The Daily News. FRIDAY, JULY 14, 1905. FARMERS IN CONFERENCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7872, 14 July 1905, Page 2

The Daily News. FRIDAY, JULY 14, 1905. FARMERS IN CONFERENCE.

The annual confevences of the representative iliiniuMS of this Colony nn L'.lways cli:ir.ictei'is-i'il l.y n keil 11 desin 10 forward the interests of the Industry which is fishily renan'e:! us tin b.ii'klmnv of tin.- country, and (hi fourth of the .-eiics which opened 111 Wellington on Tuesday is no execp lion to 1 hi' rule. The president. Mi

J. (I. Wilson, «uv<' an opening n;l dress r-mtnininf: iiiiiltt:r which ra mire than usually mtcewting and in-

structive. w;nle it wns conceiwd in an I'dmirablc spirit of common sens* and thoroughness. On the ruibjcct of agricultural education. Mr Wilson dealt at some Imgtii, emphasising the need for immediate steps iio'ng taken l>y the Oovtiruinent to provide com|>oleut instructors to go round ilio various districts of tfie Colony collecting thi- primaiy school touchers anil children logc-thor wherevrr possible from

several surrounding schools and pivinc; ih.'in a lew hours' lesson. This,

however, ho regarded as a mere makeshift which would .serve the purpose, until a iva! (raining college, similar to thai at Ottawa, where a Mix months coins* would etniip a teacher to commence giving instruclion, was ■ •stahlislnd. Mr Wilson at-lril>ut--d llifi cause of the delay in the initiation of the necessary nction l,y the Government to the fact that the a'dm'inisiratton of the Kducation Department requires the whole time uf a Minister to do it justico. Wo are somewMfit inclinvd to -agree with this dictum, and in all probability the I'ri-niier has arrived al I lie sane' conclusi.n But for the marvellous power Mr Sertdon possesses of mistering details, and his gift of ■ojiick insight into any subject he handles, thcrf

would -alive bwn chaos in educallional matters long before this, ft is admitted that the Minister has accomplished a marvellous amount <>' useftil Work in relation to education, and it is abundantly evident that his sympathies &.s well as his aim lay in the ijiiporta, ".t «ork, -but the powers of

the strongest Minister jmist neip-ssor-il.v have a limit, and the demands of the Kducatiii:r Itopartmooi on Ih • tittre of its chief are more than sufficient tr> leave no spare moment* for other affairs, if due regard is to lie paid in all retpiirements. In a young country like N'ew , Zeala.jd where a constant itJv>i;gh limited stioam if persons are Inking up laid.;, without possessing that taftiiiCnl < knowledge which would ••naMe itiejn lo obtain the best results for themsejvex and

I for the coiiiitrv, there is a |We:sing | n*eil for the cstahli.dimiut of an jipI to-dsle .system of instruction ill order to meet the keen competition which e.vists. as «ve)l US to further the prosperity of the settlers. It is decidedly lo Ih- l»>st.interest of the colony to place the people on a yaf «t '•■"-st \\it;'f those of other who

compete with" u,s- in the mni'Ms of Ihe world, and it is time a riel'nifte -(heme of agricultural and pastoral education was yn accomplished fact. All (irai.se is due t.T those who have already made n, start in this necessary work. ;in instance of which is that undertake,, recently aii Stritford under I'l.- -'iipervision el' IhChief Inspector of the 'J'nranaki

Kducation Hoard, but 11 hat is im-|«-rali-.e is. as Mr Wilson <mi;,s a real Ire training college, and we cannot nice to,, strongly, so far as t'vis d'sli'iri is cuneerned, that un iits-ti-lutioe of that nature lihoiild he pr.olidrd mid properly ciiusppr-rt at Slralfoed as soon as possible—iH& scJom-r Ihe belter. It is not only the young folk who will benefit thereby. The adults are, if anything, in sre.lt-

jiT ie ed ,of insi nil lion, find iiii Iheii cifie limn presses. Considering the near approach of the general elec-

tion, it was only natural to expect that the oncst ion of political action by the Farmer*' I'moti in relation t/> IfcirlianmiHary candidates should form the subject matter u f discussion. Although the t'uion b»» in the patt pa-

d*.(Vi>uied to eliminate politics from its plnti'urui. there Ims been an evei>incvea.iiiijr tendency to recognise the imprs i'.ilily of obtaining the legisllatiou which the members of tho I'nien c insider necessary unless thoy combii.e In comma i agreement in politic . There, is, however, that inil 'iHT.ileni.o unionist inosi, farmers

'•vhich i: ::lion:i in n determination to hav fie- hand, and the question wee-- /.ly led to considerable ckjlftitc. In 111 nd it was unanimously deoid-

od : i 'lraw np hvii main ipicslions on fa- hold and fruwliise to ho sulj-lii'i'.-'i to cundid.ttcs. leaving tha

e'.e.uJ.L' to frame such other qucs-li-n: ;s they conwlev of colonial impoiiii: c.' to llii- l'nion, with a re-

ci m 1; e 'lii'ii in tha! memliers support !)■:<■ c.;:.didn<o only in each electorate

wli • n plies s-jiisfactt'sily to ithe'ipicstini'i. tt'licth. r this decision will h;ne siillicicnt webjit wilh the far-

ii.c s 1,1 override their party opinio: s .«, HmiMfiil. If it were wilhiii

ilie ir.ngc of reason to .assume that I on; * ttiers would coniliint politically fo: 110 furtherance of their own in(p;"sis. then, umiues'ionably, they nre :. ulhcicntly powerful to secure th-j n turn ol meinliorit pledged to the policy of the l'nion, irrcS|>ectivc of pan.\ considerations. This would o-.-ly we.-k rightly if the I'ni mi's nominees attached themselves tin or weio incorporated with the great l.ii ei.il Party whHi lias in the past iotic so much for the fanners, but

ii i!u re is any attempt to form a s-parate party inimical to the G|o---i rniuent, then -the cause of the Unioh will suffer. Our settlers are well alixe to thjs aspect of the case, ant the wisdom they have shown in other diections would enable them to eu'ic'sc sound judgment when using ile "rganisation' for political pur-