Growth Of Agricultural Club Movement

Chronicle (Levin), 6 December 1948, Page 4

Growth Of Agricultural Club Movement

The keen interest taken in the Horowh'ehua ■ Boys' ahd - Girls' Agriculturdl Club and its calf rearing conipetitiOn by th'e childreh and resi'detits of the dLtrict was commented on .by the various speakers at the club's annual offiClal luncheon on Friday, on the occasion of tne, final judging. : "Welconling the ' gue'sts, the club'S , presrdent, Mr. R. L. Robinsdri, said that a stage had "iiOW bOen reachOd Wheri it- was felt that the .chib Was' well established, especially when the boys and girls Who took part iit the first competitiOn Were noW seen on the judging days-as men and women. "We dO /iiot try to> Wih pi'izes all the time, not endeavour to make a show of- the competitibn, but we do try to teach the children to/ understaiid animals,," he co'mmented.. . The Mayoi", Mr. H. B. Burdekin, in welcoming those present, expressed his pleasure in the presenc'e df the secfetary of the Wellington- Education BOard, Mr, W. I. Deavoh, and tne Chief inspector, Mr. G. S.tubbs. Mr. Burdekin also welcomed the • judges and ste^vards. "I dd think the town of Levin is intefgSted in what is going on in the 'hinteriand,' oecause it is the dairying which keeps it going," he said whencommenting on the club's aclivities. lo Mr. Roblnsort and the membefs of the Cotflfiiittee, he expressed his warmest eofigratuiations on behaif of the citizens of Levin. The headmaster of the Levin School, Mr: H. F. McClune, who is patron of the 61Ub, and Whd for"

many years nas taken a great interest in its activities, voiced his appre'ciation of the invitation to be present. He emphasised tne impor'tance of the projedt and poinf^d out that it Was a- paft Of reai life, The commtinity value and the interest takep in the movement was feferred to by Mt. sttibbs. "If We could get the children as interested in arithmetic as they are in calves, we would have solved the problem of education."' he commented. He paid tribute to the ofganiSers and to the agricultural instfuctor, Mr, H. Wynn-Hesse. The local representative on the Education Board, Mr. D. K. Guy, Said that the organisation had reached the standard it Was today throtigh teacher-eontfol. "fhey •have nelped to keep it a children's bqdy,"' he said. Cdftimenting on current. affairs and the difficulties of obtaining . good farm-lands, he said, thdt it W>s g'enerally taken. f.or gfanted tbday that if a- child liad ariy brains, he went into a prdfession. 'The. need to return them to th'e1 farms Where tney were fequired was the subject of a brief but emphatic discourse by the speakef. "Let us throw our weight into getting the youngsters feack1 on rW th^4l,A'rid" Mtei!,,rtt3iby' have left school. The time ' has arriVed When We must. Let tis foe i perfectly certain — and make this j qiiite cleaf— that' it is no disgrace ! to ' wor'k with' your 'hands," (He poihted'out that it was imperative to stdp the dfift of the best Of the i>ohiinion#s irianhood ' toward 'the In the courfie of his remarks, Mr. Deayol! revealed that the organisation had gained such a degree of intetest that a c'lub was b'eing developed in Wellington. A disp ay WaS SMortly to be given on Kai ^ri Park. . ; It was pointed out by the senior agricultural instructor, Mr. Wynn-Hesse, that the ahniversary of the club would fall iiext year, i When it would have been in existence for. 21 years. "Looking back over the years, I am reminded of the doubtfulness with which the pfoject Was received, especially by soihe Of the ,old-time headmasters.' This#eagc%h6re are some 25,000 children' wi'th* -calves, v20,000 with lambs and over 80,000 entefed in long-term projects." He men- ; tidned that only three Calves hadbeen entered in the Competition the first year it had been organised i in the South Islarrd. Commenting; on the preSence of . the judges, he j said that it waS "great" that they, the leaders in the dairy industry, j should ta-ke time to attend a school . function. He congratulated the ' Horowhenua club on its organisa-r tion, stating that in his opinion it. was ideal. /' ! Other speakefs were the repre- , sentative of the Levin 'School Committee; Mr. R. H. Long, the acting- j headmastef of the Levin school, i Mr. P. D. Chapman, the judge, Mr. j O. E. Cadwallader and Messr's. . W. j White-Scott and W. Phillips. J The luncheon was preparCd and; served by members of the Women's 1 DivisiOn of Federated Farmers. j , I