STRIKING INCREASE

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 49, 27 February 1923, Page 4

STRIKING INCREASE

COMMERCIAL ART PUPILS,

This year the Wellington Technical College has shown a further large increase in scholars. The comments of the Director (Mr. J. H. Ilowell), in connection with the classification of scholars, are of particular interest. These were presented to the Board of Governors' meeting last evening, and were as follows :—

"The character of the growth is altogether satisfactory. A few years ngo the technical high schools were reproached because they trained mostly those who were concerned in the distribution of wealth instead of in its production, and though I do not think more clerks and typists were produced than the commercial community required, there was at least this ground for the reproach that the commercial pupils in the technical high schools far outnumbered those in the other departments. The position is quite otherwise to-day. In our own school, and we are not singular in this respect, the commercial department forms little more than one-third of the. whole school, while by far the most striking increases have been shown in the departments of Home Science and Industrial Art. Perhaps the next reproach will be that we are turning out too many industrial artists; but for the present, at any rate, whilo every hoarding in the town is disfigured by hideous advertisements—bad in colour and still worse in drawing—there is at least plenty of room for them. The numbers in the various departments for 1921. 1922, and 1923 respectively are as follow: —Commercial, 129, 171, and 212; engineering and industrial. 144. 183, and 256; home science. 15. 53. and 81; art, 3, 9, and 36; totals, 291, 416, and 585. It will bu a peculiar pleasure to some members of the board to note that whereas last year only 18 pupils entered for the building trade course, this year no less than 43 are taking it, of which 29 are in their first year."