STATE FARM CADETS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 788, 11 April 1910, Page 10

STATE FARM CADETS.

. ■ EXTRAVAGANGE ALLEGED. )/'■ .: the Editor.] '' ' ; •'-. few? days 4 ago I-visited the Buakura Experiment Station in the ■ 'iWaikato, and was much interested in .what I :saw there. . In many respects, I think it, is. a.vory : fine farm, and..has great prospects .before it, although it will take a pile of,money, and years of intelligent handling to make it in. any ,way. comparable with our local State : Farm (Moumahaki) .for experimental ;,/ Pork." :"'■: ■ ' .' ' ■ ' ' , .-.;. But what I. particularly want to call your attention to is the hugo elaborate mansion;now in , course of : erection at thojßuakurs , Farm, for the purposo of accommodating a few cadets. : derstandthatitis'ito be fully .equipped with.lecture hall, ete;, on' a most eom- .: ple'te scale, and is to cost from Eevcri ~ to: eight thousand pounds. I was un- . ~der':~the: impression/that. what, farmers ..and local M.l'.'s; have been agitating. for. during the past twelve months- is ...that'-'the Moumahaki Farni should bo 'made the cadet training'c'eutfe-Rt be-. : ing by far the most fiilly equipped of all our experiment: stations, and especially adapted for cadets.' In addition to (numerous other fine structures, Moumahaki has two. large and as well-built .wooden buildings.as could bo found anywhere in New. Zealand.. These latter' ' were used,-as ; stud Stables before the .Government .got. rid of their stallions, Imt are now lying practically unused. : '.' Acoinpetent builder'informs me that , these two fine, buildings could be made to accommodate at least 25 cadets with lecture-rdom,. dining-room, ;and; .bedrooms, etc., all complete; w if,,'alterations' • <»sting about , ,.£4oo. , .were'Varried'"..out... In addition to this,, the. farm, has real /good .quarters for-16 iornioro farm hands,' some of whom would not be . required, for that purposo if 'cadets ■■ mere taken on.; , : - ,' :, '

:'-. Every ! farmer who has ; visited . tho lluakura and; Mo.uriiahaki Stations '■■ must Lave seen that the latter farm is by far the most suitable for cadet-training purposes, yet,, in spite of this fact, we find our"retrenchment mad" GovernIffletit,.spending a\ small fortune, to, : en-, ible:Burakura?;t6; accommodate-.a-aDZBft: cadets, while Moumahaki, with its large, empty buildings, and.; other, especially suitable arrangements,' is apparently to .have, none at. all. Per- ■ lap's the ...Government "intend .-; that Moumahaki 'should: also -have ...cadets, iand, if so, I have little' complaint 1 to make; beyond the rather extravagant expenditure at.Ruakura. But if Buakura only is to; have cadets,:.th'eirsurely! dt is a sinful. waste ; ;6f. public ' money to spend; so much ■there when Moumahaki already has accommodation for 25 o? more" cadets lying absolutely idle. Sorely^'there is no necessity for thing elaborate in. the- way of buildings, etc., as-all m&st farmers' are asking for is .that- "willing .to ; learn," ■;. youths be taken'.on to do the ordinary everyday agricultural operations and (see the results :-"of the experiments at the same time.—tain, etc., •-.:■'. . '-.' . V .'■ .. :\ t y.. ■■. ''■ > K.DALY. Wan'ganui, April .8, 1910. : '..