school will be a boarding establishment, in a completely rural area. It is not intended for pupils direct from primary schools, who are considered not to be at the stage when they can undertake the necessary practical work, and, in fact, at the age of 12, would be by no means at the stage of development when they could definitely decide on a farming career. Instead, the suggestion is being made that primary pupils acquire good general training for two years at a secondary school before going to the agricultural school, and if possible the secondary school have facilities for the necessary prelimin-

ary training. In moving the resolution expressing support for the project, Mr S. E. Hall said he was sorry the rank and file of the farmers were not present to back the project up. The resolution embodied the intention of those present to do all in their power to back the scheme and was seconded by Mr A. G. T. Bryan, on behalf of the Chamber of Commerce, Mr Bryan making a plea for the raising of the standard of farming, generally, in the country. Mr J.. W. Danby, for the High School Board of Governors, also promised the support of that body. A petition, advocating the proposal, and to be presented to Parliament, will be circulated locally, and some of those present volunteered to ootairi signatures. The members of the committee expressed their appreciation to the Mayor for presiding.

VIEW OF PRINCIPAL

farmers not sending sons

A statement, on which he was congratulated by both members of the investigating committee and those present, was made to the meeting by the principal of the Thames High School, Mr H. G> Dorrington. Mr Dorrington liegan by quoting figures which showed the decline in the number of young people taking up farming as a career.

“I found, as a vocational guidance officer, that the agriculture course was far the. least popular of all courses,” he said. “With rare exceptions, a boy was placed in the agriculture course only if he had 1 insufficient ability to do the work of any other courses. Time and time again farmers have refused to enrol their own sons in the agriculture course, despite the fact that they intended them to be farmers. The general inference was that they did not learn anything worth while (which, as a matter of fact, was a totally wrong conclusion). “I have had it said to me more than once, ‘I don’t want him In the

agriculture course. Put him in the engineering course. I can teach him all the farming he needs to know. This, of course, is a totally indefensible attitude —for farming needs its theory and its practice and its related subjects—taught by specialists just the same as- any other occupation. In spite of this, very fine work has already been done in some schools that have established agriculutral courses. Success Elsewhere . "But here is a strong argument for the establishment of a fully-equipped, properly endowed, agricultural high school. Success has already been attained in schools in other parts of the Dominion. But the outstanding example of an agricultural high school in New Zealand is at Feilding, where, of a total of 209 boys, 143 are enrolled in the agriculture course. “Even here, where such outstanding results have been attained, there are difficulties in running a farm in connection with a school because of the tendency to take pupils away from general subjects, such as English, history, geography and arithmetic, to do the routine work of farming, like milking, ploughing, fencing, etc. “Hence the need for the establishment of a separate institution such as is envisaged in the proposal. All our New Zealand problems, scientific and economic, have their roots in the farm. The fertility of the new land is beginning to wane. Problems which did not hitherto exist face a new generation of farmers—problems of soil erosion, of soil chemistry and physics, of pasture management, veterinary science and farm economics—and these all need to be explored. Moreover, they cannot be solved without an educated generation of farmers In addition, and perhaps most serious of all, a disturbing drift to the cities has to be stemmed. It Can Be Taught I “Farmers on the other hand must not insist, as many do, that the science of farming cannot "be taught. It ns in no way an exception as an occupation. There is pre-vocational training in every other career; why not in farming?—when the matter is handled in an enlightened and up-to-date man ner. “The school will necessarily have to be a boarding establishment. Except then, for those pupils whose homes are in the immediate neighbourhood. I would recommend that no pupils be enrolled but those with a definite bend for farming. This could be assured by each other High School acting as a contributing school, providing pupils who had already spent at least only and preferably two years in a general or engineering course.

“By the time a boy has reached Form IV he should, with the aid of wise guidance, know what vocation he intends to follow. This policy would reduce the number of misfits at the agricultural school. Moreover, a boy’s general education must not be neglected. Two years at a normal High School would ensure that his ground-work in English and other general subjects was sufficient to enable him to proceed intelligently with special studies, and would, in addition, help to develop community and cultural interests which he needs in addition to his career.

“Boys, at the primary school level, are too young, I 'believe, to benefit by a course which is too narrowly defined. Too early specialisation is one of the chief criticisms justly levelled at our post-primary system of education.”