MINISTER OF EDUCATION

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIII, 29 July 1929, Page 9

MINISTER OF EDUCATION

ADDIfKSS TO FARM kills' OOXFFi!I AN Civ (By Telegraph—Special to “The Mail’’) WFLLIX'DTON. 27th duly. Tim Minister of lvdiicatinii (the lion. 11. .Atmore) delivered an address to members attending the annual Dominion Conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union al Wellington. Mr W. d. Poison, .M.l’., president, in welcoming the Minister said he believed that every farmer in the Dominion realised Mr Atmore was a real live wire and one who was out to do iiis best in the interests of the Dominion. After delegates had heard 1 1 is address they would realise that the .Minister intended doing .something along the lines advocated by their organisation. They would wake up to the fact that there was a Minister ready to work in with their views upon education and it was something they should be very thankful for. The .Minister then delivered an address on the lines of his previous utterances. At the conclusion of the address, which was punctuated with expressions of approval, members showed their appreciation by loud and sustained i npplausc. " Mr .Toll (liawkes ltay) said lie bad heard the Minister speak on several occasions and was pleased to note the consistency of his utterances, lie had often felt flint if the question, of the educational policy was left to one individual the country would lie the better for it. In the past the mistake had been made of educating all children on the same lines. He admitted parents were very much to blame for this. Tf a child was not taken in hand at the proper time his future life would suffer. He agreed with the Minister that the education system was largely responsible for so much unemployment. The Minister said that teachers should certainly not he blamed as they carried out the policy' laid dqwu. The same applied to the department. .As Minister lie would take tile full blame or credit for anything that happened during his regime. Teachers were trained according to the policy and naturally if the system was changed to. give a bias towards farming they would be trained accordingly and would pass their impressions on to the children. He had attended the. conference to tell I hem what lie proposed to carry into effect. Mr Poison said he had pleasure in moving that the conference express its thanks to the Minister for attending and delivering such an excellent address, that il also express its appreciation of what the Minister had to say regarding his educational policy and also that it express its sympathy with the spirit of the proposals made. The motion was duly seconded and carried unanimously.