1 The Early Years: Finding the Best Way Ahead — 1892-1945
P R Stephens*
Senior Farm Economist 1951-1984
Introduction
The Department of Agriculture was formed on 31 March 1892 by the amalgamation of the staffs of the Stock and Agricultural Branches of the Department of Crown Lands. J D Ritchie, the Chief Inspector of Stock, became the first Secretary of Agriculture, with the duty "to collect and distribute information on subjects connected with agriculture among the settlers by means of lectures and pamphlets, and generally to study and promote the welfare of the farming community" (Nightingale 1992, p.37). F S Pope was appointed Secretary in 1908 and when Dr C J Reakes was appointed Director-General 1918, Pope became Assistant Director-General.
The aims of the newly formed Department were at first guided by the stock and veterinary work taken over from Lands Department. Appointments at the professional level were very slow. T W Kirk was employed as biologist on plants and diseases in 1893, and B Aston was appointed as chemist in 1899. A H Cockayne as appointed as assistant biologist in 1904. Nevertheless, Parliament and Ministers were concerned to appoint more ‘practical’ men, and scientific endeavour and teaching tended to take second place.
By 1910 permanent staff of 83 had grown to 371, with work allocated into Livestock, Dairy, and Biology (Orchards and Fields) Divisions. By 1910 the Orchard, Gardens and Apiaries Division (as it had become) had 7 fruit inspectors, 13 orchard instructors, 4 apiary instructors and a viticulturist. The Dairy Produce Division worked within clearly defined boundaries quite separate from the Orchard Division under Kirk. There was ambiguity about the roles of the former Stock Inspection Division and the Veterinary Division over needed qualifications, and these two divisions were amalgamated under C J Reakes in 1908.
This paper is concerned with how the personalities of the day coped with the problems as they saw them, and how the early agricultural professionals took some time to work out what was in the best long term interests of the industry. The period was characterised by short term solutions and repeated interference by farmer interests and politicians. The ultimate success of the Department in encouraging grassland systems of farming and spreading the need for improved farm management is recorded in these pages. Furthermore, advisory and research work were closely interlinked throughout this earlier period. The numbers of staff involved were small, and field programmes overlapped, hence it is impossible to separate research activities of the Department from its advisory effort.
*This paper is based on research into the Archives of the Department and Parliamentary records. The record is incomplete, particularly from 1892 to the 1930s, as Departmental files were almost totally destroyed by fire in 1952.
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