A GENEROUS OFFER.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 601, 1 September 1909, Page 8

A GENEROUS OFFER.

TOWARDS COST OF STATE FARM. DEPUTATION TO HON. T. MACKENZIE. IMPORTANT MINISTERIAL STATEMENT. An influential deputation, representing all tho local bodies in the Wairarapa, waited upon the Hon, T. Mackonzie (Minister for 'Agriculture) yesterday to urge that tho Government should establish (in that district) an experiment farm, tdwaids tho cost of which Mr. W. C. Buchajlan, M.P., had offered £5000 towards the pnrchaso moneys of tho land,-and £1000 towards the amount required for stock and oquipment. " First Offer of iti Kind." ! Mr. D.'P. Loasby (Mayor on Groytown) prefaced his remarks by explaining that Mr Buchanan had not cared to accompany tho deputation m viow of his offer. Mr Buchanan had stipulated only one conditionthat the farm should be established lh his own electorate. The people of tho district thought that the offer was a most generous 4 one, and one that should, if possiblo, bo accepted. It was felt that it was to tho moneyed section that tho people of New Zealand iniust look for help over many difficulties, and every encouragement should bo given to wealthy residents to mako offers similar to that which was at present under consideration He understood that this was the first offer of its kind that had boon mado, and he hoped that tho Government, in view of the importance of the Wairarapa as ,a pastoral district, would see its way to establish tho proposed farm. The primary object of tho offer was to assist dairying in A,*heir district, which was already noted in fithat regard. If the farm were established ' not only the district, but also the Dominion as a whole, would be greatly benefited How to Make tho Farm a Success. Mr. H. R. Bunny (president of the Wairarapa Pastoral Association) remarked that, in a case of the kind, tho question of £ s d. was of great importance, i Dut hero tho Government had tho offor of assistance, and by . ( a big sum. If the farm were established on lines bttlo loss would bo made Only ' second-class land was required, for 'it was in connection with land of ' that description, which everybody desired to see taken up, that experiments were of most lvalue Ho behoved that only half of tho , farm should ,bo used for experiment purposes, and that tho other half should bo utilised so as to make up tho cost of upkeop Aa tho small formers wero the backbone <f the .'country, they, before any other section of the comlDunity, should receive help from the Govo-iJnent Evon if the receipts did not equal the expenditure, tho benefit which would be derived would bo well worth any\ loss that might be entailed Ho added that ho knew that tho Government wore desirous of assisting tho small farmers, and that they would gain much kudos if they adopted th© proposal which was being made. ' Mr W. H. Booth said that thcro would certainly be a loss if tho whole of tho farm wero ' used for experiment purposes He therefore favoured the suggestion that onehalf the property should bo utilised with a view to recouping the loss incurred ill conducting the experiments on tho balance of. the land.

