TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 126, 29 May 1903, Page 2

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

At the last meeting if the Borough Council Mr Ewiog, of the fLm of Smart Bros, raised a very important question—that of certificated workman —in this case referring to pluaiboru only being employed. This mutter was also referred to at a meeting of ihe Stratford Borough Council where Mr Geo. Smart askid the Council if* it would f..cili*ate his men going to Weiliagton to get certificates. 1 his the loss the district is instancing through having no Technical School, It is well-known that Mr Geo. Smart has been conducting classes both in

New Plymouth and Strafford, fit which 1 hj h* s ben given his employees instiuctloii in practical plumbing to enable them to obtun a cjttifi&Uo under the conditions of the South Kensirgon examination, Owing, however. 10 their baing no Technical Schorl there appears no other course open than for these men to go to Wellington to obtain theso certificates. Wo are pleaoed to b > able to aay that the chairman of the Tarauaki Education Bjatd jiamikng i' quiriaa with the view in securing a qualified mm being Bent to the district so that the examination can be held at eiiher Stratford or Ne"

Pij niou'.h, or possibly bo!h. New Zea land is voiy much behind in the matter of technical oducation and in Taranaki the difficulties and delays are exceedingly vexatious. At the meeting of the Education Board on Wednesday a telegram was received from the Department in reference to the Stratford Technical School, tenders for which have been for some time in the,hands of the Minister, asking what special classes it was proposed to establish and the probable attendance. A question most difficult to answer, but a (T-jrdiog excu=e for further delay. The information is being sent, bub is cec -ssarily guesswork to a hrge extent. Unfortunately it stems hopeless to infuse any life or energy into the officers responsible for Technical Education. The Minister is kid up and thoss under him do not B'. em to realisa the importance of the matter,so ihecountiy suffers materially. America and Germany have both come to the front through recognising ths great value and importance of technical education. In America there are no less than 480 universities and colleges with power to grant degrees to persons of both sexes ; 141 colleges for women and 43 technical schools. The majority of these have come into existence during* the last thirty yaars. In the year 1900 the number of students receiving instruction in these colleges in mechanical engineering was 4459 ; in civil engineering, 3140 ; in electrical engineering, 2555 ; in -mining engineering, 1261; and in architecture, 459. The gross income of all these institutions for the year 1900 was £5,711,693, made up . as follows: —United States Federal Government, £595,836; State and

municipal grants, £892,881; tuition fee?, £2,234,225; from endowments, £1,409,096; o'her sourc?s, £578,655. The gifts from private individual dur- 1 ing the year amounted to £2,399,093. The total propsrty possessed by these institutions amounted to the value of £72,118,919. Of 'hic,£33,238,706 re presents endowment funds, the rest representing the value of the groundp, buildings, etc, us;d for education and research. The courses of study are very exactly laid down, and a student selecting his particular branch of work ia pu 1 ) through a definite course. Too principle underlying the arrangement of these cout ses is that the first two or three years shall be spent in the study of scientific principles, and the fourth y-:ar devoid to some specialised subjeep. Of Len, thetefore, men may be going to qualify in very diverse special subjoctß,aud yet work through precisely the same general course for three-parts of their time.