BOYS AND THEIR WORK

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 67, 22 March 1929, Page 10

BOYS AND THEIR WORK

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—At a meeting of the Manufacturers' Association on Tuesday, Mr. J. P. Luko is reported to have said that "the majority ot boys going to technical schools would, be much better off if they went directly from the primary school into the trade. They went to the technical school, and—so far as- the engineering trade was concerned, at all events-their time was very largely wasted."

Ihe view expressed by Mr. Luke with regard to the age at which boys should start work was, of course, common enough ■30 or 40 years ago, but times have cianged, and public opinion,is such to-day that it is on the Statute Book both in Aew Zealand and Great Britain that the age lor compulsory education should be io; while a large conference of representatives of educational bodies and associations of employers and workers held'at Christehurch in 1919 went so far as to agree that the compulsory age should be io. Mr. Lukes opinion, therefore, that boys should start work between 12 and 14 rs clearly out of date. Mr. Luke said that technical education lett out the most important factor so far as training is concerned. The boy' was given a job and allowed any amount of time, ling ]s ] lard i y a correct . of putting it. Boys are not allowed at any stage to waste time over jobs, but we do insist that accuracy is the first essential ■it used to be a maxim in engineeriiid circles "once a sloven always a sloven," and it schools made speed the first essential the result would bo to turn out slovens, not craftsmen. As a matter ot tact, m the case of senior boys the time taken over a job is definitely taken into account in awarding marks. That Mr. Luke's views are not shared by other engineers in Wellington is shown by the following letter which was signed by all members of the Technical College Mechanical Engineering Advisory Committee, consisting of members of such firms as Messrs. Wm. Cable and Co., Lttl, Messrs. J. J. Niven and Co. (Ltd.), Pre^ cision Engineering Works (Ltd.), together with the secretary of the.Amalgamated Society of Engineers, and addressed to tne engineering employers of Weiungton:—

„,-. „. "7th December, 1928. XJear bjr—l| le undersigned members ot the: Mechanical Engineering Advisors Committee of the Wellington Technical College desire to call the attention of engineering firms to the valuable opportunities for training which the college oners to apprentices. "The Board of Governors are guided in the appointment of instructors the provision of equipment, and-the arrangement ot courses by the Advisory: Committee, and employers are assured that the character of the work now beindone is or sound commercial value and quality.

Tho committee would therefore recommend employers to urge their apprentices to take every advantage of the instruction given in the college, and if they do tins the services of the apprentices will certainly be more valuable. 'The employers are invited to visit the college and inspect the work and equipment at any time by arrangement with, the director, who will also be pleased to send forward to employers, who may have vacancies for apprentices, boys of gooS P™mise.-Yours faithfully (signed by) J. Cable, A. Basire, Robt. Burn, S E Luke, A. Black." fcmen unequivocal testimony to this must carry greatest weight.—l aui, etc, JOHN H. HOWELL, „ , „ , Director. ■ 21st March.