FACTORY TOUR

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24760, 7 December 1943, Page 4

FACTORY TOUR

CHILDREN'S DAY OUT NEW EDUCATION PLAN About 475 children from the Manukau Intermediate School yesterday.visited 17 different industrial organisations throughout the metropolitan area, lhe object of the scheme is to give the children an understanding of the complex organisation in which they live and the visits will be followed by discussions, in which all pupils will take part. It is intended to repeat this inspection annually and in addition some of the senior pupils, members of the Occupations Club, make weekly visits to factories, largely for the purpose of vocational guidance. The visits are part of a social living programme instituted at the school. Conditions in Industry Explaining this programme yesterday the principal, Mr. H. Binstcd, pointed out that while tho pattern of life a generation ago was comparatively simple, tho present organisation was so highly complex that it was necessary to give tlie Children an opportunity of studying it if they 'were to become worthwhile citizens. Each party set out yesterday under the guidance of a teacher who, as far as possible, had some knowledge of the industry to be visited. The parties consisted of from 20 to 30 pupils and the choice of factories provided _ a useful cross-section of Auckland's industries. The pupils would later pool their information during general discussion periods. Main Points for Observation The pupils went on their inspections armed with pencil and notebook. Before they left they were provided with a list of about 20 points as a basis for observation. It was emphasised that the children were making the visits not so much to discover what was being made and the methods, but to * study such items as wages, hours of work, physical and hygienic conditions, opportunities for beginners and influence on character and growth. Other points to be noted were the nature of the work and its national importance, its main advantages and disadvantages; the source or supply, the time required to learn the trade, the demand for labour and the possibility of employment. The firms visited covered a. particularlv representative range. They included woollen mills, box factories, a biscuit factory,, flour mills, fertiliser works, , a canning factory, glassworks, printing works, dye works, a tramway workshop, a tannery, a clothing factory and firms manufacturing forest products and concrete pipes.

BURSARY SCHEME PRIVATE SCHOOLS EXCLUDED CATHOLIC BISHOP'S PROTEST Further comment on the non-in-clusion of private schools in the scheme announced some months ago by the Minister of Education, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, of providing bursaries worth £4O a year for country children whose parents wished them to have one or two years in the sixth form of a large post-primarv school, was made at Dargaville by feishop Liston. The Minister had 'stated that the bursaries would be available to pupils who were sent to accredited State secondary, technical, combined or district high schools, said Bishop Liston. Ac that time the speaker had stigmatised the system as unfair discrimination against parents who for reasons of conscience sent their children to private schools. He had appealed to the Minister to see that the regulations were framed to help all country parents. "The Minister has not given the courtesy of a reply," continued Bishop Liston. "Meanwhile Catholic fathers, some of them returned soldiers, and Catholic mothers, who wish in the exercise of their freedom to send their children to Catholic schools, and other parents who wish to send their bovs to, say, King's College, St. Andrew's or McGlashan—all schools of excellent quality—are asking when the Minister will announce that the proper thing is to be done."

ROAD SERVICE RESUMING AUCKLAND TO WHANGAREI (0.C.) WHANGAREI, Monday ■ A number of for additional trips of established road passenger services and for additional vehicle authorities for goods services were heard in Whangarei by Mr. E. J. Phelan, the No. 1 Transport Licensing Authority. One was made by the Railway Department road services for the resumption of the service between Whangarei and Auckland. The manager of the road services, Mr. A. Brown, said it was desired to run on six days of the week. It was not the intention to resume the Sunday service. In granting the application, Mr. Phelan said the question of the days on which the service would run would be considered, but he was not in favour of a Sunday trip. It was intimated that the service would commence on Monday next.

COMPENSATION CLAIMED A former employee of the Waitakere Brick and Tile Company, Limited (Mr. Cocker), Richmond Claude McKenzie, of Kumeu, aged 17 (Mr. W. W. King), sought compensation yesterday in the Compensation Court, presided" over by Mr. Justice O'Regan. Plaintiff claimed that on November 25 of last iyear, while lifting a heavy stone in the course of his work, he ruptured an intervertebral disc, and that he was stilly totally incapacitated. He had been paid compensation at the rate of £2 13s 4d a week for six weeks. lie asked that compensation be continued to the date of judgment, and for six years' compensation for permanent partial incapacity.* He claimed that his average weekly earnings would have been £6 15s. The defendant company denied that plaintiff had suffered any accident arising out of or in the course of his employment, and estimated his average weekly earnings at £4. Decision was reserved.