THE CRAFTS AND ARTS.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1865, 26 September 1913, Page 5

THE CRAFTS AND ARTS.

AT TECHNICAL SCHOOL. DOES ART HURT INDUSTRIES? Discussing tho working of tho Wellington Technical School at tho annual meeting of the Industrial Association on Tuesday evening, Mr. Herbert Seaton raised tho point as to whether too much expense was being incurred on account of the art chases in comparison to tho industrial classes. Ho wished to know whether tho sum total expended , on both was not disproportionate as far ] as tho primary objects lor winch the school was established, was concerned. Mr. W. S. La Trobe, Director of the I Wellington Technical School, was interviewed yesterday with regard to thei question, and made the following statement :— I

"In regard to the expenditure on the Art Department it is necessary to explain that, tinder the present regulations governing manual and technical training, tho payments made by Government for the support of any particular class are based on the actual hour attendances of tho students, duo weight being given to higher work by varying the rate of capitation according to the status of the students. Again, fees received in' respect of any particular class aro proportional to the numbers attending in that class. It follows that the earnings of any department will depend on the popularity of tho subjects and teaching in that department, and on tho rates of fees and capitation. So long, therefore, as each' department approximately pays its way it cannot bo fairly nccused of being encouraged by 'he Wellington Technical , Education Board to the detriment of other departments, I have had occasion recently to take out figures, somewhat carefully, as to expenditure and income on account of tho Art Department, and I found that it was practically paying its way. Difficulty of Reducing Things to Figures. "It is not possible, however, to get an accurate return of the income and expenditure on ■ account of any Department in the college; as the departments aro so intimately conncctcd with each other that the majority of the students take classes in more than one department, the . classes taken in cacli case still forming a grouped technical course be suitable as a preparation' for some particular calling. "The resulting homogeneity and elasticity of tho college system, while of great benefit to the students, make it impossible to form more than an approximate estimate of the money value of the work dono in each department. It is, however, quite safe to say, without making aJiy special examination of tho,books, that the costs of tho several departments as quoted by Mr. Seaton are incomplete and misleading. '"As far as I can judge, without making a minuto examination of the records for, say, tho past ten years:, I believe I am right in stating that there is: no department in the college that is; doing more on the average than paying its own way, and, since we have no endowments and little income apart from capitation, Government grants for apparatus, materials, and fees, it follows that no department can do much less than pay its own way. So, much for Tunning expenses. v Art Classes the Cheapest. "As regards capital involved, it is quite certain that the capital expended in fittings, furniture, ana apparatus is many times as great in the industrial branches of the collego work as in the art branches, and this for .the simple reason that mjlch.more expensive and' elaborate provision must bo madp for science and engineering, etc., than for "art" and "artistic" crafts. It will he seen from the above that tho encouragement of any particular branch of manual and technical training under the system at - present followed by the Government depends ultimately on two factors: Firstly, tho demand for such training; and, secondly, the rates of capitation granted by Government in respect of such traiiir ing, and the first of these is indirectly determined)' in some degree by the second. Rates of Capitation. "Tho following are the rates of capitation per hour per student granted under the Government regulations _ in the various branches of technical work:-— "3 • j, ■A ■ § . «g • ,' ,Q o 3 *5 y <« . H ,§.4 § ! .1 Tear of hg HJ o course. g-gw g £3 gfl •Sd • (3a oa oa oHA o<! , d. -d. d. '■ d. d. ' dt First year ... .3 4 4 4 4 4 Second year... 3 5 5 5 5 5 Third year... — 6 6 8 6 6 Fourth, and subsequent years , — . 8 9 9 6 9 ■ Division IV includes mathematics and science as applied to specific industries—machine construction, building construction, metallurgy, mineralogy, chemistry of commerce, engineering (civil, mechanical, electrical, mining, sanitary). architecture, building and allied industries, printing and' process industries,, electrical industries, wood and metal-working industries, agricultural and horticultural '.industries, etc., and it is plain that, if there bo any discrimination, it is in tho direction of encouraging this division as against, the others. As a matter of fact, however, tho table litis been very skilfully constructed to give equal encouragement, having regard. to .- cost of teaching, to all the branches. How Measure Results? "In regard to the question of results, and of tho relative value to tho country of the different branches of the college training any superficial examination will probably lead to entirely misleading and illusory conclusioiisi and tho system has not been in operation in this country for a sufficient length of time to enable a competent investigator to mako researche-i of auy great value. . Tho apparent resultssuccesses in national" competitions, in Government and other examinations; successes of old students in various walks of v life and such like—whilo of some value as an indication of the way in which tho work is being done, aro yet of comparatively lifctlo valuo in 'helping us to find out whothor tho work, is in itself worth doing. That can only bo determined by ultimate results, though it may be inferred from tho history of similar work in other countries. Intimate Relations of Puro and Applied Art. •' And in this connection, it is interesting to note that tho science and art of painting Mid sculpture have, on tho whole, reached their highest development, when they liavo been most nearly crafts themselves and connected with othor crafts, and a slight knowledge of tho history of painting and sculpture and of artistic crafts is quite sufficient to convinco anyone that tho close rehtionsliip that has existed between pure and applied art .in their periods of greatness has exalted tho ono as much as it has purified tho other. It seems reasonable that, in a small town, in a now country, with little to spend in developing tho nonmaterial elements of national greatness, tho most satisfactory puro art school will bo found closely allied with the schools of applied art and applied science. Tho combination will, at any rate, givo tho ,-best opportunity for economical administration.'