CORRESPONDENCE

Evening Post, Volume CXVI, Issue 131, 30 November 1933, Page 12

CORRESPONDENCE

BOY UNEMPLOYMENT

(To the Editor.)

Sir, —The report on boy unemployment, submitted by a special, committee of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce and adopted by that body, is, as you say, teresting." It is both interesting and entertaining, especially where it announces that, "It is a matter for consideration

whether the view should not be definitely placed before boys that the unskilled labourer is not entitled either under natural law or under the principles of justice to the luxuries of life, but to little more than the barest necessities; that comfort, case, and luxury in life should be regarded as the reward of skill or especial industry— not of right." Humorously enough, this is eet out aft,er condemning-the proposal to raise the school-leaving age. If the luxuries of life (in an age of superabundance, mark you) are to be denied to all except the "skilful and industrious," why not give pupils a longer time at school, so that at least they may have a chance to acquire skilland to learn the habits of industry? "No," says the report, "this is State paternalism; it means more interference with the private lives of the people, and a further, weakening of parental control which ia the natural (mark the word) and therefore the best form of supervision from childhood to maturity." Where do -we draw the line then? Schools are unnatural: away with them! Let the. education of our children be left entirely to their, parents. Let parents place their children in factories at any tender age; our legielation of the last hundred years haa beeu all wrong. The Wellington Chamber of Commerce has discovered and exposed the error ot the civilised world! ~ The report lays it down dogmatically that "One of the greatest services the teaching profession can render, to the nation is to impress upon the child mmci (the poor child's defenceless mind is always being "impressed" by Navy Leagues, Big Business's advertising dodges, or something or other) in every class iron, the primers to the technical schools and nign schools the wisdom of looking to their parents for guidance." This is all very well, but if the parent says to the clnicl of 10 or 11 years of age, "You can earn a few shillings a week for me now, you rnttsb go to work," whatlthen? • Of course, if children are to be put'into money earning at the. earliest possible moment, this is neither more nor less than the doctrine of self-interest .as.preached by the Chamber of Commerced It' ia the doctrine which enlightened people fought a century ago. So also fe the.argument that "the raising of the school age would be a hardship on poorer parents." Kind, thoughtful Chamber of Commerce. __. To go. back to my first quotation. How delightful it ist of the "successful" business men of the Chamber of Commerce to enunciate such a principle. How they all pat themselves on the back as the possessors of "skill and special industry.' I wonder have they, paused to consider whether the skill and industry! that bring success in the world of business are the attributes of virtue or of .the jungle? I would recommend to the Chamber of Commerce that, before they go any further along the road of assessing educational values, they put aside"for their books on money-making (by skill and special industry"), and; give a little of their attention "to,the findings of. modern psychology and, of child study, and try to fix definitely in their mirid what we are all on this earth for. Then perhaps they will realise with a; 6tart that we are in the twentieth century at a time when the mess left by a previous era of free competition-badly needs cleaning up. And in the cleaning up, the extension of educational opportunities is a most vital atep.—l am, etc., •

SECONDARY TEACHER."