CHAIR OF AGRICULTURE

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 18 July 1924, Page 5

CHAIR OF AGRICULTURE

FARM FOR PRACTICAL WORK

DEPUTATION TO PREMIER

The requirements of the Victoria College Council towards giving full effect to the proposals in connection with the Chair of Agriculture were the subject of representations' made to the Prime Minister yesterday by members of the council and others interested. Mr P .Levi, chairman of the College Council, said that the Chair had been founded by the munificent gift of £20,000 by Sir Walter Buchanan, subsidised by the Government. The income did little more than provide the salary of the professor, who had been appointed, and in order to set the Chair of Agriculture going, they must have a farm for practical work, and the Prime Minister would agree that without a farm the work would be useless. lie referred to the Penrose farm at Masterton, which ■ had served its purpose for the training of returned soldiers. Professor Peren, who was in charge of the course, had visited the farm, but they did not know whether the Government-would favour that particular farm or whether it would prefer Weraioa. The council had come to the conclusion that to constitute the Chair properly it would be necesasry to appoint extra lecturers for the 1926 session, when they expected to he fully in progress, to lecture on such subjects as animal husbandry, agricultural chemistry, agricul tural biology, and horticulture. He suggested that'the appointees' be " youngmen who could later take degrees. The ordinary custom of agricultural colleges was to give a diploma course in_ general instruction in less advanced farming, and it was usually found that this course was better attended than the course-for the agricultural degree, which was intended for specialists. The main object of the Chair was to train young men to be practical farmers, and they wished to keep that to the forefront. The present, accommodation at the College was adequate for the purposes of the Chair, but there was not sufficient laboratory space. Mr Levi said that later cn they would require a capital sum for expenditure on buildings, especially laboratories. which might be more fitly erected on the farm. In that case lecture rooms would also be necessary. Personally, he saw no reason why the closest association should not exist between the laboratories for the Chair and the Government laboratories, nor why .they should not actually be under the same roof. It was the wish of the council to work in every way with the Government laboratories, and seemed quite practicable. The fai’m would have have to be stocked, and tliev estimated that a capital sum of £20,000 might be required at the start.

Professor Peren said he did not agree with teaching agriculture entirely in the city, and urged that the nucleus of the college should be on the farm. The average college in Canada cost about £50,000 a year. He alluded to the benefits of agricultural research work, ; and said that the two branches of work could co-operate. Concentration would give economy and permit of greater efficiency. New Zealand was far behind other countries, and even her competitors, in regard to agricultural education. Indeed, he confessed he had been staggered how far New Zealand was lagging behind in that respect. Sir Walter Buchanan said that applications at Victoria College for the agricultural course last year numbered 26, as against 4000 or 5000 for courses in ether subjects. That showed of what little value the college had been to agriculture in the past. He dissented from the view that a small farm would serve the purpose. He hoped it would be the chief aim to centre instruction, not in the cities, but oil the farm to be selected, and lie said that in his desire to see fiis dream realised he would be willing, if necessary, to make a further monetary contribution. The Prime Minister said be realised, as a pastoralist, the value of the subject, and that New Zealand was Jagging behind in agricultural instruction and had a lot to do. Ho appreciated the gift of Sir Walter Buchanan, Mid stressed its value to the country, remarking that Wairarapa had done its full share. He agreed that the headquarters should be on the farm itself. The subject could not be taught to young fanners in the classroom. Theory and practice must go together. Ho looked forward to more serious competitions in the agricultural industry. He realised the extent to which the Dominion had benefited by

tlie application of science in placing its products successfully on the foreign markets. He believed that not only agriculture, but also dairy farming and horticulture should be taught at the same institution. Despite the good work being performed at Lincoln College and ether institutions, he maintained that we ought to be educating at least ten times more students of agriculture than wo were doing at present, and he hoped wo would soon be making in that direction. Professor Peron could be assured the Government would assist him in his work. “I think wo will be ablo to see that we get value for our money,’’ he said, “and if that is done there will be no difficulty so far as I am concerned while 1 am Finance Minister. Your farm is there. If it is not suitable you have Werarou, and there is another in Hawkcs Bav, and one in Auckland.