FEUDING AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6863, 19 March 1929, Page 3

FEUDING AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL

Its Value to the Town At last night’s meeting of the Feilding Chamber of Commerce, Mr L. J. Wild, principal of the Feilding Agricultural High School, delivered an address ,entitled “The meaning and the value to Feilding of the Agricultural High School." In his introductory remarks, Mr Wild touched on the history of the institution paying tribute to those responsible for founding it. and saving of those that t-hey were really before their time, for if was only now that the ' true position of agricultural training in our educational syllabus was being appreciated. In dealing with the school. Mr Wild referred to a map of the North Island, pointing out that pupils came from as far north as Whakatane and that was indicative of the growing appreciation of its value and of Feilding as an agricultural training centre. In referring to its development, Mr Wild stated that the teaching staff in 1922 numbered three, including himself. and to-day it totalled ten, which represented no mean growth. The school started with 00 pupils and its roll number was just under 200 to-day. Tho speaker said that the school’s income last year was £5500 and the income of the hostel for the same period was £2577, which sum represented maintenance for the boarders. Forty-two boys boarded at the hostel and the whole of the money was spent in Feilding. To illustrate the substantial position of the Feilding institution, Mr Wild quoted from official returns. Dannevirke High School’s hostel income last year was £000; Gore, which had a population of 3590. and a hostel established for 15 years, had an income of £1301; Rangiora, whose hostel had been established for a number of years had an income last year of £1031; Hawera, a town the size of Feilding, with a high school established for some years, had four boarders in its hostel, while the income of the Palmerston North High School hostel was £2029. The Feilding hostel income last year certainly represented something to the business people of Feilding.

In dealing with the possibilities in the suggestion that the Chamber of Commerce might be of assistance in further developing the school, Mr Wild asked the meeting to consider all it would do should a party of English public schoolboys visit Feilding. Tliev would be handsomely welcomed, no doubt, and would bo regarded as ambassadors from the Homeland. There were in the Feilding hostel some 40 odd boys from all parts of the North Island and here Mr Wild expressed appreciation of tho hospitality that had been extended to them by the people of the town.

Did not the business men present consider that these boys could bo regarded as ambassadors from other parts of New Zealand, and did it not strike those present that some interest might be shown' in them by such a body as the Chamber? Mr Wild said that those men who had founded the Feilding Agricultural High School got on the right lines and when the history of education came to bo written it would be placed to tho credit of those gentlemen that they were the founders of a movement which meant so much to the prosperity of the Dominion. (Applause.) On the motion of the chairman, Mr A. C. MeCorkindalo, supported by Messrs Tingey, Kellow and Williamson, Mr Wild was accorded a hearty vote of thanks.