The Times MONDAY, JULY 10, 1939. Workers of the Future

Manawatu Times, Volume 64, Issue 160, 10 July 1939, Page 6

The Times MONDAY, JULY 10, 1939. Workers of the Future

01 great importance to any country is the attention paid to the young citizens -who in a few years’ time will be responsible for conducting skilled trades and industries. Fortunately,

New Zealand has always striven to keep abreast of the times as far as the inculcation of learning is concerned, and it is not very long since technical education in the Dominion, the foundation of good tradesmanship, was warmly praised in the report, of Dr. F. 11. Spencer, who, under the auspices of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, toured Australia and New Zealand. Dr. Spencer was much impressed both by the calibre of the teaching staffs and by the general system in use, being of the opinion that adequate provision for technical education had been made in all of the larger and in some of the smaller urban areas. The confidence such a Avorld expert has reposed in Dominion methods must be satisfactory not only to the organising authorities and the teachers, but also to parents with youngsters at school and about to embark upon their careers. As time goes on and New Zealand becomes more highly industrialised, the demand for skilled tradesmen will naturally increase, not the least important possible development being an increase of suitable work in the smaller urban areas and in the more thriving country towns, with a corresponding check to the drift to the main cities.

Vocational guidance plays a big part in determining the future of many workers. The primary aim of any such scheme is to secure an adequate, but not excessive, supply of workers in every phase of industrial activity. Vocational guidance can be regarded as a decided factor in social and educational progress, for the mere fact of having a trade that suits him and into the mastering of which ho can throw himself wholeheartedly is bound to give a worker a feeling of confidence and dignity. A man who knows his trade well will have a deeper sense of his own value, and will, therefore, the more easily take his place in useful citizenship. As in New Zealand, so in Australia. The general movement for improved technical training is well advanced. In New South Wales, for example, there are trade advisory committees comprising representatives of employers and employees, as ivell as of the technical colleges. These committees have ensured that the syllabuses are in reasonable conformity with trade practices. It is found that there is a demand for tradesmen who are more efficient than the old type in that they are called upon to understand a good deal about drawing, mathematics, or the theory and science of their trade. In a number of establishments, garages for instance, the demand is increasing for skilled mechanics. The sparseness of the rural population and its scattered nature make the provision of technical education in the country a very difficult matter. Many trades are represented in each country centre, hut comparatively few persons are engaged in each trade. One individual, moreover, is often engaged in several trades. No doubt somewhat similar conditions prevail in New Zealand, but the time is steadily approaching when such problems will disappear, possibly with the greater industrialisation of the rural centres.

Fire in Play Hut When a fire which he had built in a packing-cane play hut ignited tho sacking which lined the interior, a lad named David Bennett, aged 12, endeavoured tu suppress the flames, only to suffer slight burns to the hands. A passer-by summoned the Palmerston North Fire Brigade. The incident occurred yesterday afternoon in Ruahine street.

A New Monarchy There is at least one .juvenile in Hastings who believes in the sovereign powers of tho present Prime Minister. In a general knowledgo test set a class at tho Hastings High School the question was asked: “Who or what is the Dominion Monarch " Ho was a somewhat surprised teacher who read the answer submitted by a bright pupil: , ‘ The Rt. Il'on. M. J. Savage. "