AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION.

Taranaki Daily News, 25 April 1918, Page 6

AGRICULTURAL INSTRUCTION.

THE EDUCATION BOARD'S WORK. The question of carrying on the work of agricultural instruction to farmers, in view of the shortage of staff, came before the Education Board yesterday. Mr. R. A. G. Browne (agricultural director to the Taranaki Education Board) reported as follows: We have been very much understaffed during this period, and the shortage cannot be relieved before the beginning of May, when Mr. Connell should arrive. At the present time we are two instructors short. Mr. Howell left at the end of March. Owing to indisposition he had for some time been unable to visit country schools except occasionally. Mr. Burley has taken over all classes at Stratford, with assistance from the school staff. Mr. Dean is handling the class at Hawera Technical College and putting in one or two days at New Plymouth each week. Farmers' Classes.—The above rearrangements will now allow me four days per week for farmers' classes, .which will permit me to keep the majority going until the new instructors arrive. Thereafter leeway can be made up. Meetings were held' in Normanby, Cardiff (very wet), and Trtaraimaka. School Classes.—An effort has been made to visit as many schools as possible during the period. Wet weather and. holidays both intervened. Visits were paid as follows: Normanby, Egmont Village, Tariki, Norfolk, Tarflru. tangi, Bell Block, Matapu, Okaiawa, Kapuni, Kaponga, Manaia, Tataraimaka, Tikorangi, Urenui, Mimi, Pukearuhe, Okoke, Uruti (2), Mt. Messenger, and Kadnor. Gift of Bulbs. —Mr. J. Gibson, of Frankley Road, has generously donated bulbs to schools agreeing to exhibit at Whiteley Show. So far some 11 schools have entered. Technical College Classes—The New Plymouth class remains as previously, but Hawera now has a roll number of 13, Until the arrival of Mr v Connell only one day is available for work there. D.H.S. Classes at Hawera and Stratford. —These continue as in previous reports. The Hawera lads visited Stratford Model Dairy Farm on Thursday, March 2S, and, notwithstanding bad weather, a profitable day was spent. The Stratford pupils have got down to work observing and recording results of farm operations, testing the dairy herd. etc. New Plymouth High School.—Mr. Bnrley and myself here spend a day per week. Instruction is now well under way. The Manual and Technical Committee (Messrs IT. Trimble, R. Masters, S. G. Smith and E. Dixon) recommended that ,Mr. Browne's application for a motor car in lieu of a bicycle be held over until tlio effect of the appointment of the additional instructor is seen; that the tools required for the classes at Waiongona and Finncrty be supplied; that as no satisfactory application has been received for the position of assistant agricultural instructor, the committee confer with the director at an early date a.s to the/possibility of rearranging the agircultural work. The report was received. The chairman thought that with the curtailed staff they now had they were endeavoring to do too much, and it would probably be advisable to give up the farmers' classes, which they found they were unable to attend to thoronghly, and confine themselves more particularly to the work of instructing the children. The Government should attend to the instruction of farmers, and the board consolidate its efforts on teaching the younger generation. Mr. E. Dixon considered that the work done by the board in instructing farmers had had the good effect of shownig the farmers the need for Instruction, and they now recognised that this would be a benefit to their children, whereas a few years ago they .could not see that agricultural instruction was necessary. Mr. C. A. Wilkinson said, it was a very difficult position to teach the farmers, and he thought that should bo left to the Agricultural Department, and the Education Board confine itself to teaching the young children. Mr. S. G. Smith said the Taranaki ■Education Board had done good work by showing the farmer the value of .agricultural education, and so inducing liim to let his sons take advantage of it. The chairman said that owing to the shortage of instructors they had not been able to make the progress with the farmers' classes that they would have liked, at times being unable to keep their engagements. They had now reached the stage when thev should confine their efforts to teaching the youth. The Agricultural Department had of late years been much more alive in instructing the farmers, and the hoard could now confine itself to teaching the boys and girls. There was an undoubted shortage of instructors throughout New Zealand, and it was hot posi sible for the board to pay the salary necessary to obtain an instructor and carry on without making a loss. Agricultural instruction was so important, and the gain to be derived was so great, that lie was prepared to carry it on at a loss, but could not go too far. They would, therefore, have to reorganise, and, if necessary, cut out some of the more distant schools, or the more central, if thought necessary. Mr. Dixon- said the Education Board would never have taken up the matter of farmers' instruction but for the failure of the Agricultural Department, which, however, was now much more alive to the position.