TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 3 December 1917, Page 6

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

THE EMPLOYERS' ATTITUDE. The attitude of New Plymouth employers in connection with permitting their girl employees to attend at the Technical College during working hours was discussed at the meeting of the Taranski Education Board last week, wlien the truant inspector reported that, as instructed, he had interviewed the employers of Xcw Plymouth who were employing girl la'bor between the ages of 14 and 17 years on the question of allowing their girl employees off during working hours for four hours a week, to attend day classes at the Technical College. He found S employers employing •21 girls, and,. with one exception, they wcj'c not in favor of the idea, the general opinion being that it was a matter for the State and parents to settle.

The chairman stated that he was surprised that the employers of New Plymouth took audi a selfish view of the matter ' Mr." Smith considered that the sooner the Government made a provision for employees to he sent to the technical college during the dav the better. Mr. Dixon thought it was time the board took some action in the matter, fn Klthflm the business people had agreed to allow certain members of their staff to take technical education, and it was working satisfactorily Personally, lie did not favor girls having to come out at night time more than was necessary.. He thought if the "business people looked at the matter in the right liglit they would,see that it would pay them to allow llioir employees the necessary time off, a3 they would in many be better fitted for the work, and therefore would be more profitable to their employers. ,

Mr. Trimbla considered the time must come when employers would be compelled to let their young employees have time off to gain technical education. He was, however, afraid from opinions ex* presesd that there would he a tendency for business men to employ girls who lived outside the compulsory distance liir.it.

Mr. Smith said that the last board had adopted the compulsory attendance cjause, and this board should citHer enforce it or rescind the resolution. The position to-day was that most parents

did not care. Hy believed wholeheartedly that it was desiraible that the classes for youticr girls should bo held in the daytime. He was ashamed of the "pinions expressed by the employers of \'ew Plymouth. After public discussion, however, they might see that it was to their, advantage, to permit their employees to attend the technical college in the daytime, and he hoped that if the board could not manage this with the assistance of the employers, they would be able to do it despite them. Tlie chairman pointed out that of the eight employers interviewed, five were opposed, one in favor of the scheme, and two not particular.

Mr. White was sorrv to hear the remark made by the employers. If properly put before them, ho believed it would he found that they valued technical education, In 90 per cent, of cases he thought the parents could well afford to give the technical education, as it was Hot absolutely essential that these children should be sent to work in order to earn their bread and butter. He would yield to no one in his enthusiasm for all young people being given technical education up to the highest standard that could be reached, so as to fit them for whatever walk in life thev were called

upon to take up, but he thought in the majority of cases there was 110 need to call on the employer to give time ofT. On the motion of Messrs Dixon and Wilkinson, it was resolved that from .Tamiary Ist next the board enforce the Act with reference to the compulsory attendance of boys at the technical college.