Laying Foundation Stone of New Massey College

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7084, 5 December 1929, Page 5

Laying Foundation Stone of New Massey College

GOVERNOR-GENERAL PERFORMS CEREMONY

“Important Milestone In History of the Dominion” !-, _ v Described by the chairman of the College Council (Sir George Fowlds) as an event which the historians of the future would mark as a milestone, the foundation stone of the new,, Massey Agricultural College at Fitzherbert was laid yesteiday morning by his Excellency Sir Charles Fergusson. With the gaunt framework of the first building construction work as a background and the wide excavations of the foundations for the £90,000 block gaping at the feet of the crowd, the ceremony was one fitting the importance of the event. Speakers at the ceremony, in addition to his Excellency, were Sir George Fowlds, chairman of Massey College Council, Hon. G W Forbes, Minister of Agriculture, and Professor G. S. Peren, principal of the . college. All four emphasised s the importance ' .of agricultural research to New Zealand’s primary industries and stressed the’value which the new college will have in this connection.

Ia accordance with, custom, a casket containing coins of the realm together ■with copies df. newspapers referring to the building was placed under the foundation stone. Copies of the N. Z. Herald, Auckland Sun, Auckland Star, Dominion (Wellington), ; Manawatu Standard ' and Manawatu Times were contained in the casket.

Donald, M.P., Dr. Reakes, DirectorGeneral Department of Agriculture, Mr John Deane, chairman of the Board of Governors of Canterbury Agricultural College, Mr R. E. Alexander, director of the Canterbury Agricultural College, the chairman of the Professornal Board, Otago University, Professor. Easterfield, Oawthron Institute, Dr. T. Rigg, Oawthron Institute, Mr W. Pike,; Board of Agriculture, Mr W. A. lorns, chairman of Dairy Produce Board, Mr A. S. Bankart, chairman of trustees of the John Logan Campbell bequest (from which £20,000 was received to endow the Auckland Chair of Agriculture and now incorporated in Massey College), Mr G. Shirtcliffe, chairman of the scientific and Industrial Research Council, Dame Massey, Messrs N. Francis,. J. D. Hall, T. U. Wells and L. G. Wild,, as. well .as the Board of Governors of . the Feilding Agricultural High School.

An old Maori “Ko,” a wooden agricultural implement used in the kurnera fields, waar.presented to his Excellency by the builders (the Fletcher Construction Company) and Sir Charles expressed, his delight with this happy method of marking the occasion. , The 1 Ko was presented by a director of the company, Mr Andrew Fletcher, who stated that the builders had considered this practical implement a very fitting souvenir of such au occasion. Their Excellencies arrived at the college property half an hour before the ceremony, and in the pleasant morning sunshine inspected the homestead block. The elements and the season had conspired to welcome them and send them away with a parting impression of a smiling and fertile countryside. In addition to the speakers and members of-the vice-regal party, there were present among the gathering Hon. E. Newman, M.L.C., Hon. G.J. Smith, M. L.C., Messrs J. A. Nash, M.P., J- Linklater, M.P., J. Hogan M.P., W- JBroadbelt, M.P., H. E. Jenkins ME, the Mayor (Mr A. J. Graham), Dr. Marsden (secretary for the Dcpartmen of Scientific and Industrial Research), Mr A. H. Cockayne (assistant DirectorGeneral of Agriculture), Professor Biddet, Director of the Dairy Research Institute, members of the Massey College " Council, Palmerston ' North Borough Council and representatives' of other public bodies. *. Apologies, for absence were received from the following:—Rt.-'Hon.. Sir J. G. Ward, Rt. Hon. J. G. Coates, Hon. p A dels Perrelle, Minister of Intersnal Affairs, Hon. W. B. Taverner, Minister of Railways, Hon. J. B. Cobbe, Minister of Marine, Hon E. A. Ransom, Minister of Public Works, Hon. T. M. Wilford, Minister of Justice, Hon. W. A. Vedtch, Minister, of Labour, Professor MacMillan Brown, Chancellor University of .New Zealand, Hon. W. Downie Stewart, Hon. T. K. Sidey, Hon. L. M. Michel, Hon G. J. Garland, Hon. Sir W. HaU-Jones, . Hon. Sir Heaton Rhodes, Mr A. Hamilton M.P., Mr -J. S. Fletcher M.P., Mr T. W. Mc-

