LORD ISLINGTON'S SPEECH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1476, 26 June 1912, Page 8

LORD ISLINGTON'S SPEECH.

/ WORTH OF SCIENCE. KUEAL: COLLEGE ADVOCATED. NEW MARKETS. The show was formally opened by his Excolk-l.oy (he Governor," Lord Islington, shortly utter noun. ... , , His ExK'lk'in-y wns introduced by Jfajor Diuik. cliairnimi of the Winter Show Committee, who ?sml that v/hcfeiis to-dav tlie ontms niunl,'sred IS;>9, and occupied »~<W> s iuf.re l'<*t "f ?UMt', lane ve'i-i aeo thov had iiumlc-rt'il only Mo.. ' iIN facellJiicy espres3i-d ple.isure m hiivin? th? opportunity to open tl»; show. | It was he said, a jfreat pleasure aho, to m°ot -u Urge a body ul mi.'U occupied ia' a-ricallnre-meii on whow \fork cho country so much depended. Hγ- li.nl l>.u t)iron?h the show, and he thuiiaht that t e exhibits showed that tho..ln.rT iwlus. trv was M-rtnisiiy ]irogre«nis in the th-,-tiids which coiitribuH-d.thf d.splay.s. Ik liud seen many shows in -V-w /-ealaiu irhi" the- la,t hvu years and he .had i.'n 'until imim-ssed will, tlie Agr.o.ilural n"p"rtmenr's exhibits at the winter sho vV Ik. thought that other countries mi-lit well emulate New Zealand in this •4-ct. He commended, also, the inrtnctnl.,t. given at this show to children to'interest themselves in. agriculture studio Scientific methods in ngnujilture were becoming more imperative everv vear. In a country like this, (lepeiuient on successful agriculture, agricultural eduevtion should be g >ven an 1nnrlant place in the curricula. He was nlad to hear that in the primary schools h, Talmerston North the practical, as well n= the theoretical, side wa.» taught. Theorv without practice was of little use. He hoped that not many years would hav^

rolled l)y beforo they would find embodied in the curriculum of the secondary schools opportunities for the furtherance of (ho agriculture studies commenced in the primary schools. He hoped, too, that very soon Sew Zealand would have a wellh'niVhed, scientifically equipped, and con- i (rolled central agricultural college for the | education of iiioii who would njiplv their lsnoweldge to the development of the rich endowments of this country. Science was not stationary, and what wa,s tho latest in science to-day would, no doubt, lie out of date ticfore' long, and this must be borno in mind. His Excellency, congratulated the assemblage on the fact that die last season had baen'ti good one for agriculture. U had, he remarked, been a better one fox agriculture than for picnics. There had been an increase of l> per cent, in the cliecso exports of last season. He was pleased to know that the. standard of the butter in many districts had materially improved, and that was, no doubt, duo in a good measure to the help given farmers by the State Dairy Division. He was verv "lad to see that fanners in New Zealand—he wished they would do the Mine in the Old Country—had increased their appreciation of the work of those who had advocated cow-testing. Last season no lever than 11,000 cows had been tested by the-Cow-testing Associations. J'ruit-srovinjf was going io u? an important'branch of agriculture in New Zealand, and there were now 31.000 acres under cultivation for fruit production. Tho quality of the fruit grown was splendid, as evidenced at the show, but as regards exporting there was room for improvement. The difficulties of refrigeration had been overcome, but grading and packing still presented obstacles. These things 'should Iw attended to at once, for tliey could not afford to have anything amiss in tIiPM times of keen competition. He believed New Zealand could grow as fine fruit as any country in tho world. His Excellency impressed upon his hearers the necessity for being alive to the need for missing no good market to which business might be extended. Business with Canada had been extended of late. In 1903 our exports' to Canada were worth <£H,000; four years later the. amount was ■£'9:2,000. New Zealand had an ample market for butter in Canada, and with a regular service of steamers, furnished with refrigerators, there was no reason why they'should not take advantage of it. In conclusion, his Excellency advised farmers to apply science, insight, and vigour. <lay by day, to the rich endowments God had blessed them 'with in this country,' and New Zealand, though' small and removed from the great markets of (lie world, would continue to stand in the forefront of the great producing countries of the w6rld.