191 1.] Development Fund and Farm Institutes. 427 



between the two Boards it will be for the Board of Agriculture and 

 Fisheries to distribute any State aid which may become available for 

 the purposes of a farm and farm buildings. That Board will, it is 

 understood, in fact seek an advance from the Development Fund for 

 the purpose of enabling them to aid Local Education Authorities to 

 equip and maintain farms in connection with Farm Institutes. 



5. It will as a rule be desirable that the value of a Staff of Agricul- 

 tural instructors should be fully recognised in a County before it is 

 given permanent establishment in an Institute, and the Regulations 

 will, therefore, make temporary provision for grants towards the main- 

 tenance of a Staff of Instructors, which has been appointed in advance 

 of the provision of its permanent headquarters, as an initial step in the 

 more complete organisation proposed for a County or a group of 

 Counties. 



6. The sums which will be advanced to the Board of Education up 

 to March 31st, 19 16, from the Development Fund for the purposes 

 explained above will not exceed in all ^325,000. It is understood that 

 the Development Commission are not prepared to recommend the 

 making of any other advances during this period for the purpose of 

 aiding the provision of such branches of Agricultural education as fall 

 within the province of the Board of Education. In these circumstances 

 Local Education Authorities will doubtless recognise that no useful 

 purpose will now be served by their undertaking the preparation of 

 applications to the Treasury for direct advances from the Development 

 Fund, and will instead make application to the Board of Education for 

 aid towards Farm Institutes under the forthcoming Regulations. 



7. In making grants under this scheme to Local Education Authori- 

 ties, the Board of Education have undertaken to secure that the grants 

 shall not have the effect of reducing the amount of any expenditure at 

 present incurred by the Local Education Authority out of rates or other 

 local resources upon work of the type to be aided, or the amount of 

 any contribution made by the Authority out of such funds to the 

 higher types of educational work conducted by Agricultural Colleges. It 

 is also essential that only such Farm Institutes shall be provided and 

 maintained by aid from the Development Fund as are really necessary, 

 and in this connection the Board will give close consideration tc the 

 possibility and desirability of combination between Counties for the 

 purpose. In view of the limitations placed upon the funds at the 

 Board's disposal, it may be necessary to impose limitations upon the 

 number and size of the Institutes to be aided in any individual County. 



8. The detailed Regulations will be supplied to the Authority as soon 

 as they can be prepared. Many points of detail in regard both to the 

 substance and form of applications will require settlement and will need 

 careful consideration, and the Authority should therefore defer for the 

 present the completion of any scheme they may have it in contemplation 

 to make, either alone or in conjunction with other Counties, as it will 

 be impossible for the Board to deal with any applications relating to 

 Farm Institutes or County Agricultural Staffs until the Regulations have 

 been published. 



I am, Sir, 



Your obedient Servant, 



E. K. Chambers. 



