TECHNICAL EDUCATION

New Zealand Mail, Issue 1847, 31 July 1907, Page 65

TECHNICAL EDUCATION

MEETING OF THE WELLINGTON BOARD. The Technical Education Board mot on Friday. Present: Messrs J. P. Luke (chairman), Wm. Allen, T. Ballinger, T. W. McDonald, and T. Carmichael. The financial statement showed a deficit of £999 6s after paying accounts and salaries totalling £693, as compared with a debit balance of £1757' at the same date last year. The chairman stated that amounts to be paid in to the Board’s account at Bank of New Zealand before .August Ist nest would total £lOl4 (including £Bl4 capitation), so that at August Ist the credit balance would be about £ls. During the remainder of the quarter he thought they would be financially strong. He hoped they would finish the year with a credit balance. Reporting upon the jewellery and metal-work class, the director (Mr W. S. La Trobe) stated that the necessary apparatus was to hand. There was, however, no accommodation for the class, unless a portion of the woodcarving room were used. The chairman remarked that the question of accommodation was becoming a difficult one. On his suggestion the director’s report was approved, and the arrangements for the class room were left to Messrs Carmichael and Ballinger to give effect to. ENGINEERING CLASSES. The director submitted a report on the engineering classes, which were described as now forming one of the most important departments of the school work. Requirements of the classes included (1) a drawing office capable of accommodating fifty students at one time, and total accommodation for two hundred and fifty to three hundred separate students; (2) a lecture room for machine design, steam, etc. ; (3) a cutter grinder for milling cutters, a modern’lathe with modern change gears, a small instrument-making lathe, and a small planing machine for the workshop • (4) a small electrical workshop in addition to the present fitting shop : (5) a heavy electrical laboratory ; (6) an electricity and magnetism laboratory: (7) a heat engine laboratory and boiler and producer house ; (8) apparatus for hydraulic laboratory; (9) and a room for mechanics laboratory.

The report added that the rooms and equipment suggested formed the minimum nucleus for present purposes. It was idle to disguise the gravity of the school’s present position in regard to the engineering classes. Granted proper facilities work could be done in the school equal to that done anywhere else with students of the same age. If, however, proper means were not forthcoming, it was only too certain that the young students being trained at the school would be severely and unfairly handicapped. PLUMBERS’ EXAMINATIONS.

The Plumbers' Board of Control has appointed Messrs W. H. Morton and C. W. Martin and Messrs Mack and Johnston examiners for the August examinations, the two former in theory, the two latter in practice. A total of fifty-four candidates have entered, forty from Wellington, seven from Dannevirke, and seven from Masterton. This constitutes a record. Three years ago the average number was about sixteen. The examinations will be held, as follows: —Theory, Thursday, August Bth, from 7 to 10 p.m. Practice, Saturday, August 10th, from 2 to 7 p.m. In future these examinations are to be held in June. These arrangements were approved by the Board, and it was decided, at the request of a deputation of plumbers, to provide the examinees with solder as well as lead. ELECTRICIANS’ EXAMINATIONS. PROPOSED BOARD OP CONTROL. Reporting on electrical classes, Mir La Trobe stated that in view of the probable increase of work in them due to the proposed city by-law re electric wiremen and fitters, and particularly in view of the fact that the Board had agreed to conduct qualifying examinations on behalf of the City Council, a. rearrangement of the work and examinations on a more business-like footing was necessary. He suggested that it would he well to establish an Electricians! Board of Control, on the same lines as the Plumbers’ Board of Control, and to give it power to select examiners, scrutinise and accept or reject candidates for certificates, and discuss and arrange details of courses for students, subject to the approval of the Technical Education Board. The suggested Board would include a member of the Technical Education Board, the City Electrical Engineer, a. representative of the master-fitters, a representative of the journeymen fitters, and the director of the Technical School. Mr La Trobe suggested the following general arrangement as to courses . Wiremen, a two years’ course covering (a) arithmetic electricity and magnetism, elementary laboratory work; (b) geometry and mechanical drawing, a course similar to that for plumbers; .(c) practical work and workshop test-

ing; (d) and elementary electrical engineering. Electric fitters: A four years’ course covering:— (a) Arithmetic electricity and magnetism. (b) Practical mathematics and chanics(c) Electrical engineering, (d) Workshop and wiring practice. (e) Laboratory work and electrical testing. Substantially the first two years of the course for electrical fitters would constitute the course for wiremem. In regard to fees, the director suggested that for first year’s course they should be 10s per quarter, for the second 15s, for the third and fourth 16s 6d (three nights weekly) or 20s (four nights weekly). The present laboratory must be made to fill requirements in the meantime for elementary work. An electrical engineering laboratory should bo provided as soon as possible. The director further suggested staff arrangements and other general details. He recommended that his suggestions should be carried out as soon ha the City Council’s by-law referred io has been confirmed. it was decided to submit the report to the City Electrical Engineer (Mr Stuart Richardson) and to Air Logan, of the Telegraph Department, with the view of obtaining their advice upon the suggestions contained in it. CLASS ENTRIES FOR THE QUARTER. SOME NOTABLE INCREASES. In submitting a report of the class entries, etc., for the second quarter of the year, as compared with the corresponding quarter of last year, the director pointed out that in all the classes for which the accommodation provided was moderately complete, there was a large increase of attendance, whilst, in classes which were illprovided for, the numbers were stationary or worse than last year. Olnly one of the classes accommodated in the present drawing office was increasing. There was no doubt in his mind that this lack of improvement was entirely due. to want of proper accommodation. Properly fitted-up laboratories and drawing office must be provided to enable students to progress on right lines. He believed that much larger classes could be held in engineering and building construction if the classes were made a popular entertainment and if a specious sort of sham training were given. They must, however, keep all training on sound lines, even at the risk of making it scrappy and disconnected for want of the necessary apparatus and building equipfnent. An inevitable consequence of lack of facilities was to enormously increase the natural difficulties which all students must meet in any real training, and so to discourage many who otherwise would make good students. It was found in consequence that the number of students offering in these ill-equip-ped classes was practically stationary. Following was the report submitted:

Students enrolled —Day scholars with free places, 275—265; evening scholars with free places, 71—15; paying students, 631 —562: Saturday morning class teachers, 68—0; totals, 1045 — 842. Class entries,, ordinary classes —Art and art crafts, 251—245; teachers’ Saturday art classes, 08 —0; building construction, 41—30; carpentry and joinery, 00—45; plumbing, 137—128; mechanical engineering, 55—02; electrical engineering, 70 —-79; geometry and mechanical drawing, 28—33; mathematics, 67—57 ; mechanics, 40—28 ; chemistry, 13 —0; arithmetic, 38 —23; English, 06 —32; Latin, 40 —24; book-keeping, 80 —6O: typing and shorthand, 159 —103; dressmaking, 29—0; cooking, 46—0; pattern cutting, 8—0; tailors’ cutting, o—s ; .totals, 1302—954. -Class entries per student, 1.72 —1.65. Fees collected —Second quarter, £374 —£339; average fee per student 11.86 s ■—12.095. Capitation earned—Ordinary classes —second quarter—£2B6 — £225. Junior technical scholars —Ordinary, £831; scholarship, £534; total, £1652 ; total fees and capitation, £2226 13s 7d. Students’ hours worked, 92,012h0ur5; hours per student per week, 9.41 hours. The report was deferred for consideration at a special meeting to be held next Friday night.