AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIV, Issue 13493, 21 May 1907, Page 3

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

Sir,At the recent conference of fcha Auckland branch of the Farmers' Union one or mors of t.he members, as reported in , your valuable paper, showed very bad taste in sneering at the work being done by the Board's agricultural instructor. You may remember. sir, that when technical education started in Auckland a perfect whine went up from the Farmers' Union that the country children were , being neglected for the pampered artisans' olive branches. 11l response tc numerous requests, a. capable instructor was procured from Canada, but only to. bo thwarted in ovory possible Way by' a section of the farming community. To the children of the small settler tho classes now being held for teachers will bo of groat) advantage, though, perhaps, not to the wealthy landowners who control tho Farmers' Union. Yet even these wealthy landowners might • receive many useful hints from Mr. Jackson, though they are presumably so intelligent. At least some of thorn said they had brains, for it was stated that their hearts approved, though their brains recognised it was hopeless to. attempt 'to alter our liberal franchise. Thoir brains do not deceive them, for our country will never again be handed over to tho squatters. No more soup-kitchens for New Zealand, but a clcaa administration, with W. F. . Massey, the struggling settlers' friend, at its head, id what 18 prayed for by : A Teaciibb. , Buckland, May 16. i