FLOCK HOUSE

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 138, 9 December 1930, Page 17

FLOCK HOUSE

:-; ; USE,^bH: NEW ZEALANDEES The possibilities .of .extending the Flock House, sehenio so as to mako it available to New:' Zealand-born children was . .discussed at last night's imeeting ,o£ the, Wellington ''/School Committees' Association! The. matter Svas' raised by the following luptipiij which had already teen adpptecl by the; Kilbirnie School Committees' Association:—"This committee views with deep concern the future of boys and girls leaving school and college at the end of the present school year, and, in. view of the depression existing in trades and profes"sions, urges the, Government, through the Education Department, to, if possible, extend^ the Flock Houße. scheme to be avail--able'to New Zealand-born children . to ■ take up the. study of farming, with tlie object of encouraging our own children to go on the land." , Mr.J..J.Clark, moving thatthe resoluiion.be adopted, by. the association,. said the matter was one which should be taken up and pressed by the association very strongly. The Minister of Education had gone to a good deal of trouble to inaugurate.'an. agricultural bias, and this question had been raised outside iv ordinary circles cjuite, often and to a considerable extent in the newspapers, that New Zea-land-bred boys should be available for this institution, as well as boys of the seamen • for whom the fund was started. Mr. N. A. Ingram (secretary) said that the scheme would deal with only a small ( proportion' of the boys out of the schools each year. The trade depression must be causing'parents a good deal of anxiety as to where their children should go after they left the schools. The Flock House scheme would be absolute waste of money if the boys were not going to be taken past Flock House. If the. Education Depart- * inent recognised the advantages of an agri- . cultural bias the Government should be ( prepared to place land at the disposal of ' these lads, and Flock House might come first, but after that there should be State land to work on. -'■■;■ , ..Mr. A. G. Pattenson and Mr.. Clark ' urged that the association should look at the matter from the educational point of view only (md not as regards unemployment or politics. ." .. : ■,;■- ---3?he moiion of the Kilbirnie Committee was carried. . /■',. :■