v The foundation stone itself is .of Peterhead granite with the following inscription:—Tho Massey Agricultural College, founded 1926. This foundation stone was laid on December 4, 1929, by his Excellency, General Sir Charles Munio Fergusson, Bart,, G.C.M.G., Governor-General. The Bt. Hon. Sir Joseph Ward, Bart., P.C, KC.M.G., P.C.,' Prime Minister. The, Hon. George William Forbes, Minister for Agriculture. The Hon. Sir George Fowlds, C.8.E., chairman of the College Council. An Historical Occasion.

“The occasion for which we gathered to-day is a very important One in the history of New Zealand, ’ ’ said Sir George Fowlds, chairman of the College Council. “ The historians ofi 50 years from to-day will point to-wio establishment of Massey College as one of the epoch making events in the history, of our country, ' “It marks a forward move in the reI cognition of agriculture as the fbundaItion of our material prosperity : and the inclusion of agriculture as a unit of tho learned professions —a profession which deserves and requires the very highest training and equipment which science and, research can give it. “The establishment of this college also marks another advance in ‘ the educational history 'of New Zealand)' namely the voluntary coming together ■hi Auckland and Wellington University colleges for the promotion of scientific

agricultural education and research, fhis union has produced such beneficial results, while it means the submergenco of some old provincial prejudices, that it deserves recognition. '‘An agricultural college, in order to function at its highest, must provide for its students a certain amount of cultural education, and I anticipate a time, although I may not live to see it, when there will'he grouped around this building the foundation st<\ne which His Excellency will presentf ly lay, training colleges for teachers where they will imbibe the agricultural atmosphere which will .the better enable them to pass, on ''to the children of the primary schools a bias in favour of agricultural pursuits upon which the prosperity of the country must mainly depend for many years to come. “I also hope and expect that before many yearn pass by there will be a branch of the college giving a full and complete course of domestic science. The wives of the farmers of the future deserve the highest training we can give them for the discharge of their important duties ,and nowhere could the right atmosphere be better provided than at the agricultural college where their future husbands are being trained. “Oxford of New Zealand.”

“In short, I anticipate that, in the coming years, around the campus of this college there will develop various educational institutions that will make Palmerston North the Oxford or Cambridge of New Zealand, an Oxford or Cambridge adequately adapted to furnish the educational needs of this Dominion.

“This college will not only give scientific training to a large number of the future farmers of New Zealand; it will be expected to provide scientifically trained men for educational purposes, for experts in the various branches of the Agricultural Department, for the management and control of large businesses supplying the varied wants of the farmers, and for scientific research. The field for scientifically trained men in the, various branches of agriculture and for research workers is almost unlimited. “Ia these days .when most of the learned professions are overcrowded it is a relief to find that the demand for scientific men in various branches of agricultural education and-.'research js still greater than the supply. Bt. Hon. Mr Amery when he visited this college a year dr two ago told me the same stoTy. I was telling him that one of the objections which had been raised to the expenditure on the college had been that the country could not absorb the number of trained men that we .would turn out. He replied that I need not 'worry about that because the Colonial Empire would absorb all the worthwhile men that we wero likely to 'turn out for many years to come. Some people, however, object to New Zealand boys getting a training in New •|[ealand that will fit them for brilliant Careers abroad or even in other. parts of our far flung Empire. I know that Ypur Excellency does not harbour any ■ljich narrow-minded views. You believe that New Zealand boys deserve the training and equipment which will enable .them to succeed, either at home or abrdad, and so do I. • Well, sir, I trust that this college will be able to train fiien who will make a great contribution 'to the development of tho greatness and- prosperity of New Zealand in their own . country, and that some of them will reflect glory on their Alma Mater by-making valuable contributions to the growth and development of our great Empire, and to the welfare of the Whole world.

