PARLIAMENT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19270, 6 September 1924, Page 10

PARLIAMENT.

YESTERDAY’S PROCEEDINGS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, September 5. The House met at 2.80 p.m. BILLS PASSED. The Roman Catholic Bishop of Dunedin Empowering Bill and the Spiritualist Church of Now Zealand Bill, both under the charge of the Hon. J. A. HAN AN, were read a third time and passed. THE ESTIMATES. The House then went into Committee of Supply further to consider the Estimates, the first item being tho Agricultural Department—£2o3,7l7. Mr FORBES desired that the Minister should make a definite statement os to tho policy of the Government regarding the establishment of one or two agricultural colleges. There was always a good deal of political “pull” in such matters, but the question as to where the colleges were to be placed was not of so much importance ns getting the colleges fairly going. He traced the history of this movement which, he said, amounted to nothing more than a scries of promises by itho Government, but lie thought the time had now arrived when the public would stand no more trifling with the question. It was estimated in 1913 that it would cost £50,000 to establish a college, with an annual grant of £SOOO. These sums would, however, have to he materially increased to-day.

Mr RANSOM said the Howard Estate In Hawke’s Bay had been given to the "Government for tho express purpose of establishing an agricultural college in that province, but so far the Government had done nothing except draw revenue from the estate. If the Government looked for gifts from private individuals in this connection it should show a little appreciation of these gifts when it received them.. Mr J. C. ROLLESTON (Wnitomo) put in a plea for liberal expenditure to recover the lands in the centre of the North Island which were rapidly going back into secomr growth. Tho Hon. J. A. HANAN said that before the Government proceeded to establish any more agricultural colleges it should first determine upon some co-ordinated system of agricultural education. At present we had a hotch-potch system because there was no proper system of organisation or control. lie believed that agricultural education should he under the control of the Minister of Education. Agricultural education was not, however, a fundamental requirement. Tho remedy lay far deeper than that, and it lay in getting farmers to stay on their farms and practise the rules of good husbandry. There was too great' a tendency at present for farmers to be looking to sell out at a profit. If agricultural education wore seriously tackled the dominion would experience no difficulty in finding tho money necessary. The Hon. A. D. M'LEOD said that in New Zealand we had 43,000.000 acres of occupied land, and it was an extraordinary fact that from this land we last year exported £50,000,000 worth of produce, or at a rate of 25s per acre, in addition to feeding our own population, which consumed large quantities of the produce of the country. This, he thought, was a record unequalled in any part of the world, unless we went to the intensively cultivated fields of Denmark, Belgium, and Holland.

The Hon. W. NOSWORTHY said the policy of developing agricultural colleges had been stopped by the intervention of the war, at least until 1919, but a lot of work had already been done, especially at the Ruakura State Farm, where there were about 50 pupils, and if there were facilities that number could be doubled. With regard to the two agricultural colleges referred to in the Budget, the Minister said that the matter had not yet come before Cabinet, but he proposed, as soon as the opportunity offered to ask Cabinet to discuss it and endeavour to roach some conclusion. Although mentiqn had been made of one or two colleges for the North Island, his own opinion was that one college would be sufficient to begin with. Where that college would bo he was not going to say at present. He agreed there should be. one college in the South Island, but instead of establishing another there, ho thought it would be advisable from the financial point of view and out of recognition of what had been done by those connected with Lincoln College for a great number of years, that the Government should step in under a mutual agreement with Lincoln College and strengthen that institution and bring it up to a standard equal to that of the college proposed to be established in the North Island. Both islands would then bo equally equipped, and there would )jo a college in each island to which ho thought each was entitled. That, continued the Minister, was what was at the back of his mind. They should not go in for two colleges but should equid and establish a first-class one in the North Island and strengthen Lincoln College in the South Island. Replying to Mr Rolleston, Mr Nosworthy said he proposed to get a report oirtho position of the land going bade into scrub and forn, and afterwards he would ask Cabinet to sanction a very heavy expenditure to see what could bo done with these 4,000,000 or 5,000,000 acres in the direction of bringing them back to and keeping them in grass. Experiments had been initiated and would be continued.

Replying to Mr Ransom, Mr Nosworthy . said the question of utilising tho Howard Estate was under consideration. He had been approached 18 months ago by people in Hawke’s Bay on the matter, and ho then advised them that tho best thing to do was to farm tho estate to the highest, capacity and accumulate all the funds possible with a view one day of utilising them for a fund for the establishment of agricultural education jn Hawke’s Bay. That was what he had said, but the matter would have to go before Cabinet. “I mav say now,” added the Minister, “that I do not feel disposed to talc© away from Hawke’s Bay money that has been left by a Hawke’s Bay man for tho purpose of an agricultural college, but the money is • not nearly sufficient to put up an agricultural col lego in Hawke’s Bay if they want one there, and the sit© is not selected in Hawke’s Bay for what the Government wants now. Thoy will have to wait and nurse their fluids.”

