AGRICULTURE AND EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 18, 16 October 1919, Page 6

AGRICULTURE AND EDUCATION

TREND CITYWARDS DECRIED

ADDRESS BY SIR ROBERT

STOUT

Before the annual conference of tho New Zealand Council of Agriculture yesterday an interesting paper was delivered by tho Chief Justice (Sir Robert Stout) on "Agriculture and Education." At tho outset he dealt with tho necessity for increased production, This, he said, was a question not for farmers only at tile present day, but for everyone in the community. We had passed' through grave financial trouble, and our financial troubles were not yet over. In order to conquer them we would have to produce more and save more, else we would be landed in days and years of hardship and financial distress. In this connection it had to be remembered that it took the United States of America fif-i-..en years to reinstate their finance after tiieir Civil War. In our own case our incrase of deut had been exceedingly heavy, and though our wealth liad increased, we could not look for any great relief so far in taxation was concerned in ' the coining your, and our only hope of progress lay in increased production of our agricultural and pastoral industries. As to education, its relation to the agricultural and pastoral interests was such that without it there was little chance of increased productiveness. There was almost iio branch of education that could not be of service to our farmers. New Zealand had in the past been far too careless in neglecting to provide for efficient education in agriculture. Agriculture wns taught in all the country schools of France.

A Practical Suggestion, Passing, Sir Koiwrt Stout, after commenting on the luck of any proper agricultural college in the North lsliiid. went on to make what he termed a practical suggestion: (1) that there should bo chairs in agriculture—that was, professors of agriculture in all our univei , - Kity colleges; ((2) tliat the experimental farms in the North Island under Government control should be utilised for the teaching of agriculture to students who had entered the university for agricultural tuition;.(3) that, if possible, an experimental farm should be started somewhere north of Auckland", bo as to deal with Hie problems affecting the northern district; ■ IJ,) that the students in agriculture should for four or five months in the year do farming: work at the experimental farms. They could do their chemistry, (heir biology, their agriculture, and their mechanics at university colleges.

Looking at the question of farming from another point of view, the Chief Justice said that the country where there was a large number of small farmers, and intensive, culture, was the country where there was the most patriotism and the country where there would Iμ the most order, and where, conscmientjy there would be most progress. Farming, he proceeded to point out. tended to a high nntionnl lif«. Re believed that much of the trouble in Australia had been caused bv the fact that small farmers were not numeroue. A Pertinent Question. "There is, however," continued Sir Robert Stour, "another view of the relationship between education and agriculture that should not be overlooked. Why is there a tendency amongst our people to flock to our towns? Surely the lure of the sun, the pure air in the country, amidst the beautiful surroundings and the beautiful places in our country districts should make the dwellers in the. towns migrate to the country- Tho tendency is, however, the other wav. It ousht not be so." Tho Chief Justice added that in order to popularise country life our country school houses should be utilised to greater advantage. A school house e'hould be the centre of social as well as of intellectual life, nnd not .for boys and girls only, but for the whole community. In many ways,more attention ehould be*paid to the social amenities of life in country districts, and by this means, wo would attract to farming many who now. thought they could only live a happ.v social life in the cities. Only by bringing into tlio country districts the best thine , '; of city, life,,rational amusements, friendlv meetings, nnd culture would we stem the tide citvwards.

At the conclusion- of liis ncldrpss Sir fiolwt Stout w<? accorded a henrty voto of thanks, oa the motion of Sir James Wilson. ,