The Daily News. MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1903. TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXV, Issue 134, 8 June 1903, Page 2

The Daily News. MONDAY, JUNE 8, 1903. TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Tnfc Borough Couoo h of New Plymouth and S'ralford are being asked bo cocsider a vi-ry important matter affecting the future welfare of the dis trict from an industrial and eluci tional standpoint. Tha nntfcer hat arisen out of the adoption of by the Borough Councils referred to, which very properly insist upon onlj qualified workmen being employed i connection with the sanitation of tb> Boroughs. From titus to t'ma w< have called attention to this bnag in evi«b!e, and urged the establishmea'. of a technical school so that ins'ructioi necessary to enable woi kmen to qual fy for tb.3 certificit-.s required tould b given. A few days ago we dl'id attention to the difficulty lhat has arisen lowing to the absence of at.y such pro ivisian, and no examination being he'd I nearer than Wellington. As tlie result of a conference batweea the ch dr man and Imp:ctor of the Kduoatioi Board and Mr Georg* thi firm of Smart Brothe s, aid sev.r>) interviews between the Eduiatio Board's Inspector and the New Piy mouth Borough Engineer and Mr Ken dall,'heGovernmentSanitary In«pfcfc>i. an effort is being made to gat over th% Idiffiaulty, and a prop si is being sub I mitted to the two Borough Couroll wlrch will, if agreed to by them, provi moat beneficial to all concarriecl. Thiproposal, in the form if a circuit drawn up by Mr W. E. Spencer, M,A., B.Sc., Inspector of Schools, is that th I Education Board will establish classe at New Plymouth and Stratlord i. practical and theoretical plumbing. Th syllabus proposed is that used in similai classes under the Wellington Technic.) school—one cf ths institutions whose certificates era accepted by bDth tht New Plymouth and S:ratford Borougl Councils. Later on, an examination will be held by competent examine re, upon which the Educa'iou Bosrd, at 'he controlling body for technical edn cation in Taran&ki, will issue certifi cates. What ia being asked is that thf Borough Councils will recogD r S7 these, certificates. Under present conditions the Stratford Boiough Ooucci), to savt workmen the expense of goiag to Wei lington to obain their ciitificttes, are proposing to issue a sort of locil permi on an examination by their borough engineer and the sanitary insjiectoi. It will be seen that this will only hav* a local value, and the same would apply in New Plymouth should a s ; miki course be adopted here. If, oa the other hand, both Borough Council adopt the course suggested by the Edu oational authorities, the certificates will —the examination test being thi came—have tht same value as those issued in Wellington. This will be a great advantage to botl, employers and workmen, particularly as Eltham and lcgle»0;d Boroughs will soon be making provision fordraioag and other sanitary improvement?. Id tho meantime, pending the erection of technical school buildings with suitable accommodation, Messrs Smart Brothers have placed their workshop?, at New Plymouth and Stratford, at the disposal of the Education Board free of cost, and Mr George Smart has offered his services as instructor in practical work, while Mr Kendil 1 , the Sanitary Inspector, hai offered his services for iustiuction in theory. If thn Borough Councils approve, it is the intention of the Education Board to ge' these classes recognised as special elasats undor the | Technical School Ac. It is to be hoped the New Plymou h and Stratford Borough Councils will give their approval, as therd is no doubt this it the beginning of real p ogress ir; ihe matter of technical education in Taranaki, and wil b3 followed by similar chsses in othar subjec's iu which toxical education is urgently needed.