B.—7A.

43

2. Home economics .. .. .. .. .. .. 987 3. Veterinary science .. . . .. .. . . . . 317 4. Science . . .. . . . . .. . . 2.14 5. Engineering : Undergraduate .. .. .. .. .. 746 Short courses .. .. .. .. 1 ,026 ■ 1,772 *7,062 Our purpose in quoting these examples is to impress upon New Zealand the necessity of facing the position and establishing one really efficient agricultural college of university standing. The attempt to maintain the three centres now in being must, in our opinion, end in failure. At best each school will be doomed to what one witness called " anaemic mediocrity." There are certain fundamental considerations which must be kept steadily in view. To-day the subject matter of agriculture is divided into large departments with specialists in charge of each—e.g., agronomy, animal husbandry, dairying, and horticulture. It is absurd to expect one man, however well informed, to profess and to teach the whole of the work of an agricultural course. And, further, the technical subjects should not be dominated by instruction in sciences taught without regard to their application to agriculture. We are of opinion that an agricultural college in association with the University should be established in some suitable locality in the North Island by a combination of the schools proposed for Wellington and Auckland, it should provide courses for degrees in agriculture and for post-graduate work, and, in addition, should offer such lower courses as diploma courses for farm youths and short practical courses for adult farmers. As in the American and Canadian colleges, departments of home economics and ultimately of training for rural teachers should be associated with it. Such a college will necessarily be a residential institution, and there i s no reason why it should not ultimately develop into a complete residential university grouped appropriately around the study of agriculture as its leading subject. This would be strictly in accordance with the fitness of things in a Dominion so dependent as is New Zealand upon the work of its farmers. Moreover, such a scheme, under which education in liberal studies would, be associated, with training in the more directly practical concerns of rural life and work, would do much to help towards the development of a culture of the country as distinct from the culture of the city. How to develop widely a taste for country life, and the power of finding happiness and interest in country pursuits, and in the natural life of the country is a very practical problem. Intellectual ability naturally gravitates to the quarter where it finds most scope for its powers. The modern city university thus attracts to itself like a powerful magnet the best intellect of the surrounding rural districts and converts it to urban uses. The present university system of New Zealand, if left uncorrected, must continue to undermine the basic industry of agriculture, on which the whole future prosperity of the Dominion depends, inasmuch as it tends to produce a progressive intellectual impoverishment of the countryside. Nothing can effectively stop this draining process, but an institution exerting an equally strong pull in the opposite direction, such as a well-equipped university or university college with agriculture as its central subject. The great output of engineers, doctors, and lawyers, from the university colleges is a direct result of the great facilities afforded for these courses. Why not, therefore, give bright young fellows in country schools the opportunity to become leaders in scientific agriculture and other great rural activities ? Agricultural education should be the concern of each type of school in the national scheme, and a great step forward will be taken when an efficient training for rural teachers has been developed, a training which will fit them to teach efficiently a course of study adapted to rural needs and to the interests of rural life. No better position could be found for such a training course than in association with an agricultural college of the kind above described. As to -a department of home economics and farm economics for women, we consider that provision should be made for such study from the first. The part played by the woman in rural industry is no less important than that of the man, * Quoted from " Agricultural liduuation in Amerioa," A. E. Riohardson, (Government Printer, Melbourne, 1918).

Three Schools of Agriculture will result in failure.

Large staff of spccialists rcq uirod

Recommendat i on for a central School of Agriculture.

Possibility of ultimate development into residential university.

The city drift.

Training for rural teachers desirable.

Education of rural women and girls should not be overlooked.