TECHNICAL EDUCATION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 17726, 10 September 1919, Page 5

TECHNICAL EDUCATION

CONFERENCE OF DIRECTORS. (Pze United Press Association;) - WELLINGTON, September 9. The annual conference of the directors of the Technical Colleges and supervisors of manual training centres iras opened to-day. Mr George George (Auckland) was elected president, and Mr G. F. Park (Wangamri) was re-elected secretary and treasurer. Mr J. H. Howell (Wellington) was elected a member of tho executive. Tho President, in his opening address, said ho was afraid that past conferences had been largely a wast<* of time. Remits had been considered and passed, and that was the end of them. Technical education had suffered from unsympathetic treatment at tho hands of the department. He trusted that something moro proßiassire would be dono with the advent of Mr Latrobe. He hoped that the Government would realise the necessity for generous expenditure on technical education in order that the efficiency of workers should bo raised to the highest plane. New Zealand was far behind othc-r countries in tho matter of compulsory education _ classes for boys and .cirls who left tho primary schools on attaining the ago of 14. The Government should insist that cadets in the Civil Service, should attend continuation classes. Ho was of opinion that primary, secondary, and technical matters should bo under tho control of ono authority. The conference passed tho following motion:— That the Government bo urged to amend during the present session tho Education Act of 1914, so that the finance provided for tho payment of teachers and working expenses should bo increased at least in proportion to tho rise in tho cost of living since 1914. Mr Park expressed tho opinion that inducements to persons of talent to taker up tho work of teaching in technical schools wero altogether inadequate, and compared very unfavourably with th- salaries paid to secondary school teachers. The salaries coukl not bo increased until tho Government granted adequate capitation payment. Tho conference passed a resolution that tho Government bo informed that in the opinion of tho conference the first ster> in tho process of reconstruction should bo to authorise a much larger sum of money (say, £3.003X00) for placing education in the di> minion upon a modern footing, among the requirements most needed for technical education being tho erection and equipment of up-to-date buildings, including hostels for country students, the provision c f adequate sites for such purposes, the provision of areas lor experimental farms in connection wit'i rgricultural courses, tho training of teachers of technical subjects, and comniilsory davtimo continuation classes. Tt was decided _ that tho Government bo infonrip.l that this conference approves of tho principle of living primary, secondary, and technical schools controlled by one' hotly elected by the ratepayers of the district.