-}: ■ “We are therefore in a .position tb give a very full and complete course of instruction in all 7 branches of dairy and agricultural science to all students who come f. to us. So far we have been « greatly hampered by inadequate 1 and temporary accommodation and

equipment, but when the present building programme is completed, and a commodious hostel is provided, which wo are expecting the minister of Agriculture to provide as soon as possible, then this will be the most complete agricultural collcgo in the British Empire south of tho Equator., ‘‘May I be permitted to say, as an Ayrshire man,” added Sir George Fowlds, “our great joy that ono of the last great functions you are performing before you retire from the position of Governor-General of New Zealand is that you are laying the foundation stone of this college.” Benefit of Research.

“There is no doubt that this important function is a recognition of the fact that farming, as an industry, can look for assistance from science •’and education to a much greater degree than has beeai the case in the past. As a farmer myself, I can realise the benefit. to the industry of research work in schools and colleegs. We have arrived at a time in New Zealand when we must place more and more reliance upon the assistance of education in our industries,” said the Minister of Agriculture (Hon. G. W. Forbes).

He was pleased to say that as time went on, the production of the Dominion was steadily mounting up, not only per animal but per acre, which was after all the soundest test of agricultural production. The increase in the number of stock and the closer settlement of the land, however, brought with them more pressing problems which required the expert attention of trained men. In the early days in New Zealand, farming had been a comparatively simple matter, but mow the country had all the pests, and troubles of older lands.

In his own district of Canterbury, the need for agricultural education had been early recognised by the establishment of Lincoln College which was mow nearly 50 years old. Lincoln had played a large part in improving the country's agricultural methods but the establishment of Massey College meant that tho North Island would now have its own facilities. There was no doubt that the North Island was responsible for the greater part of New Zealand’s produce, and Massey College as its agricultural centre would be one of the most complete agricultural colleges in tho southern hemisphere. Ho was pleased,to be present at the first step in the erection of such an important building, but after all, a college wa.s not a building; it depended to a greater degree upon the energy and capabilities of the men who were in charge. Massey College was fortunate in this respect, and with Professor Peren as principal, he felt sure that it\ must progress. As time went on the college would accumulate its traditions, and he felt that one of the most treasured of these traditions would bo that Sir Charles ■Fergusson had laid the foundation stone.

“As Minister of Agriculture. I have every desire to assist in making this college worthy of the great future which lies before it, and as a farmer I welcome this important addition to tho educational facilities of New Zealand,” concluded tho Minister. Need For More Accommodation.

The urgent need for increased accommodation at the collcgo was stressed by the principal, Professor* G. S. Peyen; who expressed the gratification he felt, as head of the college, at the extensions which tho new building would provide. For two and a-half years the staff had been struggling to establish tho institution under condi.tions of cramped and ■ temporary accommodation and had been endeavouring to initiate a number of important lines of work. Despite tho hardships, however, he did not think that the work had suffererd judging from the number of enrolments and the indications of the future. The growth of the college, however, had reached that stage when they must have room for expansion and' by

the timo this building—largo as it would be—was completed, tho staff and students would fill every room and every laboratory. Tho peoplo of New Zealand and of Palmerston North, would wake up to discover that a large institution had, as it were, grown up overnight. Technical Knowledge. “It is particularly pleasing to me that the country is actively supporting agricultural education,” said the professor. “The day is practically past when agricultural science was looked upon as a sort of “black magic” and those engaged in it as hopelessly impractical. It is now recognised that in farming as in most other lines of work, there is a lot of technical knowledge which is essential to success. This knowledge is based on the accumulated experience of previous generations and on the results of experiments in tho laboratory and in the field, and it is now being appreciated that it is only rudimentary commonsense for a young man to take advantage of these experiences of others. The great rate at which our classes are growing are further evidence on this. I don’t wish to belabour tho necessity for research in the various problems which are costing the country thousands of pounds per annum but to those who are still sceptical I would say ‘ consider the dif• fereneees between farming 50 years ago and to-day as regards, say, the use of manures for both crops and pastures, the production of improved varieties of crops, the milking of cows and the control of pests and diseases in orchards and ask yourselves what agency is responsible for the alterations in practice.-’; Again, if they stoj> to think, they will realise that* in the course of time the results of experimentation which have been proved to be valuable and been adopted as a general practice becomes embodied in what is known as ‘sound farming’ and that the following generations quite fail to give credit to their origin, research, but merely clamour for the solution of further problems which have arisen.”

