VALUE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 16288, 22 January 1915, Page 6

VALUE OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION.

INTERVIEW WITH Ml! J. 11. HOWELL. ISRITA 1N \S OPPORTUNITY. (Khom Our Own Couhesvondknt.) (' lIKIS I C 11 U.li Cli, January 21. Mr J. 11. Howell, Director ol the Christchurch Technical College, returned this morning from an extended tour in America and Great, Britain. The tour was undertaken for the purpose of observing how technical education was conducted in oilier countries, and on this subject Mr Howell lias collected a. gre-at deal of information which lie will submit in a report to the Technical College Hoard of Governors. Mr Howell was particularly pleased with his reception in America, where he was accorded every courtesy and every opportunity for studying exiueational conditions. Most of his time was spent in America, and he did not arrive m England until July—a month before the outbreak of the war.

One thing that struck Mr Howell greatly in America was the attention paid to the education of men and youths in technical subjects, qualifying them to become experts in .various branclus of manufactures and agrieultine; but so great was the demand for such trained men that the supply was always short, and they were able to command high salaries. He is convinced that it will bo many years before America h-as an intellectual proletariat in the sense that the German proletariat is intellectual, and the reason he gives is that the steady immigration into America of illiterate aliens is continually keeping up the proportion of illiterate workmen, and in proportion the trained man is scarce. In Germany the highly organised system of technical education has resulted in an over-production, so the man with special qualifications bulks largely ill the artisan classes.

11 is impression of the English system of technical education was not so high. Good work was being done, but the housing and the equipment of the classes were not satisfactory. The rea-son, he thought, was that the English manufacturers had not yet begun to realise the importance of giving special training to their workmen. The best technical colleges were those of London. He has much praise to give to the excellent work done by the British Board of Agriculture, however —a work which is being greatly helped by the efforts of the local bodies in most of the provinces. The country authorities are.doing all they can to improve the conditions and methods of agriculture in England. Asked if after the war the English manufacturer would succeed in capturing all Germany's trade, he replied that he was doubtful if that could be done. It was entirely a question of economics, for English manufacturers could not take Germany's whole trade and still keep Germany as a'customer. Without any manufactures to exchange Germany would liave no purchasing power. He was also convinced that British manufacturers would have to overcome their conservatism, and would have to work hard to secure trained men and to achieve co-operative effort between different manufacturers. First it was the organisation —the co-operation between manufacturers. In Germany that had enabled that country (which for the last 30 years had been conducting its business with the aid of highly trained specialists) to economise by making value out of what would be, without co-operation, waste products. Mr Howell said that the past history of England's industrial education did not promise in favour of such a revolution in ideas as to make a wholesale capture of German trade altogether probable. The tales of English depression were laughed at bv the director. England was undoubtedly feeling the pinch of the war, but there was no despondency and no funereal peoole. Many of the factories were working at higher pressure than ever before, turning out munitions of war. Mr Howell confirmed the story of the sinking of H.M.S. Audacious, the concealment of which bv the Admiralty was much commented on in England and America.; but he say] that all sorts of rumours gained credence and went the whole length of the country, and many of the stories of German atrocities were of this nature. He did not doubt that there were individual cases of brutality, but he had not vet found anyone who had actually ?.sen children or adults who had been mutilated.