AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3105, 17 September 1913, Page 20

AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

Ml NEWMAN’S RECOMMENDATIONS. IFbou Oub Own Correspondent.) WELLINGTON, September 11,

Mr E. Newman, who was sent to Ne.v South Wales to inspect the llawkesbury College, presented Jus report to-day, with recommendations for the course to be forlowed in the establishment of an agrijiil tural college in New Zealand. After detailing at length the system obtaining at llawkesbury, Mr Newman s.iys “ The conditions, of course, are very different in New Zealand from what they are in Australia, and this has to be remembered when the question of organising a system of instruction at a college is determined For many years, perhaps for all time, the bulk of the New Zealand farmers will be pastoral Ist not agricultural farmers, and 10 th cso men, while an intelligent knowledge of the science of agriculture is valuable the practical work such as is taught at llawkesbury would be of even greater use. 1 take it that our aim in New Zealand should be to provide an education for young men who are either going on to agricultural farms or to take up bush farming, and for the latter the practical training of Hawkesbury would be invaluable. “ A young man who can put up a good fence, build a house, kill and dress a bullock, pig, or sheen, measure up tanks, do concrete work, and has even an elementary knowlci ,o of surveying, and who in addition to this has a practical knowledge of tho points of horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs, and has been trained for three years t 0 ° a system of keeping accurate books by which he can determine the profit or loss from the breeding of any of thos c animals is well equipped to farm land profitably anywhere, but in addition to this, as has been shown at llawkesbury, such a college per forms splendid service for the country in providing instruction for winter and summer schools, rural camps, and so on. “ Bearing all these things in mind, I think it is safe to say that our colleges should bo as central as possible in their situations. They should bo near a railway station, should be about 100 acres in extent, and should consist of mixed qualities of soil, and not too fertile. ‘‘l have no hesitation in recommending that the linos adopted at llawkesbury be followed as closely as tihe conditions will permit. As a practical farmer myself, 1 appreciate thoroughly the enormous advantages a young man would have who had been trained at llawkesbury, as compared with the man who had not been so trained.

* “If the Government decides to follow this course I would suggest that teachers trained at Hawkeebury, other qualifications being equal, should be given preference for appointment.’’

BY LAWS AND STOCK DRIVING.

UNREASONABLE RESTRICTIONS

CHRISTCHURCH, September 13. Mr Bailey, S.M., to-day delivered his reserved judgment in several cases arisng out of informations laid under the Riccarton Borough Council’s by-laws relating to the driving of stock to and from the Addington saleyards. The magistrate said the facts were not disputed. The defence raised was that the by-laws were ultra vires and unreasonable. After reviewing the evidence he had come to the conclusion that the restrictions were unreasonable. ' Regarding the legal aspect, he said it was not at ail clear that the borough council had power to limit the hoars during which stock might be driven along the streets. Power was given under section 344 (2) of the Municipal Corporations Act to prescribe the route by which cattle might be driven, but nothing was said about times, and any power to make bylaws as to time was by inference only from other sections. All the informations were dismissed. Mr Johnston said that he could not at this stage definitely state that an appeal would be made, but asked that in case of an appeal the amount of the security required should be stated. The amount was fixed at £5 5a for each case. BUTTER AND CHEESE MARKET. BUTTER SALES. WANGANUI. September 14. Butter buyers have been pretty numerous in this district, and in Taranaki, but most of the factories arc holding out for Is per lb for the season's output. One large Taranaki factory is reported to have sold at 11-Jd under special conditions.