DEGREES IN AGRICULTURE.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 612, 15 September 1909, Page 10

DEGREES IN AGRICULTURE.

; AGBICTJLTTJRAL,COLLEGE 'AND THE f 's : S' r: -' : ;';■;', UNIVERSITT-;; '/ ' \ /.■ (tj Association.):-. -; .: ;■■•' ■'■"" Christchurch, September 14. .^ "The question of conferring ' degrees in.; agriculture upon students who qualified at; .(Jan Collegewas; discussed by the . Board of" Governors.- of. the .'college today.' '. ■'■"/:, v ",..'.'' ; '/.- .-..-- ■■ .: .;_"■■ ■ ' , Mr. 'Murphy, who brought -up the subject, ,'saidj.tfia't , for;' aVto!ig; ; tiilie .p>st Ae'';had';.been,of; )^e"[pj|)Mpnrili(it' ; 'tte. ; !xolic^^li!id , ]\n6t'' ; been; folding.the position/it'-should in the educa-,. tional world.'- With the advance of agriculture, fivo of. the ■ principal centres in .■. Zealand' required instructors at salaries ranging from £300' to iE4OO a-year, and .these,'.salaries.- , had not tempted young men who-had been trained at the college.' Seeing that expert'agricultural instruction .had-become one of; the planks'-of various boards of: educatifth vthrougliout 'the i,Dominion,'Snd ; 'that were frequently to. be seen calling for applications to .ajl.pbsitions of instructors; the-question might fairly be'.asliCuV: Ho*;was it/that- students from. 'Lincoln?-College^•'were-not 'coming/forward'. as' cautfidates lf Lincoln,-College,:a? M.present.constituted; had not the power tb' <!6nfer distinc-'-tions of , greater valyo than diplomas in agrK culhiro. While it was true the. University .of -New..Zealand provided , for,'.--vthe.:;. l degree-* of ofJ'Spiehcf'.in- condi--tiphS were.iiot'such-.a's'fo attract - studonts, and •nnd'.as .a/'facfaltoge'ther failed to dot.'go.' Considering that .the course at 'the collejo pro--y.id.0t1.,-for all. that : ,was. libtainablo at. ithe 'university - (and. a ..great deal;'moro that bore, oh agriculture)/except a foreign 'language;,,it .was/most'desirable: that College, which' was already registered as a; scTiool of agricul- , .hire,. should bo -affiliated With., the; New, .Zealand /University , ? /Provision fprthis courso;wa's nia'de in the; New -Zealand ■ University- Calendar,' .and if tlieboard'-fp'ok. advantage of -it.-.they' , would Taiso tho,college, to tfie' status to'which from lits-importanceiit was fairly/entitled.V-As illusti'ating.-,:the'.:-aimculties Which beset A]\a requirement' of the degree in agriculture, .ho men.; .tioned that the Senatp required,'it:to be shown, to..their- eatisfaotiori;',that,-inslitutions were, 'competent <£p .supply through!'their.. ; professora," lecturers,,and teachers a three;jeai's' course/oi -iristWct'ion-"iin''Xatiri,- : not less-than four of ; the - other ; subjects' of' study prescribed/for! the B.A. (degree , . .-WithH a: view to'.bringing about 'the change he,,h'ad'advocated,■ the speaker, moved:— That 'tho .ohajiniaii. and-Messrs, Eichardson and 'Murphy' be'-^a cbrn'mitfee to inquire- into .the , ' matter, and report at a future : nieeting' o£ithe' ,Wara."-.':\Ete. further; pointed out .that a : .itu dent who did not; pttssess .v degree had atp'qpjrichance against those who had. degrees.' utterly impossible, for. any .man to get a; degree'■■in-, : agricnlture---at-Vipresent; r ' \tithin .ly-'reasbn-i enormous ; «jpen=e'..j-; The, iolKgeihffd itS^profeS^()rs-ifnd : -iDJtrVictois;. , tuld; -stTidents-slioulil-bB 1 furneil out with.something- , like a-hall-mark to:help,.tq carry '.therathrough the world; ■■/...'■..'. ■:;■ ; ■ ■- ■.■'.••■' -.

Xihe Hon..E. ; Stevens) reimafkod? that ft' month', oi" "'two''ago' ; .th 6- board r'ective'dVan' inquiry: regarding degrees'from" an charge of .a Government. 'agHoultural; instituUon in Zanzibar. ,- Vv'-Y. '}■'$}£• poinfed ■'■ out that. it was a,' : singular.fact.'that:fpr,..positions open, at the present "tihie, 'there were no /applicants ' from the college.-' -■ , ' ;, -.''-, ■■"■"•■. ,; .'■■'■'; '■:'■' - Knight said that tho bulk of the stuilcntsVafte'r they: finished ,at,'the' college wont ;oit.tho-:.land;:,.or.'elie..throw it up altogether. They ..did.'not. seem inclined, "to. vgo in' for in!strudt6rs' positions.'"i .'';.'■'■' : ;.- ■ Jlr. ; Murphy:. You , have -had. • students here : who -would have been ■ gladi of '-the opportunity to take" sucW.positions. ; - : . ?' X.. :.' ?. -,: :..,, . ■;;..The; cbairniKn;:.thought Mr.. -Murphy would strengthen, his argument ii: good deal irhe.was .to :show '-that"owing ,to the restrictions,-.at. all events; .'the -Termirenients,' of the Senate, the B.So. -"in-aprionlture'-was-a. dead-letter, nnd 'It : fras:'really !: the':case.'.' , : ■'■ ; Mr. ; ' ! Mui*hy- said; that , 'stiulents had nothing to show, where "they had been.'.and it had _to ■bo taken ior granted that the'college had won :its "spurs • .'and laurels, .jit "should 'hnve ■ The chairman .pointed out, .that,'if the college- was going to confer:-degrees, an Act of Parliament..:would; be ; necessary.j.to.^alter the oonstitttlion. ■ ■■'-:■' i> > ■ ' .': .After further discussion,' the.motion was car- >■'■:;:■■■"