Mr MASTERS said that more money should be spent on (die development of the xVgricultiiral Department. While other departments of less importance had gone ahead the Agricultural Department had stood still.

Mr WILLIAMS urged the Government to offer some inducements to chemists and other scientists to discover some economic remedy for tho hlackhorrv pest It would pay to offer a price of £50,000 if a satisfactory remedy could be found. Mr ARMSTRONG contended that the record of production claimed by the Minister was quite illusory. Wo had not, he said, produced more than in previous years. What had happened was that we had received higher prices for our products. That was all.

The Hon. O. J. PARR said that tho object of agricultural colleges should not bo to give men degrees and train them to become lecturers. What they should do was to train young men to become good farmers.

The discussion was proceeding when tho House adjourned at 5.30 p.m. The House resumed at 7.30 p.m. In committee, Mr M ‘KAY stressed the need for active measures being taken to clear noxious weeds, especially blackberry, on Crown and other lands. The MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE said the Government had already offered a considerable sum of money for the discovery of a noxious weed eradicator. Referring to tho agricultural college question, ho said that one such institution was sufficient for New Zealand for turning out agricultural instructors. It was to farm schools, such as Kuakura, that they must look for tho training of young men in practical farm work. iMr S TICES contended that an agricultural college should be located in the Wairarapn, where already there existed an excellent breeding establishment, and where the people were willing to give financial aid to any worthy object of this character. Mr EIRE said the only way in which much of the laud could bo worked profitably was by enabling manures for topdressing to bo supplied at reasonable prices; otherwise the land would not hold grass, and would again bo overgrown by scrub. Mr HUDSON said ho hoped that tho Government would do something to encourage the development of lime production. Only £2O was allocated for this purpose, which was quite out of proportion to the importance of the subject. Assistance should he given to the settlers in the destruction of wild pigs and deer which in some districts caused groat damage to pastures. Mr SMITH considered that in fixing upon a site for an agricultural college the claims of Taranaki—“the garden of New Zealand” —stood pre-eminent above all others. It produced more dairy produce

than any other province in proportion to eize and population. The Government had failed to evolve a comprehensive policy ot agricultural education. The work of the Agricultural and Education Departments should be co-ordinated and money provided so that the facilities already offered at various secondary schools might be fully utilised. If that were done there would bo no need for the establishment of expensive agricultural colleges. The MINISTER, said tho Government had already subsidised model and experimental farms at Stratford and Wnimate. Regarding lime production, tho department would bo willing to give assistance in the case of plants in isolated districts. _ Tho Government would keep its promise in the matter of a guarantee for apple export to the extent of 300,000 cases in the coming season at one penny per pound. The Hon. A. T. NGATA thought it desirable that a farm school or college should be provided to carry on the instruction from the point reached in primary schools. Mr PARRY asked what was the purpose of tho regulations dealing with cattle tick, which was a matter of serious concern to the small farmers in the northern districts. If the object was to prevent the post spreading to the rest of the country the cost should bo borne by the whole country. Mr HA WHEN urged that more encouragement in the growing of small seeds in New Zealand, tho climate of which was particularly suitable for the growth ot all classes of small seeds required by farmers and gardeners. Many foreign seeds induced diseases and undesirable seeds would gain entry into the country if their growth were encouraged. The present expenditure of .•0200,000 or £300,000 oh the importation of small seeds might be reduced very largely, and eventually New Zealand might become ;, n exporter of such seeds. The discussion was continued until 11.5 p.rp.. when the vote was passed. The committee then took up discussion of the Tourist Department vote —£66,593. Mr WILFORD and the Hon. J. A. HAN AN complained of tho poor advertising of New Zealand’s attractions abroad. Mr NOSWORTHY, in reply, said he was quite prepared to spend more _ money in advertising Now Zealand if Cabinet would authorise it. The Economic Commission had recommended that the Tourist Department should go out. hut ho had saved it because ho recognised it had a future. His trouble was that ho could not show a balance sheet. All ho could show were the outgoings. The money brought in by tourists could not be recorded, and the department was in consequence criticised because it did not pay. He recognised the importance of advertising New Zealand, and ho would do his test with me money placed at his disposal. It was proposed' to place £20,000 on tho Supplementary Estimates for development at,the Waitomo Caves.

Tho vote was passed at 0.45 n.m. Customs Department. £112,-125 ; Cook Islands! ££9,669; Mental Hospitals, £295,620; Native Department, £29,882; Native Trustee Department. £9684; Native Lands Settlement Account. £4600 were also passed practically without debate. Tho House rose at 1 a.m. till 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.