AGRICULTURAL BIAS

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 79, 2 March 1929, Page 5

AGRICULTURAL BIAS

IN EDUCATION SYSTEM. MINISTER AT FEILDING. (Special to “Standard.”) FEILDING, March 2. The Minister of Education, Hon. H. Atmore, paid his first official visit to Feilding yesterday when he inspected the two State schools and the Agricultural High School. At the primary institutions the Minister was met by the respective headmasters and members of the committees and conducted through the schools. The Minister addressed the children of each school and at his wish they were granted a holiday on Monday to commemorate the visit. At the High School the Ministerial visitor was met by Mr H. Tolley and the principal, Mr L. J. "Wild, and introduced to the staff and members of the Board of Managers. In an introductory speech, Mr Tolley welcomed the Minister and expressed the pleasure of the Board of Managers at his visit. UNIQUE SCHOOL. In reply, Mr Atmore congratulated the people of Feilding on having such a valuable school and also paid a tribute to the local bodies which had contributed so largely toward its funds. The school was unique, the Minister went on to say, in that it was the only secondary institution in New Zealand that had an agricultural bias. For years New Zealad children had been trained at a ratio of 97 per cent, out of every 100 for the pursuits of a city life, and in other ways given an academic education, and this, in an agricultural country like New Zealand, was obviously wrong. Ninety seven pounds out of every £IOO came from the country in New Zealand and to train children for a city life was an educational blunder that had to be remedied. Continuing, the Minister referred to unemployment in the Dominion. This distressing feature of our life, he said, was in his opinion brought about partly by a faulty educational system in the first place that did not bear on the primary industry. AGRICULTURAL BIAS TO SYSTEM In the next few weeks he believed ho would be able to arrive at a satisfactory system of education whereby the agricultural bias would be given to the education system, but it would be useless to give that without providing the children with the opportunity of getting on the land. The speaker then went on to refer to the fact that large areas of land were still held by private owners and it would be the duty of the Government to see that these areas were cut up. These means and a re-arrange-ment if the educational system, the Minister thought, would effectively rid the .country of the curse of unemployment. Unfortunately, during the past lour or five years the volume of production in the country had not increased proportionately with the population, but with larger areas of land made available and with children trained suitably for a farming life the position' would soon be remedied. Mr Atmore then addressed himself in a more personal vein to the children. He drew their attention to the fact that, as the comiug men and women of. New’Zealand,, they had a great part to play in their country’s future and it behoved them to prepare themselves adequately for the service and duty before them. He wanted them to feel that the Government was sympathetic towards them and would be always interested in their welfare and progress. To the principal and staff the Minister paid a warm tribute for their conduct of the school and asked that the children be given a holiday on Monday. Mr Wild briefly returned thanks to the Minister and at his call cheers were given for Air Atmore and Hon. J. G. Cobbe, Minister of Marine, who was also present. REQUEST TO MINISTER. The Ministerial party was subsequently entertained at afternoon tea by Mrs Wild and afterwards inspected the school farm and Merry Hill farm on Makino Road. Opportunity was taken by the Board of Managers to lay before the Minister a request for certain improvements and alterations in respect of the farm environments, Air Atmore giving him assurance that the matters would be considered.