THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18762, 16 July 1924, Page 14

THE DAIRY INDUSTRY.

NEED FOR EDUCATION.

A CHAIR OF AGRICULTURE.

VALUE OF RESEARCH WORK.

The great gathering of factory managers "of the state dairying division, business men and others who v.-ere present at the annual meeting of the National Dairy Association recently held in Auckland, dealt with many interesting features connected with the dairying industry, but certainly did not give to the subject " agricultural education" that attention which its importance should command. Considering that at the present time how dependent the dairyisig industry is upon science and upon scientifically trained men 'the question of educating those who are to take their part in the future development of the industry is of paramount importance to the nation.

The Auckland Dairy Association, Conference passed a resolution on Monday last urging the Government to establish a Chair of Agriculture at the Auckland University College, but unfortunately, the conference did not offer to give any financial assistance to the proposal—one speaker being reported as saying that he did not see why the dairy industry should directly contribute toward a Chair of Agriculture, 'this attitude is no doubt due to a misconception of the proposal. It is recognised by all who have given thought to the matter that the provision of sound and advanced scientific agricultural education would be of incalculable advantage to the people of Auckland Proiince. It must be clearly understood that dairying research work would form a very important part in the Professor of Agriculture's duties. Dairy farmers surely realise the wonderful work done by scientific men, to aid their dairy industry. Dairy farmers cannot trust to empirical knowledge. Certainly, experience is a helpful guide, but practically the whole success of the dairying industry has been bnilt up on the results of definite scientific investigational work—without that work the " dairy farmer " as known today in New Zealand would not be in existence.

Value of Investigation. The discoveries of scientific truth which are to-day enabling the dairy industry in New Zealand to carry on successfully have been reached only by the severest and most searching investigations. Research work is not merely an incidental part of the work at an Agricultural College. It ijl fundamental and essential to its sue-

CESS. With the establishment of a Chair of Jlgriculture at Auckland, within a very few years there would be a body of men, with a sound and severe training in the fundamentals of science, available for investigation and research work in all problems connected with dairying and dairyfarming. "A research project deals with things that are fundamental— something that applies generally or that may be expected to follow under a given set of conditions. Instead of being satisfied with the purely empirical,, it attempts to trace findings back to science or to theory. It is constructive in design; it aims to advance knowledge iby considered steps, building xtp on what others have learned and profiting by thtair experience and results, lhe scientific method of improving knowledge is the substitution of detailed and verifiable results for broad, unproved generalities derived from practice, or from inadequate experiment and speculation. Science does not stand still—the knowledge of to-day will not be sufficient for the needs of to-morrow. Each extension of our knowledge shows greater problems to be faced, and makes more imperative the need for further research work. Denmark, with a total of % million acres, has shown the world what can be done by the application of the fruits of scientific agricultural education to the problems of the farm. ■The climatic and the soil conditions of the Anckland-prcrvince are such that different modes of treatment must be adopted from those of other parts of New Zealand. The understanding of the nature of research work- and its importance to the people of Auckland, to progress in agriculture and dairying, must be more and more impressed upon the Government of New Zealand, The Campbell Bequest.

The establishment of a Cbtar of Agri- > culture requires a large sum of money. The Auckland College Council is extremely fortunate in having available the . income from the sum of £20,000 left by the late Sir John Logan Campbell, but at least another £40,000 will be required to provide for capital expenditure, and a \ sum of from £5000 to £10,000 yearly will be necessary for general maintenance. The New Zealand Dairy Association has generously offered' £1000 a year for five years, and it is hoped that the representatives of th© other Dairying Companies in, the province will contribute at least an equal sum. The members of- the Government are in sympathy with the proposals to establish the Chair, but " self help " has a remarkable influence upon Ministers of the Crown, and from purely selfish motives the people of the Auckland province should give the movement their generous financial support. To quote the Hon. Noel Buxton, Minister for Agricultuffl in England, " Money could not be spent in a better way than upon agricultural education," The export value of dairy prodnce from the Auckland Province has reached a value of eight millions sterling. Surely £8000, equal to one-tenth of one per cent, of that amount, could profitably lje devoted to agricultural and dairying educational and research work, but the dairy exports of Auckland to-day are only a small part of what they may be in the near future. There is lying idle to-day in the province of Auckland as great an area of land as is found in the wholo of Denmark which country leads the world in scientific dairying. It is on the proper education of the present and future generations that the full utilisation of over nine million acres of idle lands in the Auckland Province depends. A large proportion of the area must be devoted to dairying so that the importance of adequate education in this industry is manifest.