§ Mr. C. BATHURSTasked (1) whether before settling the details of the national 1028 scheme for the establishment of farm institutes, the President of the Board of Education will consider the advisability of sending a small committee to visit and study the equipment and curriculum of the exceptionally efficient institutions of a similar character in Belgium; and whether it will be the aim of his Department or the Board of Agriculture to cultivate and manage the farms attached to these institutes, as in the case of the practical farm schools of France and Belgium, with the view of making them commercially profitable; and (2) whether the proposed grant of £325,000 from the Development Fund for the purpose of establishing farm institutes will be administered wholly by the Board of Education or partly by the Board of Agriculture; when and in what counties the first of these institutes will be established; to what extent they will be under the control or supervision of the local education authorities or their agricultural committees; and out of what fund or funds is it proposed to defray the cost of their annual maintenance?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI think the hon. Member will find the answer to practically all of his inquiries in the Circular and Memorandum which the Board have recently issued to local education authorities a copy of which I shall be glad to give him. In considering their scheme the Board have had the benefit of the advice of Lord Reay's Committee on Agricultural Education, of the Inter-Departmental Committee of the Board of Agriculture and the Board of Education, of representative members of county education authorities, of the rural education conference, and of inspectors who are thoroughly informed as to agricultural developments and developments in agricultural education in all parts of the world. One of these expert inspectors is at the present conducting further investigations in Germany, France, and Belgium. It is intended that the farms in connection with which the farm institutes are worked should be conducted on business principles, so far as may be consistent with their primary use for educational purposes. The grants for farm institutes will be administered wholly by the Board of Education. The date of establishment of farm institutes in different areas must depend to a great extent upon the local education authorities by whom, subject to the Regulations of the Board of Education, the institutes will be controlled. Grants towards the annual maintenance of the institutes will 1029 be made out of the Development Fund and out of the funds placed at the disposal of the Board of Education for aiding technical education.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTWill the balance of the cost involved both in capital expenditure and maintenance be thrown upon the rates?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANI am not prepared to say exactly how it will be met, but I can give the hon. Member full information as to the amounts which we shall provide, and which will come from the Development Fund.
§ Mr. C. BATHURSTIs there no danger of overlapping and friction as between the two Departments as regards these matters?
§ Mr. RUNCIMANNo. Most complete arrangements have been made as between the two Departments to avoid overlapping.