TE ORANGA HOME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 20019, 7 August 1920, Page 9

TE ORANGA HOME.

TECHNICAL COLLEGE REQUEST.

The request of the Technical College Board of Governors that the Government should cede tho property in connection with To Oranga Home to the college for an agricultural farm was referred to in tho course of various reports and correspondence road at last night’s meeting of the Board of Governors.

Tho chairman (Mr C. H. Opie), in tho course of Ids monthly report, stated that the Agricultural Committee had had under consideration the suitability of the To Oranga Homo property for an agricultural farm, and had made application to the Government, to cede tho property to the college. The buildings thereon. with slight alteration, would admirably suit for a hostel and the necessary farm buildings. This matter of tho provision of suitable land for practical farm work had been further advanced by the admission of the Minister of Education that it would he incumbent on the Government to provide land for tho college. The Agricultural Committee reported that after viewing the land and buildings imiueily used a.s To Oranga- Homo an application had been made to the -Minister of Education to have them placed at tho disposal of the college for the purpose of agricultural instruction, and also for hostel accommodation for hays. 'The committee recommended that the application for tho land and buildings of Te Oranga Home should bo renewed, since tho early arrival of Urn hoard’s now agricultural instructor Hum England mado the matter an urgent one, and that the members of Parliament .should ho thanked for their assistance in connection with the ellorts to obtain the land and buildings. In connection with the matter a letter sent to tho Minister of Education requesting tne cession of the property to tho college was road. The Minister in reply said that the request demanded caieful consideration and must be determined largely in accordance with linos of general policy which it was hoped would bo. laid down by a eonloreuco to bo held shortly between the Departments of Education and Agriculture. There were, however, other purposes in view for the utilisation of the properly which might possibly offer greater advantages than the proposal ot tho College Board. The board mbdit rest assured that its proposal would “receive _ careful consideration when the question ot tho Hi Hire purpose of the property was determined.

bir Robert Heaton Rhodes wrote stating that the Minister of Education had informed him that the request of the hoard involved questions of policy m relation to the development of agricultural instruction in technical hmli schools. On educational grounds it was not considered advisable that areas greater than from ten to twenty acres should bo acquired by technical school boards for the purpose of experimental work in agriculture. For reasons of finance, also, this restriction in area was considered desirable, and, indeed, necessary. The whole question of experimental farms and agricultural instruction would bo considered jointly by the Departments of Education and Agriculture at a couference commencing on August 3, and no action in the direotion asked by the board could bo taken before tho main lines of development had been agreed upon. The various reports wore adopted, ami the letters received without discussion,