AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

Otago Witness, Issue 3755, 2 March 1926, Page 13

AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

THE QUESTION OF SITE. FREE HAND FOR PROFESSORS. PALMERSTON N., February 22. A Largely attended conference was held at Palmerston North this morning by representatives of the agricultural, pastoral and business interests of Palmerston North, Feilding, and Marton to discuss the question of the selection of a site for the agricultural college which it has nor. been agreed shall be erected between Palmerston North and Marton. The meeting passed a resolution heartily supporting the decision of the University Commission to establish one agricultural college between Palmerston North and Marton as being in the best interests of the Dominion as a whole and the North Island in particular. It was agreed that the selection of the site should be left to the two professors dealing with the matter. The meeting pledged itself to further the establishment of the college at the earliest possible moment. Several speakers stressed the fact that parochialism should be sunk, and that all should combine in assisting the professors to select the site most suited to the purpoe. At the same time, as Marton had elected a committee to indicate the suitable sites there to the professors who would visit that district next Thursday, it was deemed the other end of the district should do likewise. Accordingly it was decided to elect a committee of Palmerston North and Feilding representatives to show later on the sites at the southern end for the proposed college area. Several speakers emphasised the vital necessity of scientific education in the farming, and especially the dairying industry, which was worth £20,000.000 yearly to the Dominion, to enable New Zealand to keep abreast of overseas competitors. 'Hie Mayor of Palmerston North (Mr F. J. Nathan) said that what was really needed was an agricultural university rather than a college. He added that the present universities in the Dominion wore really night schools, lacking in esprit de corps and social life. RESENTMENT IN AUCKLAND. AUCKLAND, February 2fi. A strong attack on the report of the recent University Commission was made by Professor A. C. Pnterson, in an address at the meeting of the Court of Convocation of Auckland University College. At the same time he seized the opportunity to style that the decision to found an Agricultural College near Marton was a fatal mistake from the point of view of efficiency; yet it could not be otherwise, because, owing to lack of community support, it

was quite impossible to establish au ag?lcultural faculty in Auckland on anything like an adequate basis. This establish meat at Martou would militate tremendously against the future success of the College of Agriculture. “The moral effect,” he said, “on agricultural students, of mixing freely and on equal terms with other students of the university is an advantage that eanuot be over-estimated. Wherever agriculture maintains a separate existence, the students, almost of necessity, feel themselves inferior to the students of the universities. Thus, the result of lack of support on the part of the community of Auckland is that our Agricultural College is doomed to inferiority in work and standard.” Professor Patorson said the members of the Commission had failed to lajr their fingers on the two great weak points in the New Zealand system: The federal system and lack of support for the various institutions by the respective local communities. The Commissioners were pleased to say that they were substantially in agreement with the report of the South African Commission, but they failed to say that the South African report was stillborn, and that two years later the Government granted independence t-o tho two large universities of South Africa. The Commissioners had the light, but did not follow it. Very strong evidence was offered in regard to the development that had followed the granting of independence in South Africa and elsewhere, but the Commission stated that too much reliance could not be placed on such a comparison. “You would have thought,” said Professor Paterson, “that two men of educational standing, seeing the truth like this, would have taken the grand opportunity of telling the people of New Zealand where the fault lay. instead of condoning their shortcomings by referring to the financial difficulty of developing a young country. I think that was criminal neglect of a great opportunity. They should have pointed out as strongly as they could that the great feature of university life in every country but New Zealand is the growth of city universities as a resul of support by the cities.”

INSPECTION OF SITES. MARTON, February 25. Tho Marton A. and P. Association entertained the Hons. A. D. M‘Leod and O. J. Hawken, and Messrs VV. A. Veitch, H. G. Dickie, and Gordon Elliot, M.P.’s, and also representatives of the district and local bodies last night when politics wero tabooed, though several speakers eulogised Rangitikei as a suitable location for an agricultural college. The Ministers referred to this matter, but had no announcement to make regarding any decision in respect to a site. A large party left this morning on an extensive tour of suitable sites suggested by the local committee.

VARIOUS SITES VISITED. MARTON, February 26. The Hon. A. D. M'Leod, Minister of Lands, the Hon. O. J. Hawken, Minister of Agriculture, Sir James Wilson, chairman o the Board of Agriculture, and the special committee set up to select a suitable site for the North Island Agricultural College made a good tour of the Rangitikei district yesterday, and subsequently a conference was held at Marton. The party saw beautiful fertile lands with crops at all stages of growth, and the ripe crops were so luxuriant that the Minister of Lands said that the Rangitikei was unquestionably a fine district for Wairarapa sheep breeders to exploit for the marketing of their sheep. One site in particular was shown, the property consisting of 1466 acres, which gave excellent results in cropping dairying, and root growing. The Hon. E. Newman said he was glad that the Ministers were practical farmers. He considered that, from the country they had been Aiown, could be selected an ideal site for an agricultural college, and he hoped that the decision as to the site would be made at an early date. The Marton land was more suitable than Palmerston North. He could not see why the selection of the site should be left to two professors. Why not the land board? He had never seen a professor who knew the value of land, and he would rather leave the selection in the hands of the two Ministers. He mentioned that some 15 years ago he had asked the Minister of Lands that national endowment land be set aside for an agricultural college. Mr J. 11. Perritt spoke in favour of land nearer Palmerston North. He combated the assertion that professors did not know the value of land. Messrs W. A. Veitch, M.P., G. L. Marshall J. A. Nash, M.P., Sir James Wilson, Mr Hope Gibbons, and Mr H. Leon Wilson also spoke, after which the Hon, Mr Hawken said that Palmerston North-Marton land was ideal in character for the purpose of such a college as was proposed. It was essential, he believed, that the world should be taken in hand without delay as an agricultural college in the right, position would be of tremendous importance in shaping the destinies of a young country such as New Zealand. The whole scheme involved must be i estigated before any particular site was adopted. New Zealand would ultimately be the country of the small farmer. No place in the district could be finally fixed as that point had not yet been reached, but he could say that the likeness of the Marton-Manawtau clay lands to South Island soils would have an important bearing on the question. The question of town versus country, or of the North Island against the South Island should never crop up. The Government hoped to make a definite move with the agricultural college before very long. The Hon. Mr M'Leod was greatly impressed with Mai ton because of its central position. Now that the former parochial rivalry between Auckland and Wellington had been eliminated, it was easier for the Government to make its decision. As regards the Marton district, the figures indicated such rich production that apparently it was difficult for a farmer to fail. As Minister of Lands he was satisfied the country had to increase its production greatly. How that was to be done, by more intensive cultivation or by the development of waste lands, there was a doubt. Here, as in the Wairarapa, there was nothing like the pumico, of the gum lands, or the and Central Otago region, but in his opinion the type of land was not so important. as the central position, but finance also entered into the matter.