TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 268, 6 August 1920, Page 7

TECHNICAL EDUCATION

CONSTITUTION OF THE BOARD

MANUFACTURERS SEEK REPRESENTATION

Representatives of the Wellington Industrial Association interviewed the Minister of Education (Mr. Parr) yesterday, to urge the claim of their association to direct representation on the Technical Colleso Board. They stated that tho association had long had two representstives on the board. The new regulations provided that the Industrial Association and the School Committees Association should join in electing one member. Twenty-five years ago tho Industrial Association bad a sum of .£ISOO, the profits of an industrial exhibition. This money was intended to be used in the erection of offices for tho association, but as technical education was then in a very low state in tho city, the association agreed to donate the money to the rcchiucal School. Tho donation earned a Government subsidy of .£ISOO. The rcpresenta. tives of the association stated that tho Government of that day had undertaken that the body should havo two members on the Technical School Board. The association had since made other donations to the funds of tho school, but it W not at present contributing, though it ■\ras being credited with interest at 5 per cent, on the .£ISOO- ~ Mr. Parr asked if 'the workers had representation on the board as well as the of Technical Education (Mr. La Trobe) explained that representation on the board was based in financial contributions. The Eduction Board had six representatives, the City Council had six, and the Industrial Association and the School Commutes Association combined bad one. The City Council contributed .£9OO. while the two associations contributed only X 85,.50 that they actually had more than their share of representation, 1 , Mr. Parr said he was glad to find that the Wellington manufacturers bad the . interests of the Technical School at| heart. They evidently had done a great deal for tlie school m' tho past, ifte shortage of apprentices to trade? throughout New Zealand was a very serious matter! It was one of the gravest questions befoTe the community to-day, since it meant that lads were not taetm (n the skilled trades. Ho had been to d that in Christchurch • there were only eleven apprentices to the punting trade. It. was -natural that under such editions the employers should look to the technical schools for assis.ance. Mr. H. Mainland, chairman of the association. said the trouble was boys entered "dead end ooc "P a, ™f 3 - A bov could get a high wage for doing unskilled work. He took this w-age instend of entering a trade. The" when ho becamc a man he was unskilled, and became a'labourer of some sort. Par' cnts did not-look far enough ahead. ' Mr. Parr ' said that tho explanation apparently was that a PP™"J" ticeship ■ was not made attractive enough in comparison with other work. The question would have to oe faced, and he would like to eee a conference between the workers and the employers. All industries were affected. He added that hi-would like to see the manufacturers of Wellington taking a rather more practical interest in the ffork of the Technical School. The association had done well in the past, but the past was a long way off. The technical schools throughout the Dominion ivere not receiving all the assistance from manufacturers that he would like> them to receive. The regulations provided clearly that representation on the Technical College Board should be m accordance with contributions, and tho Wellington manufacturers could ensure their representation in n. simple way. 2 *1 would talk in; such a case. Ho though that perhaps the door might be opened ~ little wider to men who had a practical interest in technical education, and he would confer with Ins officers on fte point. An amendment of tlie law might be desirable. ' ■