>:,;iK?The';Hony:Ti'Mackenzie' f ;/-;vh«,' 'i^gmsed > ':'-.tt'at' ! -' ; r/'J-Buohahan/was'a .very;'geherou-s oner,,,As',had K.f been.jpbinted* out;'. the 'wiple' matter: was really '■ : ';,;7pne';bf;£-s^d;/;-It .was,computed/that:-, the ;/?jfarm/;wpu]d:;reguirb-.to:bb:/of 400'.acres/and /:'£that/the land/would be f %prth;£ls.;per acre;' ■/:i.'iTha't /;,mearit/Vthat,V together.,' with/;the: stock .total Outlay iVvoiild'be, 0',5; say ;-£i2,600.'/; ; It"was; also -cat filiated'that ;thei :-iv-;oost.; of - upkeep"(less /credits);lwbuld be '£2225; ,;' i; per /:^amurii/^iThe::; deputation, '"ndd.»?-' S'S tion Nto -"^b;'ambnnt,/bf? : the..-offefr';m'adeV.by; ! J :i^r^;';Bu^Ma^.:;;was; arid' the. :iH' GoVernnrerit; had.; really ; no;mbriey -to -sparejf or ;whicb ; mj.vie<ri.'wM''aV-spleiidid'-pnei:-aß'the''smill:. ;|; ; ifarmere,-whom ;it wasyproposediito'jhelp'Were country, vi'a'nd v.s;matenaJly;dw\sted;it;tb* ;n|;lajapn';-; v ;But;s; t6' ; 'establisb::' another''; farm sin : : . ; 3, cb'nriectiorilwith' ; ; tie idairyiri'g;;! industry :,';in. :. ! .: supplementing I'-fwhat'•was'-already:;tetabu'shed ; nbtifariaway, 1 .•||;He;;might.;-rbraind,:,them"; fekWbrefoaJ' a; late/'largejadditioris' tb;the!;stbck •:^M. tcbwsi/and to ;.thei: ; stud' stbekrhad -.been; obtained; during-;-'t f?iofShigb; Jreeb'ing';;p.Tnen;'*agairi|' ; it' must!;be. ■J/frefflemb'eredjSthatf there -.was;; alsb.'a;;Gpvern5 herd.; riear i\ Hariiilton.; ?',: It,, i-theref pre,' \ -p'seembd' to ;him ;^,hat";the;':Government should' J.Alnow,.3eyote:its. attention.Vto.-specialising.;;As. .jitheref. were." other;farms.;,;bf./the.;;same.;'descrip-'. : ,;;S;perience,,for. ;d::ipleridid-?oppbrtuiiity ..to^hefp';."the .farmers; §f:and;:Mr;; SCing7stipulatioM.;;;j:;:.;,; ; ':v;;;;^:i':;,"'';^ , : V;SM;'Ne^dJfbr iimprowing': tha;,'balry jHerils^';! ; rjsr^ere';Muid;',be;-rib/; : ; fthat;;'Mr.'-i'jßuchana'n; •tJiiwould,;h'aye;('attained.■'^^;mubh-wider,-'usefulness •;,-jif : .hb ; iad : ;the 'offer ,'tb: assist; in; the ',wbrk' .of ■, specialis-' ''. -'King- ffi'He-,'! had :■ ■;>, would!not ;^^be; :pp'ssible :.tb'{trarisfeT';aU : jthe ex-; 'i'theKj/Wairarapa'. '.'and farms 'for: btbbr- purposes.-: ;&j l^that:;:werp-;dbnb;;^erb^wpuld':bp;a; great !.feProyiaM:.';thati;that:".:OTuldv would ;: : :be;; prepared/tto ; -/;'recbmmend':ut;;htpx':Gabineti; : i : ;_«meritibri;,ithat:;;ihe/;:'r«ppnsible' : ;-j';indt';'favouf : 'srich?a ; ':,prbposal. : !;.;-;;mubh'igbod'iwould §^yona^3'Shalf';bf;jthb 1 'x-;ditibns';'and :imprbv& ;waSva jM;regrettable;'.factv.'.that?tho;y r ; :; fc:not.-suHiftierit money;;tb. expend 'in. that'-direc-cv!f'tjibn'.i;;He '.was", doing;his ,best,;with:the money i;v;;a't,;his"_;duppsal;: .but;; under,.the present ,i§ys\ ;«ttein';;-,'it; ; tpo,k :a^;iong^;; : tihiet:tovfurriißh':s'uffi-, -Vbulla ; ;of^the.:;quality^thatythe : ;faririerß ;wide -v;6election'jin'ithe;;Dbmiiriori,-:'and;.'no Ifi 'of;:freliability>;/ and 'iiaririers'/piily : _-- disbbybreS raiiriseleMiAvherinffiey.^etaHbd! l milkirig;':;;;lf/.;the :fe;GovernirieritlcpUld : get,^^the:'money, to develop 'ife fererice; m;" a j ver^^^ t; jbf.'.fact;;a;.^uarfe : ;bf;'theiherdSfih'iNew "Zea-.-;..,;lan'd Vdid];:'not;;;'pa'y;.f^ .;";::'quarter;just'. : ; barely /paid keep;' ' : pv''ductivel;iSlf;'tho/Gbvernriieritljifere made-'thb'' ! 'pnly;£1000/vfor;vthisjpurpbso;: AA it ccpUld' jdo,;. mbrp'' good vthari ;,by■.' establishing' 'v/'another'Jar'm.'iiri^ : the-Wairaraparjust:;,nbw,' 'might'.be/done in ; .ft^

Passes ;%nd - ■. \0: ;:Next| '.needed- to"; ex-' g :periment;<- '. in:: /"regards; ;to;;,vthe': growing' '"■/i: 'of .^grasses':/;and '^'cereals.; ; Work :/of .'this had/bwn'd'oiie'in IV Canada, Had; been .productive of excellent \ rcS./sults.'iHe'hadYjust; : been.. . of ; = in|j;Btahc<33;;v;i whereh.they their: ~;v^eat":outpiitby-.selectionand'cultivation- on considerable .roods'/.'by' 23 :Jfs:perV>S6wlii-'; ;tKeir'-]hwrtoy".b^.'lO.:per ;benti- t : ani jj'j'oata.; to the 'extent; -/There .was 'olio the' 'growing use: of/the; £;Vfaf mere, v It/had/Deon'.said that; the' nineA'.tteenth 'rentur'y.i/was ,theVcenWry . : of breeding ftf etockj' and that .the; present century, was the S "quiringv into -the' quality:: and.prices'; of the: toieeds: being sold'bf Jy&rious mer■ryichants.; HoVfound that 6neulot ; had a ger:ts*niinal value/of ,93: per cent.i-whilst the'value of; another''Was 92-per 'cent.,.yet the price; ;^bf- ! the : fornierJwaslOO per.cent, higher than -y/.fi ifer&NJw Zealand drily^'Fumbling l Along. ; ; ■ivff-'lit Might''-be'.-that/.Mr.'ißiicnahaii would en«''tertain,: tho; idea 'of,.thejestablishrnent of a

