SCHOOL AND SHOP.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 668, 19 November 1909, Page 3

SCHOOL AND SHOP.

LEARNING A TRADE. ADDRESS BY MR. ;LA,-'TROBE."r:.■>■■■■■; ;.'. ":'%:; : .VIEW.S...pF:.EMpiOYEUS; S: ; "^ : $ . The;'■' Employers': 'Federation ■cussed."..'the;..npp^ ; ,mornihs:,.;:Mf.^/.;G; : ;E6stcr:presidcd, :andUhe!: subject was;.introduced'".by..Mt.~iW; H; Bennett, tWellingtorij; ' ■■tho;Wel.Hngton''rcchnical.:iS.chp,oi; , ;\sy'\ invitatipnv ; i was .sub-. ;'s'fahtially , .tho':'same' : as , .that.' ,,: which , 'he:- , rpai.'iit , t.h9'::B.uiiders':,Cqnfereiice :, .at , , pl.n'istchuich;;an'd. : . which ./.has. already in Tub* .DOMINKIX; '.'i.:/j':;:}■;,'"~- i'''■■'. : ':'%'}.' ■';■'.) ■-^ ■ ■i;,Mr..;Lai'-Trob'c , \spok^oii'.-;.th6-- , '' , cpn^e , c'li , on. , ; i bc^ , ■tween.apprehticoship :an(i;>technical : classes. "'He--«mphasised.-tho.desirabilitj- ; :br'full' arid efficient education. . Our-primary scho6ls; : did goodwbrki ; but- it- left .-the . average /boy.. unprp.yidcd ■.:'-for .during the-cnticaL peripd'fromli , to!.lG, years of ■ age, , when. , :he 'had.tojbegiii' to ! earii .':something; ■ towards , a;..livelihood/.-. Compulsory.-.higher, edu-i to^'l^'years. : obtained..'in , -.'spfflO:;cpun-.; tries; and. the.'fspeaker thought- it .mustiepme here. Such higher- training must .be.moral; and. , .intellectaal.as'weU:asiin.dustrial;..:■■..■ : ;, ."' ■ W;;;:-'ft. :: ;'^';ThV; : Makeshift(Stage.\> , .\^ ; \;'._ ■.New Zealand, , as , a new cpuntry;'.'was:.ija.:the.j makeshift 'stage, but-■whateyet.-.else. 'was , '.make-' ,shift, ; :the : ■ training'-of : ;6ur.■ boys■ should ;be ; as. little' of a ! :makeshift .as.possible; .it':must-be ; in advance,of■'.preseiit.'necessities , .v'Bpys some-! .times/did. not recognise the' 'development they had'■; themselves, .undergone in: technical ; train■ing, .and they .seemed to.have few opportunities of. using the 'knowledge and; skill i-acquired/in: that ,, way , ; , ■:But such' opportunities/wpuld.conie .in the future.- v This city,: for-' instance; '•''miist .be rebuilt, :sponer or later, , ."gradua.lly.:or'quicklvi , and to■■ rebuild .it. in.-the 'manner.i-that , : , .would; be required would : .demand-., higher' .skill': and, 1 "knowledgo than: w ; ere called' for.y. .*- i.:-■ :"..'■ ■;.-. V "Technical. Classesiiri Working Hours;-"!-:"- , ; '■■■■In'regard to'the question'of day. attendance at the ■ technical .schoble, .he felt that ..the time muit come , when the close, cb-ordihatiori*.of workshop and; school would demand more-con-; 1 eidera-tioQ for the apprentice, and. less, perhaps,., for -the'shop. -.vDayi classes'had- been;iiv bpera■tion.here for'some 'time.;- They 'wero..'■.partly -a means . of. , technical'straining,.'and partly ...of training in citizenship, it-being-held.-that, general education was necessary for employees as well as. employers; if industrial, peace was to'be preserved and' good citizens produced.; jAt the classes ireferred to; the'tuitioii was! one-third; general and two-thirds. technical. - The classes werea distinct success,.; and' were. continuing.' It would be possible for alt.the apprentices in Wellington, to • be.: supplied; from; .the ..school when 1 sufficient , , accommodation , ;, was'available, and it: might'be possible, for .these boys to receive■ different treatment from'the ordinary . apprentices'at : the hands, of their employers. In other. countries, the technically trained apprentice was allowed higher pay; and a shorter term of apprenticeship/' The.boards of control in regard -to training 'and.', registration of plumbers and electricians.: in Wellington were a success. They 'arose out of the necessity of the City Council. insuring. tho competence of those exercising such trades, but he thought the public interest would be served by extend'•ing'the system to other" trades. About 50 or 40 pef cent, of the apprentices who w.ould benefit by training in the school were receiving it. Where a youth was found to be un-fitted-lor -the"'trade he was learning, he should be dismissed from it. The .production. <if incompetents, should be discouraged, and to this end yearly examinations were essential, ■. . v

