MANUALTRAINING SCHOOLS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12328, 21 July 1903, Page 6

MANUALTRAINING SCHOOLS.

OPENING OF THREE CENTRES IN ->.', '- v ' AUCKLAND.* ■•': :-'■;,.'

Yjssterdat may be looked upon as a redletter day as far a3 the public schools of Auckland are concerned, work having commenced in the three new manual trainingschools, situate at Newmarket, Upper Queenstreet, and Richmond Road respectively. These schools have been built and equipped by the Auckland Education Board upon the. advice of Mr. George George, director of technical education for the Auckland province. In December last, soon after bis arrival in the colony, Mr. George submitted a comprehensive scheme to the Board, whoreby th« girls and boys in Standards V., VI,, and VII. could receive manual training in cookery and woodwork respectively at three central schools, which were to be specially built and equipped for the purpose. On (the scheme receiving the approval of the Board it was sent to the Education Department at Wellington, who were asked to provide funds for the carrying out of the same. Unfortunately the sum granted fell considerably short of that asked for, but in spite of this the Board determined to carry out the director's recommendations without curtailment, preferring to provide the additional money out of funds in hand rather than risk impairing the scheme by following out a policy of false economy. The three schools, which were opened for work yesterday, have been erected and equipped at a cost of about £3500, whilst the sum granted by the Department is only £2300. ; * Each building consists of two large rooms, 52ft long by 26ft wide, and two small rooms' for the private- use of the instructors, in addition, to pupils' cloak-rooms and lavatories. In the cookery department, at one end of the room is a demonstration gallery, with seating accommodation for 60 girls, whilst at the other end are fitted tables, at which 20 girls can work at once. The department 'is also equipped with two large gas stoves, one 'I double oven. Orb coal range fitted with highpressure boiler and circulator for a continuous supply of hot water, instructors' demonstration table, dresser, larder, .' etc. ; ; v In the woodwork department one side of the room is used for drawing, whilst the other is used for practical work with tools. The drawingtables, which are specially constructed with sloping tops, accommodate 32 boys. For the practical work 15 double benches, with end vices and tool boxes, are provided. These benches are designed after the style of those in use in many of the German and American manual training schools. The equipment of this department also includes lockers, timber racks, glueing and - oilstone benches, grindstone, cupboards, specimens of timber, etc. ■; To carry out the teaching in these schools instructors, who have been specially for this work, have been engaged 1 from England. The woodwork instructors (Messrs. W. T. Fossey, E. Howe, and A. D. Trendall) have each had several years' experience in similar centres under the London School Board, and come to the colony with high recommendations. Of the three cookery teachers, Miss K. Twentyman and Miss M Warren have been 1 rendering excellent service to the London School Board, whilst Miss J. Todd has been organiser ■ and teacher in cookery and laundry work to the Reading School Board. ■

The object of manual training schools, which have been recognised for several years in Germany and America as an important factor in the educational systems -of those countries, is to train the hand and the eye, to develop the powers of reasoning and originality, to inculcate into the pupils methods:of neatness and' accuracy; in fact, to turn out the pupil as an intelligent being, ami not as a mere machine. Manual training in woodwork, for instance, does not aim at producing a generation of carpenters, but rather at developing powers which are as necessary in a clerk as in a. mechanic. Again, in cookory. apart from the utilitarian side of the question (which is worth considering in New Zealand with the present servant difficutly), the training received must leave its impression upon the pupil, no matter in' what position in life she may bo placed. At the present time a period of two hours per week is spent by each pupil in Standards V., VI., and VII. of the city and suburban schools at one or other of the three manual training schools, and with the idea of extending these benefits to the country schools Mr. George is arranging special classes in cookery and woodwork on Saturday mornings, at which the Board's teachers will receive instruction in these subjects from the experts who have been engaged from England. The teachers thus instructed will be- again in turn able to instruct the- pupils in the schools they may have chirge of. Jt may be mentioned that during his long experience in England and on his recent visit to the Continent (prior to coming to Auckland) Mr. George failed to find manual training schools so well equipped as those just opened in Auckland. On Friday afternoon next the chairman of the Board of Education (Mr. James Muir) will declare the classes open, and on Satur- i day they will probably be open to public j inspection.