AGRICULTURE BASIS

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 1, Issue 32, 30 September 1931, Page 4

AGRICULTURE BASIS

HIGH SCHOOL PLANS COMMITTEE REPORTS ON RANGIORA SCHOOL SCHEME. RECOMMENDATIONS ADOPTED. The proposals to extend agricultural education at . the Rotoru^ High School received further consideration at a meeting of the School Board held on Monday evening, when,. following the presentation of the report upon the' scheme drawn up for the Board by Mr. D. A. Campbell, agricultural instructor at Rangiora High School, recommendations in connection with this report were tabled by a sub-committee of the Board set up to go into- the matter. The headmaster, Mr. A. R. Ryder, also submitted a commentary upon the various recommendations made by Mr. Gampbell and after a hrief discussion the sub-committtee's report was adopted. The most significant portion of the sub-committee's report was a recommendation that the Board should not be overhasty in adopting the report of the Rangiora High School, particularly in regard to the estahlishment of a school farm, as it was eonsidered that the Rangiora scheme had not been sufficiently long in operation to ascertain the full results of the changes made in the curriculum. The committee reported that on the 15th ult., it had visited Mr. H. C. B. Hardcastle's farm and made a eomprehensive inspection, following Mr. Hardcastle's offer to make available a portion of his property for experimental work in connection with the proposed scheme. The committee made the following recommendations : . (1) That agriculture be given greater prominence in the curriculum of the Rotorua High School for the following reasons: (a) because of the great importance to the Dominion of primary industries and (b) because of the moral advantages to be gained from a system of culture based on the study of natural science. (2) That in the main the recommendations made in the report supplied by Mr. D. A. Campbell be approved aq the first steps to be taken in giving effect to the preceding recommendation. (3) The committee is of the opinion that the Board should not he overhasty in adopting the report of the Rangiora High School, partieularly in revard to the establishment of

a school farm. This school has been carrying on as at present constituted for barely twelve months, and the committee considered that it is too soon to ascertain the results of the changes made in the curriculum, or to judge whether the added costs can be justified by results. (4) The committee is further of the opinion that any praetical work done in connection with an agricultural course should be demonstrative rather than experimental in eharac-

ter. The Government, through the co-ordinated efforts of the Department of Seientific and Industrial Research, is already spending much money upon experimental work and overlapping in this respect should be avoided. Headmaster's Views. The headmaster, Mr. A. R. Ryder, also submitted a report upon the recommendations made by Mr. Campbell. Inter alia, Mr. Ryder suggested that an advisory committee might be set up as soon as the scheme was in operation. He considered a vocational course could be introduced without diminishing the general efiicieney of the school work, provided that an additional instructor in agriculture was appointed. Mr. Campbell's recommendation that agricultural science should be included as a subject in the general course for all boys was very similar to the present method adopted in the school. Boys taking Latin, however, would be unable to include agriculture, since it would make their course too burdensome. In regard. to Mr. Hardcastle's offer to make available a portion of his property for experimental purposes, Mr. Ryder considered that together with the work which could he carried out on an experimental area of six

acres, thi3 would provide an opportunity for the successful initiation of the scheme. In addition, Mr. A. G. Cottrell had offered the use of an area of from four to five acres adjacent to the Kuirau Reserve for five years, if the Board deemed this offer worthy of consideration. Dependant on Roll. The headmaster cnsidered that a vocational -course should be undertaken during 1932 if the roll number of the school was maintained during the present term. He thought that this was doubtful, but if the roll number rose again to a point which entitled the school to an additional teacher in 1932, the scheme could be brought into operation some time during that year. The appointment of an agricultural instructor depended entirely on the level of the school roll. So far as laboratory equipment wa3 concerned, Mr. Ryder stated that the apparatus available was sufficient to carry on for the greater part of 1932. It was unnecessary to discuss temporary hostel aecommodation until assured of the initiation of the scheme. Woodwork classes could be continued as at present with further speeialisation in type of work required to mec-t the needs of the scheme, but df it was desired to introduce metal work, application would have to he made to the Department for assistance towards the provision of a metalwork shop and- .equipment. . Mr. H. M. Martin expressed the opinion that it was too soon for the Board to think of purchasing a school farm. This opinion met with general support and the. committee's and the headmaster's1 recommendations were adopted after some further hrief discussion.