and testing'of seeds and cereals. He Could only .'emphasise tho fact 'that it waß a coming problem in regard to which Now Zealand was years behind some other countries. Further, .thorowas tho question of agricultural instruction'.: The Government had not tho.money to send competent teachers -abroad to istiidy the methods ■:• of more advanced ;: countries. : All that New Zealand was' doinf* was fumbling,along—probably' 25 years.behind them';.;/If capable men with the capacity for imparting knowledge received instruction for,a year or two abroad they could on'their return instruct those who in turn" would instruct others throughout tho country. ;JTimo was a great'factor in connection with the development of a country, and Now Zealand could- no ; longer afford : to dawdle,along in the wake of other countries.;,,: ;■.■"■. '"..■•,-, ' •.:■■ ': '■, "'■-. ':'■.'' : :' Lincoln Collego ■ Too "Sclentifio.'V: There was no time either to wait to breed all the stock, that was'necessary.' Accommo-' datj'qn'.was needed at.some of the farms, so that.youngniou, could 'go; .there : and get practical instruction.: At present there was really no,place whore aypung man could go, with, any...certainty'of getting suitable in-. 'struction.in ! farming: '•: :, v , ,/A member! What about' Lincoln College? .',Mr."Mackenzie .said that, no doubt .the students '.'got .'a . lot of theoretical knowledge thoro, but he; would like to see' more practical;w*rk.,done..;He.would like.to see 1000 acres -turned''lip,vand tho 'students getting th© as.. farmers'.' sons, besides..; the. "usual courses, of lectures.'; -.With all duo, respect,'.to.the authorities, he, thought; Lincoln College science must' over-'-rido..practice. -,Ho;wanted to se'o an;institu-' ;tipn' , whe^e v young' mem who wereat present •looking round.:; for'-' Government ..billets' could, ;be: trained as' farmers.. .There "was,: however, not,money 'enough,,to build, such; a. place or .toibuy_,<the : 'neccssary-;land..; Ho - thoroughly appreciated Sir; Buchanan's'.offer, and would 'like ;to, ; :.'spe a conference whereat the points w/hicb-he-.hadvinentionedi could .be. thrashed.: : out.-; ; yHaving' such'; a ' practical .mind, ; ; Mr. (Buchanan;.would "see' that, to establish another farm,:, would be'a waste-of money,' but thafesome other ;proposal could be-adopted the', farmers to make the. country more i productive. .- Ho would, however; lay-:the proposal before his colleagues at the (earliest opportunity. /."" :

; ;% ;How the Donation Might be Used! ;' ■.!■ Replying to questions, -Mr. Mackenzie said that ie.wpnld favourably consider Mr..Bucnana'n's, offer, .if-theimpney.were to.be devoted to;any other work of, a similar nature in ;the ;AVWarapa,.;aud ,that lie would like Mr; Buchanan- to bb'present at the conference; '.". /-Mr.-;Bunny: Had yonr officers considered tW'value/bf tho proposed ;farm, taking into obrisido'ration the'fact that' half was only, to .be' .used :for; experimental 'purposes?' l . ■■■■*'? --;.'Mr.,; Mackenzie;! 'As far as'' I know' they, have.: not considered that aspect./.: >:■ [■'• ;/.-:-.•'. 'After, further,/'discussion; ; Mr; ;i Mackenzie, saidthat if iMr. ,lJuchanan cohld see his way' ,'tp'allow hisvgenerous, ; offer 'to bo used, 'for specialising in setd, culture, he would "confer, [a'-.yery great .benefit on the agriculturists': of. i'tho; Dominion...'.To his iriind, a good farmer '.was not necessarily, the ..man. who. ,had made money in fag'ripulture-r-he .'mighthave Carried the soil, 'robbed; the land, ; and made it poor for. his successor;, but'any manwho 'left hind him:better seed, ana cleaner fields; and richer.?soil,';and. a knowledge ; of wiser 'systems and more 'economical methods 'of management .did; fpr..'agriculture',and .the race, a noble seirvioe,;and'he should be-glad \tp know that Mr. Buchanan , would contribute his quota to such a service.'