COMMERCIAL STUDENTS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 520, 29 May 1909, Page 6

COMMERCIAL STUDENTS.

AET AND DOMESTIC SERVICE. : SUPPLEMENTARY, COURSES. .;. ' Day students attending the commercial classes at the -.'Wellington l Technical School .will shortly be'afforded,an. opportunity .ofsupplementing their .ordinary studias by other work of a,more technical, character. , "I propose," said Mr. W. S.' La Trobe, Director of the school, in a report on the subject presented to-tlbcT Wellington Technical School Board last 1 eveninc, "that we ehould during tholatter half, of this year roplace certain subjects—oommerdial history, commercial geography,, pure .mathematics, 'precis writing and drawing—in whole or in,part—by classes in cookery, dressmaking, hygiene, and honso management, not. forgetting art. in ; the .home. Each class: of girls will haveono' period of two. hours and a half-to throe hours at dressmaking;, one period of two hoftrs and a half to throe hours at cooking, besides three hours to four hours at hygiene and house management, and two hours to art in the homo.: The boys would.at the same time havo practical lessons in woodwork and' ironwork, specially adapted; not, only ,to train thorn in. the use of tools, but- also-.to ■ making them' handy in their own homes. The tools they would work ,with should those ordinarily -found in a homo, including the shears' and soldering iron, the cold.chieel, and engineer's hammer and twist'drill, as well as the piano and chisel and saw, brace■ and bit,', square; foofc-rulo, etc. Tho work will, I think, help both, girls- and boys 'to think, as well-as en-' oouraging them to study materials and/pro-' cesses that will tend to rouso their interest in such home • hobbies and ■ employments as will. greatly increase. the • attractiveness .'■ of home.life, for young and old. '.', . "The establishment, of these classes''; will .necessitate; conducting tho day: dressmaking bla&es in a sejiarate class-room. 1 Thjs can bo arranged, the largo class-room above the plumbors' shop being used for dressmaking, .and. the-present, : classesihold there- being' transferred/to other.,rooms which will be available when tho commercial students are taking dressmaking, , ' cooking, etc. It will bo; necessary' to omploy the, present cookery and drossmaking staff full time, and I would recommend that the present.instructors in dresemaking and coc-hng be offered £150 per annum oach for their whole time, and the assistant in tho cookery classes be paid at-the rate of £9.0 per annum for'tho remainder of this year, commencing'in each case- from July 1 next. The annual training of the ,boys could bo accomplished with the staff at present available. ~' ;, '■• ' ... v "Tho'net profit to' the' , school by these rearrangements should be. about £200 for this year," concluded the Director. The Kduoa-' tion Board had signified, its approval of the course suggested.. ' ■ \ The'bdara nnanimoiisly adopted the report