TECHNICAL CLASSES.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 17881, 29 August 1918, Page 5

TECHNICAL CLASSES.

CRITICISED BY MR J. KEIII.

DISCUSSION BY EMPLOYERS’

ASSOCIATION.

At tho annual meeting of. the Canterbury Employers’ Association last evening, an address was delivered by Mr J. Keir on “ Apprentices and Technical Education.”

Mr Keir said that the idealist doctrine wus that tho chief end of man was to admire, contemplate and adore, but tho speaker considered that before ho did that he should learn to earn his own living honestly. The employers as a class were the nigger-drivers who kept othor people working, but it was not often realised that to keep other people working was hard work too. Dealing with tho recent proposals to extend tho compulsory attendance at school to the ages of seventeen and eighteen, Mr Keir said that it was not contended by any of the educational experts that this would make more diligent workers. There was a lot of talk about training lor leisure, but what the employers were interested in was tho working hours. It was contended that wage-earning should be postponed till later in life than was at present tho casa, but in his experience it an individual did not earn his own living at eighteen ho was never likely to do so. Work was not an evil. The speaker thoroughly enjoyed it. To increase tho wealth of New Zealand they must increase the. diligence and tho number of workers. There must bo a bigger percentage of useful people if aliens were not to be imported. Referring to tho proposal that employers should pay apprentices for time spent at technioal classes, tho speaker said tho proposal would bo welcomed by tho official Labour Party, which regarded employers as its natural enemies, but it was very questionable whether tho proposed training would be tlie slightest uso to industry. Tho teachers in the' Technical Colleges were mostly schoolmasters who knew nothing about the trades that were'taught. Mr 0. T. Asclunan: Quite incorrect. Air Keir, continuing, said he had recently paid a visit to tho Technical College, and as the matter was a technical one he had lo discuss it, not with tho director, but with a journeyman in charge of a class. The silly talk of Technical School directors about the cruelty of sending working boys to night classes was doing a great deal of harm, and was positively wicked. It was found by the speaker’s firm that attendance at night classes kept tho hoys off tho streets and brought them into contact with acquaintances of a good stamp. Many apprentices acted as helpers to skilled men, and if the apprentice were absent tho skilled man would have to stop work 'too. Tho training in technical colleges at present was not efficient nor comprehensive. Only two or threo trades were dabbled with. It was becoming impossible to get apprentices for the dirty jobs liko blacksmithing and moulding. The technical schools did not teach these highly important trades, but confined their attention to nice clean jobs like fitting and turning. Compulsory attendance at school up to the sixth standard was quite necessary. It was a sin that children should leave sc.hool at tho fourth standard. New Zealand, which could never hope to compete against the cheat) labour of older countries in manufacturing industries, should pay more attention to the primary industries. Summing up, the speaker said that the sooner the technical schools gave up their unsuccessful attempt to teach handicrafts tho better. He moved a resolution affirming that the proposal that employers should bo compelled to allow apprentices to attend day technical training classes was impracticable and against the best interests of the Dominion.

Mr J. A. Black seconded the motion, and said that, while the theory of a trado could be taught well m schools, the practical work coukl best be learned by doing it in an ordinary workshop. He suggested as an addition to the resolution an affirmation that night classes sliou'd be attended by apprentices for four hours a week, and that evory apprentice passing a satisfactory examination after threo years should bo granted a wages bonus of 3s a week in the fourth year and 5s in the fiftill year.

Mr George Scott said the matter wap too important to be settled that evening. The association should devote a whole evening to its discussion. Mr A. W. Jamieson took a similar view, and moved an amendment that the resolution should be dealt with at a special meeting devoted to the discussion of educational matters. The amendment was discussed at considerable length, after which Mr Keir replied, stating that he had no objection to a postponement of tho discussion. lie desired also to explain that he did not attack technical training, but opposed the eight hours a week of it proposed Jby the director of the Auckland Technical College. The discussion was accordingly adjourned.