Land Problems and National Welfare 



Swanley College are recognised by the Board 

 of Education), as far as possible, for giving this 

 instruction in special subjects, and encourage 

 rural teachers to take a third year's course in 

 subjects bearing upon country life. It is re- 

 grettable that more teachers and students are 

 not availing themselves of the opportunities so 

 afforded, and I think local authorities should take 

 definite measures to induce teachers and students 

 to make use of this instruction. But the agri- 

 cultural college as it is at present constituted 

 is not meant to train teachers : it is meant to 

 inculcate practice with science in the minds of 

 those who are actually going to make their 

 living off the land, i.e., farmers' sons. 



During the period of transition, and in order 

 to reach as many as possible of the teachers 

 now at work, no means must be left untried in 

 the way of Saturday classes, holiday courses at 

 agricultural colleges, travelling instructors, etc. 

 But it is necessary for local education com- 

 mittees to exercise great care as to whom they 

 nominate to attend these courses ; it is a matter 

 of much difficulty for a committee, and it can 

 only be dealt with satisfactorily if the inspector, 

 or secretary, or someone who knows the qualifi- 

 cations of the individual applicants, is allowed 

 to guide the committee. When an adequate 

 normal system has been evolved, the next step 

 should certainly be to develop a plan of steady 



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