Untitled

Evening Star, Issue 15138, 20 March 1913, Page 6

Tr will probably be two years before the

Technical Glasses take Thd Technical possession of the preCollege, ’ mises of which the foundation stone was laid to-day. To what dimensions they will have grown by that time it is impossible to forecast. Probably they will have increased somewhat. 'The record of enrolments each year since the foundation of theee classes ;n 1839 is one of steady growth—from 288 pupils 24 years ago to 1,233 in 1913. Occasionally there was a temporary set-back, as, for instance, the drop from 1,036 pupils in ISO 4 to 784 in the succeeding year. Ephemeral conditions sometimes nduce such reversions, but the upward curve may be looked for in normal circumstances. Better accommodation should indeed stimulate us steepness, for it cannot be maintained that the present buildings in .Moray place ofler perfect con* ditions for the work of nil the students who attend—the engineering workshop, for example, though 'well equipped in the matter of machinery, is so restricted in size that the various machines are crowded together most inconveniently. It may surprise many people to know to what extent the Technical School is availed of. There are over 2CO pupils in the day classes, and they attend the school live days a week. In tho associated classes over 1,000 pupils are enrolled, and this involves an average attendance of about 500 pupils at the school each night of the week. Plainly this is a large concern, and it is growing in size. Its value is appreciated and testified to directly by the pupils who take advantage of the tuition (offered to them practically free of charge), and indirectly by the public, who find ready employment for those who have satisfactorily completed a course of technical instruction. The directors' report for 1912 sets 'forth the school's record of progress, but Mr Marshall does not propose to rest satisfied with what has been accomplished,, and there are several points in which he would like to see alteration.

Reference to the report shows that in the day classes there are almost as many boys taking the commercial as the industrial course, and that for every girl taking the domestic course there are more than three taking the commercial course. An analysis of the night classes bears out the undoubted'preference of the rising generation, both male and female, for a commer-.

cial career. A Victorian Judge once commented on the apparently universal ambition, as extraordinary as regrettable in a young country, to “ wear a black coat and drive a quill pen.” The intrusion, or emancipation, of the gentler sex, and the regime of the typewriter, may require a revision of terms, but the principle remains the same. Office life, for the rank and file in the position of clerks, attracts a far larger proportion of our youth than many other callings wherein one would think better prospects offer and better conditions obtain. Possibly our system of primary education tends to help that preference. Old-fashioned people believed that the establishment of technical schools would counteract it, or, at least, that to them appeared one fundamental object of the technical school movement. Yqt it seems that the “commercial” preference has cleverly frustrated that purpose. It has entwined itself round the pole designed for the support of another plant, which it easily outtops in growth. We have not the slightest desire to depreciate the excellent instruction given in commercial subjects at our Technical School, nor do we suggest that adequate provision in this branch should not be made to meet the demand. We merely wish to draw attention to what seems in part the subversion of a laudable intention.

It is a phenomenon; quite in keeping with a civilisation which, judging by the rewards it offers, seeks to elevate Distribution over Production, and which exalts town life above country. And it is also a sign of the times that so very many girls are preparing for office life. While demand exists for their services in such a sphere, they cannot altogether be blamed. Victoria's experience suggests, however, that for them there lurks a foe, not vet in evidence here, in the shape of Labor legislation. In that State the clerks formed a union, ami a Wages P.oard lias been taking evidence with a view to framing an award. With but few exceptions employers testified that the effect of an award would be the disappearance, partial or complete, of tho young woman from the office ; if a minimum wage were fixed for different positions more efficient work would be secured in return for that expenditure from a male than a female clerk. However, the day of a Clerks’ Union in Xew Zealand may he far distant yet. In support of those views, v.c can do no better than quote the words of the director of the Technical School:

A glance at the table shows that the commercial course is the most popular .with pupils; and judging from the applications made to the school by employers offering engagements to members of tho day commercial classes, tho training is evidently of a sound and serviceable nature. It may be gratifying to feel that this branch of,the work is on right lines, and that classes in shorthand and bookkeeping require to be duplicated ; but it is a matter for regret that so few of the young girls of the community enter upon even a short domestic course, affording a practical training in the details of general household work. It is suggestive to note the change from tbe subjunctive to the indicative mood: “It win// be gratifying.” etc.; “but it Is a matter for regret,” etc. There are other questions to which Air Marshall's report draws attention, such as the need for a much closer connection between the Technical .School and the University, but these must be left over for future discussion.