LINCOLN COLLEGE WANTS BIGGER GOVERNMENT GRANT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18468, 21 May 1928, Page 14

LINCOLN COLLEGE WANTS BIGGER GOVERNMENT GRANT.

VISIT MADE BY THE HON O. J. HAWKEN. The affairs of Lincoln College were discussed with the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon O. J. Hawken) by the Board of Governors when, the Minister visited the College on Saturday afternoon. The subjects of land for a research station and a further grant to the College to enable the staff to be augmented were discussed.

The chairman of the Board of Governors (Mr John Deans) presided and welcomed Mr Hawken to the College. In connection with cereal research work, Mr Deans said that the board thought that such work should be done in Canterbury in the centre of the cereal growing area of the Dominion and it was prepared to offer land for this purpose.

Mr Hawken said that he was .very keen on the work of the agricultural research stations and of the colleges, which were really the centres of the scheme. He wanted all to work together, and to him it did not make a particle of difference where the stations were established, but there was no necessity for overlapping. He would be pleased to accept the offer of land, as it would save a great deal of capital cost which could be devoted to practical purposes. The Minister added that SO to 100 acres would be required. Things had now been well defined between the Research Department and the Agriculture Department and the sphere of work of each had been settled.

The chairman said that the board could let the Department have 100 acres, the terms of tenure and other matters to be a subject of arrangement.

Mr Hawken said that the Department had a plant research station of 14 acres at the Massey Agricultural College. It was a very small area, but it was hoped to do some valuable work. He knew of the good work that had been done in Canterbury in respect to barley, potatoes and wheat. That work must be extended and brought to a commercial basis. Mr C. H. Hewlett said that at the last meeting of the Board of Governors, it had been decided unanimously to set aside 100 acres for a research station. LARGER STAFF DESIRED. The chairman said that the board had found that the work of the College had increased so much that it must ask that the staff be strengthened. He wished to ask the Minister to meet them in the matter and to give assistance. They could teach a certain number of students with a certain staff, but when it came to research work and teaching to a higher standard, efficiency could not be obtained until the staff was strengthened. The Minister pointed out that the board had an annual grant from the Government of £3700. The chairman; That is all for special work. The Hon D. Buddo, M.P., said that the total income of the College, apart from the profits of the farm, was £BOOO per annum. It was quite evident that that was not sufficient to carry on the re-organisation that was in hand. Mr Hewlett said that of the £4300, which was the income of the board apart from the Government grant and the profits from the farm, they had to keep all the students and on this alone, they lost £ISOO a year. The Minister; What is the total net income from the farm? The chairman: About £2500 a year. Mr Hewlett pointed out that the more students they got, the more they lost, for it cost more to keep them than they paid in fees. The chances were that they would get more students to undertake study and they would require more money. Trained men were required for research work. In response to a question as to how the Massey College was affecting Lincoln, Mr Hewlett said that the Massey College, if it was getting more money than/ Lincoln would be able to get a better staff than Lincoln and, as a result, the latter would suffer. Lincoln was really getting £4300 to do the same work that Massey College was getting £15,000 for. It was pointed out that it was not the policy of the board to increase the' students’ fees, the chairman remarking that it was not desired to make the College a class institution. Mr Buddo said that the board wished to enlist the sympathy of the Minister so that when the committee which was dealing with the matter of staffing reported to the board, it would be able to send forward an application. Replying, Mr Hawken said that he would have to go into the matter very carefully and in the end it was a Cabinet question. He was under the impression that the £3700 Government grant., which was being used for research work, had gone a little way out of the direction that he thought it was going. TRAVELLING BURSARIES. Mr W. A. Banks asked if there was any chance of travelling bursaries for agricultural students being made avail-' able. He would suggest one in three years to each college. The advantage to New Zealand might be very great indeed. Mr Hawken: That question has not been considered. Sir R. Heaton Rhodes: That is really a matter for the Minister of Education. Mr Hawken: It is really a matter for the Treasurer. I will admit the value of travelling bursaries. CEREAL RESEARCH. The chairman asked Mr Hawken if the South Island was to be the limit of cereal research, and received a reply that it was not. Mr Ilawken added that it was necessary to have some headquarters for the work. They had men for* the research work in the South Island and it would be carried on all right. FARM VISITED. Prior to the conference with the members of the board, the Principal Mr R. E. Alexander, and assistant plant breeder, Mr J. W. Calder, took the Minister around the area on which experiments in growing cocksfoot are being conducted. The plots illustrated the difference in growth between New Zealand and Danish cocksfoot. Mr Calder said that cocksfoot had been selected at eighteen different places in the South Island and the best varieties for each district were being developed. It was the intention of the College to commence experimenting with red clover in the same manner.