FIRST EXCHANGE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 207, 2 September 1938, Page 8

FIRST EXCHANGE.

N.Z.-US.A. SCHEME. TRAINING OF TEACHERS. educatiohist awuvm. Initiating an arrangement for the exchange of teachers between New Zealand and the United States, Dr. A. K. Botts. instructor in geography at Court land Normal School, New York, arrived at Auckland this morning by the Monterey, from San Francisco. He will take up the position held by Mr. E. G. Jone*. lecturer in science and geography at the Auckland Teachers' Training College, who left during August for New York. The exchange V- for one year. There wa* an over-supply of youths and girls for the teaching profession in America, he said, and it had been necessary last year to extend the course of training from three to four years and to limit the number enrolled. Under the present conditions the standard was being raised as high as possible. "A fine type of applicant is offering, but by far the largest numbw are girls," he said. "There are. however, enough men to fill the positions for ] which they are required. Women ; teachers are lower paid than men, and this has an important bearing on tlie position, and as many leave within a I few years to get married, girls in training will continue to outnumber youths." America Looks Both Ways. Geography wa« becoming a more important subject of study, he continued, and was being dealt with in a more interesting way. Besides the physical features of a country, the way the people j lived was being included in its scoj>e. There was an ignorance of New Zealand j in the United States, he admitted, which ■ was attributable to distance and the j lack of contacts. ] "The majority of the people live in j the Eastern States, and therefore face Europe," said Dr. Botts. "They are

more interested in what happens across the Atlantic than across the Pacific, but lecent developments have attracted greater attention towards the Pacific. Of course, the people on the western side of America have -always been Pacific-minded."

New Zealand's social legislation experiments now being carried out had recently been given prominence in United ■States newspapers, he stated. The Dominion was regarded as a most interesting country, where advanced ideas were being tried out.

Koosevelt's Experiment®.

Discussing conditions in America, le said Roosevelt had been more successful in his agricultural adjustments than in his labour and industrial experiments. The industrialists were being asked to do many things they did not approve cf, and they were still strong enough to put up a fight. Among the farmers, co-operative movements were growing and price stabilisation schemes were benefiting the country districts. Dr. Botts had worked in the Department of Agriculture for two months and thus had an opportunity of studying the changes. Important reafforestation projects were in hand to reduce flood damage and dust storms, and prevent erosion. This work was recognised as of national value, and much still remained to be done.

Another activity which had the support of the majority of the people was the training of young and unmarried men for industrial occupations through the "civil conservation corps." Camps were established in many parts of the country, and the men were engaged in the building of highways, acting as lire patrols in forest areas, planting new forests and on other nationally constructive schemes.

Dr. Botts is accompanied by his wife and two children. He holds a doctorate degree in Clark University and was last year's president of the New York State Geographical Association.