THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1780, 8 July 1926, Page 4

THE AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE.

THE visit to Te Awamutu on Monday of Professor Riddet, of the Auckland University professorial staff—he occupies the Chair of Agriculture*—to address farmers on the important question of how best to improve pastures and crops by manuring, will perhaps stimulate interest in the matter of agricultural education generally. Many farmers are willing to learn from recognised authorities upon subjects and problems affecting the important industry, while others persist in waiting to find out by actual—and often costly —experiment. The whole trend of agricultural education is towards giving instruction in a form palatable to the student, old or young. This all brings us to consideration of the problems for the establishment of an Agricultural. College in the 'North Is-' land—a college probably rather like the Lincoln College in Canterbury or the Hawkesbury College in New South Wales. Just where it' is to he located is unsettled yet, but indications point to it being in the Manawatu. There has been a strong move from certain quarters to, instead, develop Lincoln College, The activity that is now being manifested in pressing the claims of Lincoln College to be regarded aS the most suitable and economical nucleus for the single, full-staffed and equipped university agricultural college, the establishment of which..was recommended by the Commission on University Education, has come rather late in the day. Replying last week to a deputation representing the Board of Governors of Lincoln College, Mr Coates was very emphatic on the point •that the Government was committed to the establishment of a "central" agricultural college, and intended to follow the Commission's recommendation. That means that the creation of such a college in the North Island is decided upon, andl that there is no occasion for Auckland and Victoria University Colleges, with their professorships in agriculture, to be apprehensive lest the compromise at which they arrived should have been reached in vain. The Government's decision is incompatible with the recognition of the claim that Lincoln College should be the full-fledged agricultural college of the Dominion. None the less, while a college in the North Island has yet to he brought into being, the existence of Lincoln College is a fact that should have counted for a good deal as a practical consideration. Lincoln College holds the field in the meantime as the only institution of its kind; devoted to the teaching of agriculture in the Dominion. It is established on a sound footing and has a good record. There is no suggestion that it should be done away with. The Commission on University Education made no recommendation to that effect, though it recognised that, if Lincoln College continued to exist, an improvement in it was called for. The Government seems quite prepared itself to contemplate a useful future existence for Lincoln College a s an institution supplementary to that which it proposes to establish in the North Island. The endeavour of the authorities in Canterbury to secure a radical alteration of the position by the elimination altogether of the scheme which relegates Lincoln College to the background' can only be regarded, in all the circumstances, as hopeless. From several points of view it can be argued, however, and not without good show of reason, that Lincoln College is receiving less than justice, and it remains to he considered whether there is any middle course that would meet the requirements of the

Dominion and yet recognise the claims

of the Canterbury institution. • The establishment in the North Island of an agricultural college of the kind that has been discussed would involve a very heavy outlay. To: provide an institution with equipment and staff equal to those provided! in similar institutions in Canada, for example, would entail an expenditure falling little short of a quarter of a million. Certainly the Government would think very seriously before committing itself to any outlay of that kind. Mr Coates has said that the Government recognises the importance of making Lincoln College a part of the agricultural education system of the Dominion. The less reason should obtain, therelore, for any haste on: the Government's part to relegate it to the hackground by any lavish expenditure on a new institution in the North Island. The suggestion has. been thrown out from Canterbury that, if Lincoln College cannot be made the agricultural college of the Dominion, the next best solution would be the establishment of a single university college to be located partly at Lincoln and partly in the North Island. There may be no insuperable difficulties in the way of such a proposal being carried into effect, and] from the point of view of economy in expenditure the advantages attaching to it are sufficiently obvious. Moreover, as agriculture and' farming in the North Island differ a good deal in character from those in the South Island, the doujble location would have certain definite advantages over a single location, as well as over a system under which two agricultural colleges would be competing with each other. The idea that in lieujfof one costly, fully-staffed fully-equipped and self-contained institution in the North Island, the university agricultural college, which the Government intendjs that the Dominion shall possess should consist of two branches, one in the north and one at Lincoln College, is at least entitled to examination on its merits.