The Timaru Herald MONDAY, MAY 27, 1907. LAND-OWNERS AND EDUCATION.

Timaru Herald, Volume XC, Issue 13296, 27 May 1907, Page 4

The Timaru Herald MONDAY, MAY 27, 1907. LAND-OWNERS AND EDUCATION.

A few days ago the president of the Southland Agricultural and Pastoral Association delivered an address to the members, some points in. ivhicli are of peculiar interest to the people of. South Canterbury. Here, as in Southland, the frrcnler area of the land is devoted to agricultural and pastoral pursuits, and any departure. that will 1 e of benefit to the occupier of such lands ■will embrace the good of the, whole Community. Mr Anderson took it that Agricultural and Pastoral Associations had, a much greater duty to perform for the colony, than to see that annual shows were a. success. ~ He gave them every credit for the excellent work that had been done in this direction, but outside of it they had done practically nothing. He . then came to the keynote of his address, which" was that, tlie Agricultural Associations of the colony should impress upon the Government that "right throughout New Zealand provision should be made to give sound practical instruction to those who intend to takes tip fanning as their means of livelihood." This is a large order, as Mr. Anderson, of course, recognised' ; and from recent accounts published by us on tlio occasion of the visit of the Minister of Education, the carrying of it out hangs on the important question cf finance. The Government have already madt a start with experimental farms; ore if Mr Anderson's scheme is to bear the best of fruit it. will mean the planting of sucli farms;in every province of the colony, on much the same lines as is for instance done in Canada. This was the State MiAnderson held up to his hearers as a model, instancing the great strides which had been made there isince The founding of the agricultural college at Guelpli, Ontario, in 1874. But the wide success achieved did not absolutely depend upon the efforts of the general Government. The provinces, the local associations, and the schools united in tlio effort, and it was from this great, union that the State as a whole was able to generously equip and materially advance the scientific sides i.f the agricultuval and pastoral industries. It must be remembered thai.' competition in the markets of the world is so keen now that New Zealand with all its natural advantages cannot afford to lag behind. In his comparisons with Canada, Mr Anderson appeared to show that we are. falling behind, in that we ai'e doing very little

on, what,is nowadays term&d the, scientific side of agricujtuje. He then turned to Denmark, and -showed,.thaf> the Government in addition;. providing-agricultural colleges and farms, also.. provision for a few- days' -.stay . for ihousaiKh. of ■cntmg mpn and TOHI6II. at. thesa seats of lfettning. In, .tW examplesthus given, Both, States, and, jjeople . , play-important parfs, ( -and jve conclude -fro;m Mr Anderson's thai these are the lima on "which., he-.proposes that New Zealand should- advance- A start" has already been made, a£ the experimental farms in the North'lsland, and in some of the schools both there and in this Island; and at the conference of Agricultural Societies at Wellington during the coming session of Parliament, proposals will be made to establish Government experimental farms in the South Mand, and to widen tie facilities among the school?. These proposals are sure to have the greatest sympathy from the Government, but w<r cannot forget that the cost of education is so great now, that to expect any substantial increase in it is hopeless. It seems to ns that- the - time is opportune thoroughly to review all that has been dons under the Technical and Manual Instruction Act. to o?ee if the people as a whole are benefiting bv its provisions, and if moneys voted iindter.it are going into channels that benefit the colony.