AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 40, 14 January 1944, Page 3

AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE

AUCKLAND MOVEMENT

FURTHER I) 1 SCUSSIiONS

A further report regarding the proposed junior agricultual college for Auckland Avas laid before the monthly meeting of the Auckland Provincial Executive of the. New Zealand Farmers' Union on 15th December. A report of a meeting of the general committee representing interested organisations, stated that at a meeting held, on Bth December the belief was expressed that it would be easily possible to obtain a minimum of 250 pupils for the school. Mr (!. J. Park,, principal of the Scddon Memorial Technical School, stated that the Minister of Education, Hon. 11. G. Pi. Mason, had expressed interest in the movement. It also was reported that the Auckland Education Hoard liad appointed a .sub-committee to consider the proposal. In a statement appended to the report, Mr A. Briscoe. Moore a member of the Farmers' Union Provin-. e'ial Executive, a vice-pesident of the Dominion body,, and a holder of the Diploma of the Canterbury Agricultural College, expressed agreement with, the tentative conclusions so far reached by the committee. He considered that clear-cut objectives should be formulated. Within a very short period it should be possible to place on the land no fewer than 100,000 men in one capacity or another. The ultimate objective of the school should be to make it a preparatory course to the Mnssey College, or some other residential college. The. present widely prevalent ignorance regarding the importance of agriculture should be dispelled by training boys from city homes to regard farming as the elite of the professions demanding, as it did, the. largest measure of, ability and service. The President of the Executive (Captain H. M. Rushworth) said that Mr Moore's remarks liad created a very favourable impression at the meeting. He also said that Mr Park liad stated that owing to the Governimuit's decision to extend the school age to 15 years and to the anticipated influx of new pupils to tlio Seddon Memorial Technical School, it would, be. necesasry to drop the agriculture elass at that college. It was added by Mr Par>k that the agricultural college movement probably would be handed over to the Auckland and Mount Albert Grammar Schools. It seqins that sufficient funds would be available, but the site liad yet to be decided. It had been suggested, that it should consist of two or two and a half acres near Auckland and that pupils be drawn from within a radius of about 20 miles.