202 THE LAND AND ITS PROBLEMS 



sion may have to be resorted to. It is extraordinary that em- 

 ployers do not generally recognize what an advantage it would 

 be to themselves to raise the standard of intelligence of those 

 who work for them. We have brilliant examples of certain 

 clear-sighted manufacturers who have established schools 

 actually in their own factories, and who insist upon all youths 

 under seventeen attending for so many hours a week. We 

 badly want to see the same spirit actuating all employers of 

 labour. 



This system of centralized continuation day schools has 

 been recommended by the Consultative Committee of the 

 Board of Education and the Rural Education Conference, 

 and it has been in operation for some time in Canada and 

 other countries. 



To come next to instruction of a more purely agricultural 

 character and available for boys and girls after the age of 

 sixteen is reached : three years ago Mr. Runciman brought 

 in various changes and developments, the result of which has 

 been to give us a system of agricultural education. Before 

 that there was no system at all ; and although there is much 

 room for future development, we may well be thankful that 

 at last a beginning has been made. 



England was divided for the purposes of this agricultural 

 education into twelve provinces, with an Agricultural College 

 situated in each ; this college forms the centre of agricultural 

 education for the province. 



Further, the county councils (though by no means all) have 

 appointed agricultural organizers, and these, with their as- 

 sistant lecturers on the county staff, control what may best 

 be termed the intermediary agricultural education of the 

 county. The results are clearly good ; the farmers' interest 

 is being aroused and their sons are becoming anxious to go in 

 for courses of instruction. Instruction is being brought to 

 the farmers. 



But the grave defect is that so far it is not reaching the 

 children of the labourers ; and they must be reached if we 

 are to have more efficient workmen on the land in the future. 



