TECHNICAL TRAINING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20142, 11 January 1940, Page 2

TECHNICAL TRAINING

ADVANCES IN VICTORIA INDUSTRIAL EXPANSION MINISTER VISITS N.Z. The great advances made in technical education in Victoria in recent years to match the expansion of industries were stressed by the Victorian Minister of Public Instruction and Health, Sir John Harris, on his arrival at Auckland by the Mariposa. Sir John will represent the Parliament of Victoria at the centennial celebrations in Wellington on January 22. He is accompanied by Mr. J. A. Seitz, Director of Education in Victoria, Mrs. Seitz and his private secretary, Mr. W. Place. Accommodation at technical schools in Victoria had been doubled in the past four and a half years, and the schools were still full, Sir John said. Since the depression, there had been a growing belief that a boy or girl with technical education was more assured of employment and clerical education had advanced .also. The demand for accommodation had not been nearly so great. There had been a decided swing to the technical side. This trend was proving of the utmost value in providing for industrial expansion and, at the present time when technicians were urgently required for defence purposes and specially for air developments, the provision that had been made for technical training was being richly rewarded.

Sir /John said that, for the most part, he was on an unofficial visit, but he hoped to see something of developments in health and education in which New Zealand might be more advanced than Australia. Pure milk supply was one of the topics he hoped to investigate.