DEPARTMENTAL COMMITTEE, 1907 329 



1907, the Council carried the following resolution by 28 votes 

 to 4 : 



" This Council is strongly of opinion that the present system 

 of education in elementary schools tends to unfit children for 

 rural pursuits ; that education should be varied between country 

 and town ; that children who are going to be employed in agri- 

 culture should be allowed to leave at an earlier age, but that 

 such children should attend evening classes. This Council is 

 also of opinion that education being a matter of national import- 

 ance, a larger proportion of the cost should be paid out of Imperial 

 funds. 



" That the Council should be allowed to nominate a member 

 of the Departmental Committee to inquire into Agricultural 

 Education, and that the inquiry be extended to elementary 

 education in rural districts." 



The report of the Departmental Committee was issued in 

 July, 1908, and in the following November the Council 

 appointed a special Committee to digest this document 

 arid report upon it. This Committee, consisting of Sir F. 

 A. Charming, Major Craigie, Professor P. McConnell, 

 Mr. Christopher Turnor, Mr. W. A. Haviland, Mr. 

 Trustram Eve, Mr. Martin J. Sutton, Mr. F. J. Lloyd, 

 and Mr. Charles Bathurst, elected Mr. Lloyd as their 

 Chairman and presented their report on 2nd February, 1909, 

 when it was unanimously adopted. 



This report recommended the Council to place on record its 

 sincere appreciation of the Departmental Committee's report, 

 and endorsed the appeal made therein for greatly increased 

 funds from the National Exchequer to the Board of Agri- 

 culture for more substantial grants to universities, colleges, 

 and other centres where scientific and practical training 

 in agriculture is carried on or where research is combined with 

 experiment and demonstration. It urged the Board of 

 Education to ensure that elementary and secondary schools 

 serving rural districts should be provided with gardens, and 

 that nature study and the rudiments of agriculture and horti- 

 culture should be taught. It recommended local Chambers 

 to appeal to local Education Authorities to see that there was 

 an educational ladder in each locality by which bright boys 

 might climb, with the help of scholarships, from the elementary 



