FARM RESEARCH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22741, 29 May 1937, Page 17

FARM RESEARCH

ATTACK ON SYSTEM LACK OF EXPERT WORKERS FAILURE TO PRODUCE RESULTS NEED FOR CO-ORDINATION [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] CHKISTCRURCH, Friday Dissatisfaction with the present system of agricultural research in New Zealand has already prompted the North Canterbury branch of the Farmers' Union to prepare a remit for the Dominion conference of the union suggesting a co-ordinated scheme. After an attack on the present research methods by Mr. Alan Leslie, formerly veterinarian at Canterbury Agricultural College, the branch executive decided to seek the support of other provincial executives for its proposal. Almost negligible achievement, lack of expert workers and ill-defined spheres of activity were alleged against the Government research organisation by Mr. Leslie when he addressed the executive. He referred to wool research and said results were not being produced partly because there were too many little organisations and partly because of inexperienced research workers. Mr. Leslie criticised the absence of any distinction between practical service to farmers, the application of existing knowledge, and the conduct of research where new knowledge had to be established to cope with the farmers' problems. Test of [Research Work "The real test of research work is the amount of real new stuff that is turned out, not second-hand stuff, and you could write all the new stuff produced here 011 the back of a class card," said Mr. Leslie. "It would take 20 volumes to hold all that has been said about what is going to be done. You must ask for a definite ruling on who is doing the research work in this country and who is giving the service, and you must stand out for one department doing the research and one giving the service. "In New Zealand wo have a lot of research workers, but they are all beginners, and not experienced men. Take the Wheat Research Institute — not long ago it appointed an expert chemist from Canada. That man has now left to take up a more lucrative position, and they have appointed two juniors. That laboratory is now further back than it was when it started. They started with an expert and now all the threads are lost after 10 years." Disjointed System The Plant Research Station bad no geneticist. There were men to do this work in the country, but they were separated, stationed in Auckland, at Palmerston North and at Lincoln. The whole thing was disjointed. There were too many little organisations. The Wheat Research Institute should not be separated from the Plant Research Station: it had the only geneticist in the country of experience and standing. There were numerous cases of lack of co-operation. Nothing at all was being done in the country about dairying diseases. The department gave the assurance, if it was asked, that something was being done, but there were no results. The result was that the farmers had come to the conclusion that research work was unsatisfactory. In this they were correct.