OHAIR OF AGRICULTURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18703, 8 May 1924, Page 11

OHAIR OF AGRICULTURE.

.. AUCKLAND'S OPPORTUNITY. DEVELOPMENT OF -. LAND. k i h it% f iHIKiB&S ; ENTITLED TO STATE AID. 3Pfe^ ! -: .*>?.-! :, VIEWS OF EON. C. J. PARR. &y.;. t " / •• • ;.: ; .: : .•■ • •/ •. ■ ' !;[,.', •■' "I think ;wo "would do well to specialise in > agricultural education .in Auckland,'said the Hon. ,C.. J. Parr, at a conference ■f ' . with members of the Education Board yes-. terday. "The University College ,' Coun- ' ' cil, in my opinion, would do . well to make almost immediate use of the opportunity ' : now'offered it by the trustees of Sir John, Logan Campbell's estate, who are ; making available a large sum of money, set apart " ■under the latter's :' will, ■; for the establish- ■■ • ment of a chair ;of . agriculture. / A splendid opportunity offers for the : Auckland University to specialise in this direction. •: • The soils of tho North are peculiarly * adapted to scientific research, and offer a , . field for experiment such as no other part of New Zealand possesses." This idea had been strengthened, . con- : tinued Mr. Parr, by a recent trip through '' . the Taupo district and the; v Waikato. Splendid work > was being done at Taupo by the Prisons Department in the develop-.: ' ment of the pumice lands. An area " of' r 10,000 acres had. been obtained near ; Tokaanu, 700 acres of : which had been brought under cultivation in 18 months \ by a gang of about 30 prisoners. There. , was now a splendid showing of young grass on this land, and he had never, seen better oats. ' _ .■. ■ , - _ • Tens of thousands of . acres, of this land were awaiting development, and .the Auckland University: College had a sound claim on the Government for financial assistance in support of the bequest already , made, which would ■ enable an agricultural college to be established. Wellington had already mad© a start, and had appointed .a professor in accordance with the terms of the Sir Walter Buchanan ■ bequest. The Auckland Education Board would do S well to • back ;up the • college -in the matter. "While he did not undervalue the .importance of the medical and dental ' schools, ?he •. thought Auckland . should'* centralis®'"- its efforts in :' the direction of securing i. a ; strong ' chair of agriculture at - the university. Eventually these other schools • would come to Auckland,. but at present the country ; was not justified' in maintain* '' ing two • schools. of dentistry. In time to , come, Auckland would undoubtedly , have , a' university of its own, and would then -be able to develop along its own lines. - ; The n«ed for the establishment of agri- „ cultural education was also emphasised by V the chairman, who said there were 600 boys in the \ secondary departments of the . district high schools,; only" 10 per cent, of whom would go on from the high schools to agricultural training at Ruakura.. ' The • question of the ' appointment of a supervisor -of agricultural education was raised by Mr. H. S. W. King,- who said there was need for - co-ordination in-this direction throughout the secondary, schools of the Dominion. The Minister agreed to give 1 th© matter J his " consideration. -