MOUMAHAKI STATE FARM.

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume L, Issue 12395, 16 December 1909, Page 5

MOUMAHAKI STATE FARM.

The retrenchment at the Moumahakr State Farm was referred to by Mr~ Pearce to-day. He stated that while the flower gardens and the growing of ' fruit trees at the farm might not have been of much benefit, a suggestion ljad been made to keep on some of the best men and employ youths to assist on th& farm, so that experiments might be carried en that, would be of great valueto the district. He was sorry the Minister had stated that,he did not mean to put these youths on"the farm. , An expenditure.-of. £1,000 a year in, investigating diseases ,of turnip crops, methods of manuring kinds of soil,. etc, would be well worth while. ;

The Hon. T. Mackenzie said, that the? question in regard to Moumahaki wass one of considerable moment. The former manager had stated that eleven hands were of no lisa on the farm. The Department wanted value for its money, and not to keep on a lot of fancy experiments. Some of th© experimentsat the farm were finished, and it wasof no use continuing them. He considered that the amount which the Government had asked Parliament to expend on the farm should enable the* carrying out of all experiments necessary for the district. It was a sura greater than Mr Pearce had asked theGovernment to lose, if necessary, on the--farm. The manager, who had retired,,, was informed six months ago what the desire of the Government was in regard, to retrenchment, but took m> steps to carry out his instructions to reduce. He- (the Minister) gathered" from the Press that this manager, did? not consider it possible to carry oufc r such reductions as were-> expected. Hfe-

had, .therefore, retired :,\on : his 'ownbehalf. He -was a very good man, 'ancT. his resignation had been accepted witht regret. If he believed that the farm? I could only be carried on at an expendiI ture of over £3,000 per annum, with, a

loss of over £2,G€O per annum, he was right in retiring. Mr Mackenzie said he believed ho had a manager now who

would do good work with the funds; jat his disposal. Mr Gillanders had disi psnsed with ten men and retained 11I Three other hands would be placed !on the farm, making a. total of 14, which should be enough to do some good for the district. The question of in— I strncting youths in farming was entirely ! another matter. To do that properly more than 800 acres would be required,, and the Government did not intend to !go in for a school of instruction foiI young men alone.