AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

Otago Witness, Issue 3829, 2 August 1927, Page 19

AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION.

STATEMENT BY MR HAWKEN. WELLINGTON. July 27. It was stated to-day by the Minister of Agriculture (Mr O. J. Hawken) at the New Zealand Farmers’ Union Conference that there was in reality* only one agricultural college in New Zealand. Lincoln College, he said, really belonged to Canterbury, and had its own board of.control. The college at Palmerston North was the Government college. The Government would manage the college at Palmerstpn North, while Lincoln College would be controlled the same as in the past. Although the amount expended appeared to be very large he thought that it was warranted, and bad been kept well within bounds. It was intended, he continued, to give Lincoln College immediately £lO,OOO for the erection of laboratories and £3700 would be allowed yearly for research work, and altogether, he thought. Lincoln College would be placed on a much better footing than in the past. Affiliation with Canterbury College, as had been proposed, would also give the college the status of a university. He thought the Government had treated Lincoln College very fairly, and he was sure that the college would become more and more useful as time want on.

The North Island College at Palmerston North, continued Mr Hawken, had Hen provided for by Act of Parliament passed last year, anti a good start had been made already. Last year the Government set up a research department, having for its object the co-ordination of work in New Zealand with headquarters at Palmerston North. It was difficult to define just where the work of one department should end and the other begin, but he thought research work in New Zealand was now on a sound basis, and that some

day New Zealand would be very proud of what had been done. The Government had no intention of restricting the allocation of money for the work. He thought that their present organisation should meet all requirements as it was quite up to date.