A £2000 GIFT.

Hokitika Guardian, 20 February 1925, Page 4

A £2OOO GIFT.

FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH

P R OFESSOR MACMILLAN HR OWN’S GENEROSITY.

WELLINGTON, February 18,

During the course of his annual address at the .annual meeting of the Senate of the University of New Zealand this morning, Professor J. Macmillan 'Bfoh'n, the Chancellor, said lie feared that too much youthful energy and talent were being withdrawn from our most important industry and devoted to professional careers. The professions were being overcrowded to some extent, while agriculture was crying out for some means by which the University might aid it in solving its problems. Something should be done to encourage talent and average capacity to enter our primary industry.

Now there was a. Professor of Agriculture at Victoria College, the University should revise its programme for the Bachelor of Agriculture degree and if possible establish an rssocinteship, part of the course being devoted to eiicotnlagiiig farmers to' study l|ae sciences of their profession. The entrance to the profession might he made a little stiller.

He had obtained statistics from the Engineering School in Canterbury wi.li regard to those who had taken degrees or associate-ships, and found that wc were producing more engineers than the country could absorb. Out of 89 graduates 15 had not found employment in New Zealand. It seemed, thou l hat wo were overproducing in that particular profession, and he believed it was the same in regard to other professions. Wo were producing professional men who had to go abroad to obtain employment. If that surplus had been turned on to the land it would have been very much better for the Dominion. If there was one thing we needed in New Zealand it was men of capacity to turn their attention to fhe science, of agriculture. For most employments outside the professions only a brief apprenticeship was necessary, hut it was ddlerciit with the farmer who had to study a number of different sciences: marketing, physiology, bacteriology, etc. The course in agriculture should ho revised with the aid of the newly-appointed Prolessor of Agriculture at Victoria College, and when a professor was appointed in Auckland the two might formulate proper courses in agriculture. It would he well to ask them to work out a less full course for the associntcsliip. so that farmers who did not take lull University education might study the sciences hearing upon their work. NEED FOIL RESEARCH.

Far more important than all other things, however, was the necessity iur research when we had ahead of us the possibility of a fall in the prices of our agricultural produce. The innumerable problems facing the Dominion in this and other respects should he attacked by a large body of research workers. Problems solved in America or England did not necessarily bear upon those that arose in New Zealand. There should also be a regiment of talented men to act as intermediaries between the scientific research workers and the farmers; men who would go out and instruct farmers in the method" l,v which they could most profitably use their land and their plants. It should not he very dillieidt to organise two such regiments. For that purpose there should he an honours degree in agriculture in connexion with the l n i torsi tv. Hr hoped the Senate would not allow its .session to (lose without doing something to arrange a course for such a degree. It would be difficult to induce talented honours students to turn to agriculture and devote their lile to research. The only way to do that was to establish handsome post-graduate research s-Ivilarships. If the wealthy farmers of the Dominion only .saw tlmt this elf"' e l l one of ill:; main lines towards the development ot the country. he thought they would rise to the occasion and give a lend. He therefore intended to offer to the Semite £2OOO. which, with the Government subsidy, should permit a handsome postgraduate research couise to lie established.

*‘f hope ami believe it will not stand alone,” said the' Chancellor, “and that before many years pass we will have this lead followed considerably throughout the country. A large proportion id" our wealthy men have made tlieii wealth through tbe land. Why not give part of it back to help the struggling man on the land?’M ATU fCULATII >X Ti KQUTH EMF.NTS. The Chancellor gave notice of bis intention to move that a committee tie set up to revise the course for the Bachelor ol ! Agriculture degree, to draw up ;> course for an honours degree and an nssoeiateship in agriculture, to report upon the best means of encouraging honours graduates to take up agricultural research, and to indicate the conditions on which scholarships should be provided. Secondly, he gave notice to move that the committee report to the Senate whether it was feasible to divide the matriculation examination for entrance to the University, the committee also to report upon the desirability of the capacity to write English being nirde an essential requirement for matriculation.

In expressing appfrociation of the Chancellor’s offer, the Vice-Chancellor (Professor J. Rankiiic Brown) said it was only in accordance with his past generosity in other directions.

On the motion of the Vice-Chancol-ior n. vote of thanks for the gift was passed alter a .ief discussion.