TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Taranaki Daily News, 10 September 1919, Page 7

TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

CONFERENCE OF DIRECTORS. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Wellington, Yesterday. The annual conference of directors of technical colleges and supervisors of manual training centres opened to-day. Mr. George George, of Auckland, was elected president and Mr. G. J. Park (Wanganui) was re-elected secretary and treasurer. Mr. J. H. Howell (Wellington) was elected a member of the executive. The president, in his opening address, said he was afraid past conferences had been lazy and o waste of time. Remits had been considered and passed and that was the end of them. Technical education had suffered from unsystematic treat inent at the hands of the Department, and he trusted something more progressive would be done with the advent of Mr. La Trobe. He hoped the Government would realise the necessity of generous expenditure on technical education, in order that the efficiency of the workers should be raised to the highest plane. New Zealand was far behind other countries in the matter of compulsory continuation classes for boys and girls who left the primary schools on attaining the age of 14. The Government should insist that cadets and civil service students should attend continuation classes. He was of opinion th.it primary, secondary, and technical matters should be under the control of one authority. The conference passed the following motion: That the Government be urged to amend, during the present session, the Education Act, 1914, so that the financs provided for the payment of salaries and working expenses should be increased at least in proportion to the rise in the cost of living since 1914. Mr. Park expressed the opinion that the inducements to persons of talent to take up the work of teaching in technical schools wet altogether inadequate, and compared very unfavorably with the salaries paid to secondary school teachers. Salaries could not be increased until the Government granted an adequate capitation payment.

Wellington, Last Night. The conference of directors of the Technical Colleges passed the following resolutions: That the Government be informed that in the opinion of the conference the first step in the process of reconstruction should be to authorise a much larger sum of money (say three million sterling) for placing education in the Dominion upon a modern footing, among the requirements most needed for technical education being th» erection and equipment of up-to-date buildings, I including hostels for country students, provision for adequate sites foi such purposes, provision of areas for experimental forms in connection with agricultural courses, training of teachers in technical subjects, and compulsory daytime continuation classes. It was decided that the G»vernmr::t' be informed that this conference npl roves of the principle of having primary, secondary and technical schools controlled by one body elected by the ratepayers of- the district. 1