H.-21

8

bury. Iliis, of course, is only a very approximate guess of the cost of what the New Zealand Government propose to do, and is independent of the purchase of the necessary land. The report of the Scottish Agricultural Commission of 1910-11, making reference to agricultural colleges in Australia, reads as follows, and may be of interest to you : — " The Hawkesbury College, of New South Wales, is perhaps the most typical, as less attention is there given to theoretical teaching and research work, and more to instruction in field manual labour. It is remarkable not only in the extent of land which it controls, but in the peculiarly practical nature of the instruction and its adaptations to Australian conditions. "In a new country a knowledge of fertilizers and feeding-stuffs is at a discount, and what is required by the farmer is an understanding of stock and implements and how to fend for himself when a hundred miles from blacksmith, joiner, or veterinary surgeon. In a new country a knowledge of the highest branches of agricultural science is of no less importance than in the old to the expert and to those responsible for the exploitation of untouched regions under unknown conditions. The Hawkesbury College does not supply such instruction, but within its own purely practical limits it is a magnificent success. " The object striven for is a phenomenal efficiency in skilled labour, and that object is obtained. There are over a hundred horses at work on the farm, and every one of the two hundred students at the end of his course of three years has driven, fed, and groomed each of those horses; has worked, taken to pieces, and put together every implement; has made a complete set of harness (except the collars) for a pair of horses, and taken it away as his own property after paying for the material. " The same principle is carried out in all departments. Every student not only feeds and looks after pigs, but kills, cuts up, and cures a pig, and assists in eating it. And as each pig bears the brand of the executioner, his name is published at breakfast on the morning when his handiwork appears before 199 hungry and jubilant judges. Thus efficiency is promoted. It is assumed that the student will take up land a hundred miles from anywhere, and therefore he must not only be able to shoe a horse but make the shoes. This he does. He also makes bits for the bridles, hinges for the gates, and even turns steel collars for bearings, and makes nuts, bolts, and rivets. After that woodwork is a mere recreation, and the manufacture of a wheelbarrow a kind of practical joke. " The students built and fitted up their own gymnasium, and in addition grow their own fruit and vegetables, and preserve and cure raisins, prunes, pears, &c. They make their own jam, and revenge themselves by eating 13 tons of it per annum. " Two hundred head of dairy cattle are kept on the farm. They include specimens of every breed, and the boys do the milking, manipulate two different mechanical milking-machines, and make butter and cheese. " Any one who is a believer in the old system of several years' apprenticeship would receive a rude shock at Hawkesbury. In three years a raw lad becomes a first-class farm hand, shepherd, dairyman, and an expert butcher, saddler, joiner, and rough blacksmith. There is no doubt about his expertness. There can be seen a set of harness, as good as any from a shop, made in three weeks after the boy had seen a set of saddlers' tools for the first time. " In the understanding of steam-engines, oil-engines, pumps, and electric motors the students obtain a thorough training, for all are used on the farm, and hence the boys use them all. The student becomes familiar with experimental work, for the fields contain hundreds of plots of wheat, oats, and rye under selection, and from the first of these two rust-resistant straws have been isolated recently. There are manurial plots also, and 150 different grasses and forage crops under observation. But the Principal, Mr. Potts, does not believe in specializing on experimental work in the meantime when the staff and funds are so urgently required for instruction. " But all the time is not spent in manual labour. Three days a week and several evenings the students attend lectures, and do not go on the farm at all. On Saturday they play cricket, football, tennis, or golf, and wax famous on the College rifle range of 1,000 yards." The hours of labour on the farm and in the workshop are forty-eight per week actual — eight hours and a half per day, except on Saturday, when they are five and a half. A number of excellent rules exist, some of which I would like to mention. Students must appear neat and tidy during lectures. Students late at meals must be satisfied with whatever the head steward can give them. Students are not allowed to frequent hotels in town unless accompanied by parents or guardians. They are not allowed to bring into the College, farm, or buildings any spirituous liquors, nor are they allowed to have in their possession firearms of any description. They must attend Divine service once each Sunday. No student is allowed to bring any horse, dog, or other animal into the College or farm. Punctuality, order, and quietness have to be observed at all times. Smoking in bedrooms or using lights of any description other than those provided by the Department is prohibited. The habit of smoking is expressly discountenanced, and it is prohibited except in places set apart for the purpose. Students are not allowed leave of absence during the session except on important occasions, and with the full consent of their parents. Students in charge of animals must treat them in a humane manner. Students using tools and failing to return them to their proper places have to pay for same. Students are not permitted to invite relatives or friends to inspect the buildings or attend meals without permission from the Principal. Students are allowed access to all parts of the farm, but they may not disturb stock or leave gates open. They are not allowed entrance to either the kitchen or the laundry. I saw nothing but men servants in the College. Students are warned against keeping money in their rooms, and this is unnecessary, as a branch of the savings-bank has been established at the College. Any student who is guilty of profane or insubordinate conduct in or without the College, or who wilfully breaks