'>>■ , GENEi?AL'■•DISCUSSION.■■■:■./,.■• ■■Mr.■".-T.■ Ballinger outlined'the constitution of the Plumbers'. Board of Control and the Electricians' Board ,of Control',, which com-' prised representatives of masters, and workers, tho City .'Corporation 1 and the. Technical SchooJ,' and controlled examinations and registration. This w-as practically what" Mr. Ben-' nett-proposed, and Air. Bennett's trade might Wβ 'had it if they had taken the proper steps. Under the plumbers' , award, 'those who had passed the examination received a penny an hour extra. There '.were no'bound apprentices,- but assistants,. who could' be dismissed. Ho did not know why the.builders should not adopt the same.system.,.'. , y\ .-.-, .'Now Zealand Apprentices Defended. ;, '".The-HornC.- JL Luko./M.L.C:,', objected to -what ho regarded as tho traducing of tho boys of 'tho' D.ft'minion:-The boys \trained','.bero' in engineqring, jluinbing,- carpentering, and.other, ■ trades were ablo" to' takVhigh'places'-mother countries. (Hear,, hear.) At the same time, he was in favour of further raising the stand: ard of technical training. Our industries were !not all in the makeshift stage. Some of pur workshops were as well equipped, size ' for size, "as any in the world. ' He 'endorsed the /suggestion of substituting certificates of com : 'petency for. indentures.- The law should he amended to mako .both parties responsible for 1 tho" carrying' out of- an apprenticeship agreement.-. He protested against' tho suggestion that boys should be sciili to the technical school during "working- houriV on; account 'of ;the great inconvenienco 'that'-would be caused. .(Hear, .hear;) ; '■.. '\" ■'.-'' ' ._. s<; .'• . A Question of Machinery./ " Mr. Chisholm (Dunedin) ■ protested against Mr. La Trobe's remark that apprenticeship as obtaining in New Zealand, was a makeshift. Tho selection of -'Dunedin ex-apprentices as technical school instructors, showed that this .was a fallacy. The' superiority of New Zea-land-trained apprentices to those from Home was. recognised by oniployers. Technical classes would greatly benefit: apprentices; but not -in getting a practical grasp of a trade. The advantage would he rather in the learning of drawing, geometry, and other things that would bo useful in mo£t trades. Up-to-date machinorv was installed in the works, but not usually in the schools. ." '•''■•■ .!-... r Mr. T. Ballinger said-that if Mr. Chisholm •would accept an invitation to visit the Wellington .Technical School; the up-to-date machinery there would open his eyes. .. .-' Mr. .La Troboih Reply.. .'■:.'. Mr. La Trobe, replying on tho discussion, said that tho main training in a technical school should bo conducted with hand tools, /butthcro should also be a. small quantity, of i representative up-to-date machinery. Tho iuoro'> ■laboratory equipment, liowever, the better. "When he said the .training of apprentices, was "makeshift" ho had not meant "shiftless." It .was. necessarily makeshift in a new country. Tho apprentice trained in makeshift methods was valuable when rare',, but not when common. He agreed with the suggestion for the more general establishment, of boards .of- control; v ■ -."-'■■• '" '■ -. '■'■ '. -.- - ;: Mr. La Trobo was cordially thanked for his address. r■ ■. ■ •••..■'■■■ . ; "v. RESOLUTIONS. . . Mr. W. H. Bennett moved a series of resolutions which were in. part amended,.and were carried in the following form:— • ' ' , ; : "That this federation is opposed to any further: compulsory 'increase in apprentices* /n'ages." •'■■.'. .■'■•• ; "That the technical education of apprentices should, bo accomplished after- working hours." ■. "That it lie a recommendation to employers in all centres that they secure'adequate representation on. the technical school boards of control of tho various classes they are-' interestod in, and endeavour to secure monthly reports of the progress and attendance of their apprentices." . ■ *. > ■ "That this conference approves of a central board,of control, who shall confer with'the technical school authorities to arrange a sylla[jus of instruction for each group of related trades, to promote and hold regular and uniform examinations of apprentices-in all centres whare. technical schools are established." "That in tho opinion of this conference employers should recognise :the great value of tec'anical'education, and it is suggested to adilialed associations that. they should do what they can to foster and assist tho schools in ! their centres." "While recognising tho advantage of machinery- in technical schools, we desiro to emphasiso tho necessity for thorough training in hand work.■'. . .'' . •-.