EDUCATION

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 138, 7 December 1929, Page 11

EDUCATION

TEACHING OF AGRICULTURE

Speaking at the "'breaking-up" ceremony at the Christchurch. Training College.1 yesterday, the Minister of Ednca.tion (Hon. H. .Atmore) said the students had adopted the most important profession it was-.possible for anyone to adopt in the whole of the world, for the teachers prepared the boys and girls for all the other professions, as well as for their, own. New Zealand spent, just on £4,000,000 annually on education, and when one considered ■that we had slightly less than a million and a half men, women and children m the Dominion, and that half of this number were under the age of S'nnrfnnn 6 yearS ' One COuld see that t4,000,000 was no inconsiderable sum. J-t was a. sum that indicated the importance that New Zealand attached ■to. education.. -.•.■■■ There was a need indicated, said the Minister, for. unification in the control o* education. . The teachers should go in:tor unification.of representation. At present there- were too: many controlling authorities in education. It was not to be inferred from, that that he wished to lessen the. authority of tho education boards. So far as the boards were concerned, he believed in i oea i control, otherwise.there -ivould not be the local interest. But that was no reason wiy they should have a -multiplicity of local, control, such as existed at present. : . ... -.. ■.•.-■■ . tEIMARY 3NI|USTRIES. _ The- unemployment in the Old Country was duo .to the fact that Great Britain was not selling' sufficient goods Wlv N t e h w f Zeala»d the cause waf very wS that we were not producing enough m our dominant . industrtes. Ihere must.be'more agriculture taught. Personally h^ would myert .the socia) til V S ** Si ood'** P^sent/and. .place man atT, St *** the:profess^nal f^*' the other, ena. There would be a big demand.for the teaching of agriwithstanding that it,was-scoff ed at by some^papers that, refused to treat edurfov? a f s^ emg at>ove party. Unemployment .always- would increase here -was* no? ™ £ 2?-f* PriD»a>y. industries was not sufficient. Increased production from the land meant that we were producing, the wealth from the only sourca whore we could get if. If primary production was increased the secondary industries would make progress aa a result of the stimulation