AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18764, 18 January 1923, Page 4

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION

ENCOURAGEMENT BY UNIVERSITY URGED. SIR ROBERT STOUT'S VIEWS. In referring to agricultural education at the. meeting of the University Senate yesterday Sir Robert Stout suid: When it was first proposed that an agricultural degree should Iks conferred" by the University, it got scant notice from tho senate, but that was over thirty years a<ro. It is in my opinion not to our credit that our most important primary .industries have not been provided for in our University collegos. A changed attitude towards tho rendering more efficient of our workers in our primary industries by scientific training-., is becoming apparent. I noticed in a lato Auckland newspaper that there .is on. agitation in tho northern districts for the founding of a professorship of agriculture in tho Auckland University College. In my opinion tlii3 should have been done years ago. Tho fact is that tho climate of the northern part of this dominion is quite different l'rom the climate of the south, and there should be special training provided for those who are to bo out farmers in what might bo termed the sub-tropical regions of our dominion. It is true that the Government has gone to considerable expense in providing scientists in our Agricultural Department, bo.it in my opinion all these scientists should be teachers and trainers of our young fanners. We have at present in our Agricultural Department the following divisions, beyond tho general organisation and function cf the department- namely: 1. Live stock section. 2. Dairying. 3 Horticultural 4 Agricultural and inspection of experimental farms. 5. Chemistry. 6. Biology. 7. Geology. 8. Hemp grading and grain grading. We have also inspection of butter and cheese, and we have a Forestry Department with various scientific officers. Wo have in addition to these scientists in agriculture, scientists in mining; wo have a Dominion Chemical Laboratory; and we have n Dominion- Museum. Gould not all these scientific functionaries and institutions be utilised for tho teaching and training of our industrial people'.' I thought so in 1837. and the House" of Representatives passed a Bill to enable a Scientific Institute to bo created that would perform all the scientific work required by the Government, and at the same time teach those ■ who desired scientific education in their industrial life. The Legislative Council, howover, refused to pass tho Bill, and the result has been that we have now scientilio laboratories, etc., in our University colleges, and we have a considerable expenditure of moneys for scientific purposes in non-oducatioiml departments of government. I suppose £50,0C0 would not provide for such departments expenditure. This seems to me to be a. waste of o;ir means, and coukt easily be corrected. We have to remember that in the present state of what, I might term our civilisation, wo cannot /expect many students to enter institutions for the solo object of learning. What are termed "bread and butter" studies must be provided for, and this bein<r so, it, would be wise of us to try and give to our farmers and settlers the highest possible scientific education to enablo them to be efficient.