AGRICULTURE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 9, 8 December 1937, Page 8

AGRICULTURE

CO-ORDINATION OF COLLEGES.

IMPORTANT NEW MEASURE,

(By Telegraph—Special to Standard.) v ” WELLINGTON, Dec. 8. The procedure to be adopted in coordinating and developing higher education in, agriculture is outlined in the School of Agriculture Bill, which was introduced by Governor-General s message in the House of Representatives yesterday afternon and read the first time. Hie Bill sets up a School of Agriculture in connection with the University of New Zealand, and the school is to have a representative on the" Senate of the University. The school is to consist or the Canterbury Agricultural College and the Massey Agricultural College, and its administration will be reposed in a coundil, to consist of four members to be appointed by each of the two colleges and a chairman. The period of appointment to the council is two years. The term of appointment or a representative on the University Senate is three years. Provision is made for the appointment of a chairman and deputy-chairman each year. The chairman may be one of the members or some other person, and the deputychairman will he apipointed from the members. ‘ The council of the School of Agriculture is to have the entire management of and. superintendence over the affairs and .property of the school. Its functions are: (a) To co-ordinate the work of each college with a view to the development of a progressive policy of agricultural education ill New Zealand ; (b) to determine the genera] policy of research in relation to teaching at each college; (c) collaborate with the departments of State in the preparation and adoption of a programme of special work or special training at either college, designed to achieve greater efficiency in agricultural education. . The council is empowered to appoint officers of the School of Agriculture and principals, professors, lecturers and examiners of. the colleges, and in the cpse of any ' appeal, against suspension'from any of these officers the decision of the council is final. ; For the current financial year, and for subsequent years, the Minister of Finance is empowered to make a grant of £27,000 to the School of Agriculture, or any other sum that may be approved by the Aim lister for. the purpose of maintaining and administering the school.

When the Bill was introduced, the Minister of Agriculture (Hon. W. Lee Martin) said it embodied recommendations for the best methods of co-or-dinating the work of the. two agricultural colleges, and had the unanimous approval of the controlling authorities of the colleges. He had no doubt it would assist in raising the level of agricultural education in the Dominion.