As one who had farming at heart, while, wishing to avoid any semblance of a lecture, lie would like to point ■out that farming as a business could only cany very light overhead expenses. This greatly increased the difficulties of the research worker. The answers to many problems could be given to-morrow were it not for the fact that the procedures recommended must be vciy cheap and sufficiently simple to be capable of application under the rough conditions imposed by farming. This latter was a very great handicap. A Good Investment.

It was of vital importance that the country should realise that the extent to which farming offered a good investment must determine the extent to which it flourished. An attracive yield on capital invested was essential to attract capital and good brains—agricultural education ancl research could not make up for their absence. In view of the position in this country, it was to the interest of every man, woman and child' that farming should constitute a sound business institution. We knew quite .well What followed major reductions in the prices of our staple pro-, ducts. There was no need to argue as to whether farmers wero making fortunes or not —the extent to which money for investment was being put into the land was a barometer which never lied.

“I have every hope that very shortly this eolloge will become one of the leading centres of farming interests in tho country,” concluded Professor Peren. “So far as instruction is concerned we are aiming to meet the various needs of the industry by means of courses which as a result of close observation really ‘hit the nail on the head,’ and so far as research is concerned we intend to concentrate our energies on certain definite branches in every endeavour, to produce results of real value. ” ■ ..

His Excellency’s Brevity. “I do not think that I can usefully

add very mucli to the addresses you have already heard, ’ ’said his Excellency on rising to speak. “I am always quoting to my friend, Sir G-eorge Fowlds, a littlo proverb which he has mentioned to-day—‘Your speech should bo short and compi’ehend much in a few words.’ But there is a second portion to that quotation, which he has not mentioned and which I will give you—‘Be as ono who knoweth much, but yet holdeth bis tongue.’ “I will be like that second part,” concluded his Excellency amidst laughter. "You aro to understand that I know all about farming, all about research, all about everything, but that I am keeping it to myself. “Seriously, however, I feel that this is a very important occasion. Undoubtedly this college will be of inestimable value to the community and New Zealand, and I feel very pleased that one of my last functions in New Zealand is that of laying this foundation stone. “One does hope,” continued Sir Charles, “that the establishment of this college •will give an increased impetus to agriculture and the settlement of land in New Zealand. One of the greatest problems in this country is that which is called the ‘back to the land’ question. Going round the schools and asking the headmasters what their pupils are going to do, this is always brought home to me every day when you find perhaps only two out of every 100 boys thinking of the land as a profession, and the rest shaping themselves for the towns and the overstocked professions. “The land seems to me to be the last thing the New Zealand boy thinks of. That is something which to me, is melancholy to a degree. If you talk to a boy and ask him why he does not like the land, he will not probably tell you his real reason because he is ashamed. But you will hear his reason, and it is that farming is hard work. Of course it is hard work! But is not the New Zealand of the past one monument to hard work? Surely the New Zealand of the future is not going to fail because the rising generation is afraid' of hard work.”

It was his hope that this college would encourage boys to go on the land and that it would serve to stimulate interest in agriculture. His Excellency then took the trowel and laid on the last layer of mortar be-

fore the foundation stone was lowered into its place. With the customary words, “I declare this stone well and truly laid,” Sir Charles then declared the first stone of one of New Zealand’s great agricultural institutions of the future, placed in position.