BOYS'AGRICULTURAL CLUBS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 289, 31 August 1920, Page 7

BOYS'AGRICULTURAL CLUBS

AID TO NATIONAL RECONSTRUCTION

GOVERNMENT APPROVAL AND

SUPPORT WANTED

"It the Government is thoroughly sincere with its. policy of national reconstruction it will make (ill possible speed •with blue- establishment of boys' agricultural clubs," remarked Mr. Stuart Wilson, in an interview with a representative of this paper, "In order to test the Government in the matter I have submitted a petition to Parliament in the hope that something will be done, soon ft) put these clubs on the right basis throughout tbe Dominion. I know that many members of Parliament are eager for progress-, and several Ministers have shown—by their words, at least—that ' they appreciate the nationaj value of these clubs', Irak I am afraid that the Minister of Agriculture (the Hon. W. Nosworthy) is not moving as fast as ine urgency of the.case demands. ■ "It seems very iiueer to ma that I have to battle so hard for such an ob- ' viously good thing as \hese agricultural clubs. It! is liko having to argue 1 that two and two make fourfor that a doubl- : tag or. trebling of New Zealand's produovtion' would be better than a continuation of the "present volume. Long years ago the United States and Canada began to benefit greatly by the promotion of theso club 3; for loys and girls, but it is very difficult to stimulate the New Zealand Government into a vigorous emulation of the Americans' ' profitable enterprise Surely if should be clear to everybody that ©very day's delay means .loss from . various'.view points. 'Production more production, and still more productionjs i slogan of the Government, the Farmers Unions, the Chambers of Commerce tie Industrial Associations, the Jr" " 8 League, and other bodies If the Govern/ment really believes n that ebgan why doesn't it speed, up the agricultural club movement for boys and fii™' , _. , ?'Br a'statement which• Cnptain BirKs recently made to a Ttanxm W™£ readers of this paper, were able toionn w4t New, ZeaUadww losing by failure to organise the country,s for agricultural progre» TJgd«™«f T should dearly like to see the else dually well equipped to enper^nttM 1 throughout New Zealand.,, W *W™s for this foundation work in real national : reconstruction would be about as good an Investment as any coiui try coul dj » aertaU-' for the dividends as. tto years ■ go on would be beyond measure.

/ Material Advantap.es. "One of the many material advantages tJ'vill be asßuri by the estolJ«W Tttwa clubs will be the spread ofpractLl knowledge to check the deadly dise_s« which are now a serious menace to Si kinds of farmers. It «.™ll known that despite the attention given by tho BS department to-, IMb natter, the various pest? which PWT™. B life are on'- the increase. It, is n° l enough' tohavo an experimental stabon here and there, a laboratory or two. and a distribution of pamphefe;, and bnlletins.' Would it not be' infinitely 'better to have the : whole country dotted with such experimental stations as the W clubs would .constitute-clubs which- could soon be •self-supporting:, .unto proper direction? The competitions in aaricnltuw would lead the boya to give good heed to . the : pests. They would learn early in their work the. value of the old proverb: 'Prevention 15 .better than.cure.'. If a. disease appeared m spite of precautions ' they would know booh that early treatment was better than neglect. The clubs should, not bo restricted to boys in, country districts. Canada and the United States have proved that .it is to g.ve boys of'the. towns an opportunity to become skilled in agriculture., v u , , "One aspect of boys' agricultural clubs 'deserves special attention to-day, _ lie National Defence .League is mind the country that the need ot de•fence has not passedr away with /the Binning of peace with Germany. Une aim of the league is to impress the truth on the people's minds and hearts that their country is worth defendine In short, the league has; to create a strong 'sense of country or national feeling', commonly patriotism. What hotter way is there to create t'Kis 'sense of country' thanhy the widespread promotion. of agricultural clubs for the young folk? That is the way to bring them into close touch with their country and to convince them that it as worth holding.

Increasing interest. ■ "Happily, the many national advantages which can come from these clubs are appreciated by New Zealand's Press, which is working ahead of the Government. Many a time the Press of' Now Zenland has. been the pioneer of reform, and I am confident that the Press will .not allow, a long continuation of 'go-slow with boys' agricultural clubs. By the •publicity which the Press has given to this subject many New Zealanders are being stirred into action. For example, I have just been invited to give information about these clubs to ,the Primary Industries Committee of the Canterbury Progress League and to the teachers 01 technical schools and colleges, who will be meeting in Wellington soon. , Other evidence of increasing interest in this subject comes in many Tetters to me. .To give an idea of the kind of support, 1 quote the following letter I received from Mr. M. D. Richards, an Australian business, man, after he had Tead mr booklet on boys' agricultural clubs:—l nave just finished the little TioolClet you gavo me when I called on you the other day, and feci that I must sit right down and tell you what really splendid work you are nelping to push forward. I can well remember as a hoy how 1 ached to plant a .'Sit of ground and grow something; that is down nnder the skin of every boy, J. think; But I lived in a.city, and there ■;iis nobody to show me how. So the desire—for want of encouragement-died. Why should not every school have a garden as'well as. a playground? What'one learns as a boy is never forgotten. All good wishes to your splendid project, and may great success attend your efforts for its achievement. You will bo starting boya to love old Mother Earth when they nro voung; they will never lose the love.'"