AGRICULTURAL EDUCAATION.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1049, 11 February 1911, Page 8

AGRICULTURAL EDUCAATION.

(By. Tclczraph r Pres3 .Association.) ■ '•' l ■■■■-•-"■ "•■ ,; Auckiena, February 10. ..;. -The, 'Ifulcctout- Dietnct High School, ■wis 'op'driett liy'tlio jlimsfcr -lor kuucation idou. G. i'owlds; this afternoon.; In. tho. course of his opening address, the 'Minister touched at somo length on tho quostion of agricultural eilucutiori. Ho referred to iho misapprehension which appeared to exist in tho public mind as to this functions of tho .Education, Department in tho niattor, and'the, general complaints mads that tho.-Department-'wag'neglecting its duty 'iri'nqt sutlicibritiy promoting agricultural education. Tho Aiinister niauo it clear that tho Department' had no function n't all in tho starting of classes, that duty having been delegated' by Act of Parliament cither-to education or high ; school boards.. Full. and sufficient provision 'had, been made, in'-'..tho regulations for capitation,; and it ' was by means of the 'money earned in capitation .that'tho work was "to bo'dono adequately,- tho only fnrther requirement being sufficient local interest and organisation by tho boards entrusted with tho work. Air., Fowlds pointed regretfully to tho fact that, the Department had offered an.additional capitation of £5 10s. per student to tho district high schools, whero a rural course on ; lines suggested by. the Departmont was taken up/nothing had been dono in a number of tho district high'schools. t '•• .'■:■' A groat deal of. talk, about agricultural: colleges was. often' heard from pooplo without any definite., knowledge ■of tho subject, but unless tho young people wore properly preparod by suitablo courses from the primary and secondary schools, a. very largo amount of money could bo wasted on agricultural .colleges with very poor results. Somo people who aro talking persistently and glibly about agricultural colleges wero simply confusing names, and tho Minister declared emphatically that a high school, such as l'almerston North, or a district high-school, such as at Stratford, wero giving an agricultural education, as effective as a great many of those so-called agricultural colleges in America.