TYPEWRITING CONTESTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21733, 26 August 1932, Page 7

TYPEWRITING CONTESTS

PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIPS RESULTS ANNOUNCED, The results have been announced of the provincial typewriting championships which were held on Saturday last Hinder the auspices of the Typewriting Contest Committee of the Association of Commercial Science of New Zealand. The standards set by the committee followed very closely those of the International Typewriting Contest Committee, and ithe test sought to combine speed with accuracy, each mistake being penalised by a deduction of seven words from the gmss number copied in the prescribed time. The senior entrants typed continuously for 30 minutes and the iuniors for 15 minutes from unknown matter averaging 4.S letters per word, and it was decided that no record would bo recognised if candidates failed to reach the required standard after deductions had been made for errors. In the senior championship this standard was fixed at 45 (met) words per minute and in the junior at 30 (net) words per minute. Under these conditions the following records were admitted and approved:— Senior Championship.—Miss Eva Maivis Graham (71. S not words per minute) 1, Miss Phyllis Wilson (70 net words per minute) 2, Miss Lucy Pettit (63.7 net words per minute) 3, Miss Martha Edwards (47.0 net words per minute) 4. Junior Championship (limited to candidates under IS years of age).—The tmly record to qualify was; Miss Ella White (74. S net words per minute).

The above records are considered to be remarkably good, more especially ouusidering the youthfnlness of both seuio'and junior champions. Miss Graham, the senior champion, though only 16 years of ago, typed 2370 words in the half-hour. Thirty-one errors reduced this total to 2153 net, giving the net spued of 71. S words per minute. Her work was particularly neat, ami showed a wunderfill evenness of touch. The junior champion, Miss Ella White, has -et a standard for a 15-miuute test that will take some beating, her typescript of IJOO words containing only 11 errors, givfmg a net speed of 74.8 words per minute — a remarkable record for a junior.

For the purposes of comparison it njay bo stated that in the Government shm-linnd-typist examinations juniors are expected to be able to type at the rata of 30 words per minute and seniors at the rate of 40 words per minute. »

]t is to bo 1 1 opod that the establishment of those championships will stimulate interest in fast, accurate typewriting,, and will encourage typists to attach these records at the next contests to bo hold in August, 1933. The Association of Commercial Science Movement is essentially a “ Study Your Job ” movement, promulgated to encourage young business people to interest themselves and excel in the arts aaid sciences directly connected with business, and the Typewriting Contest Committee looks forward to the day when, through the co-operation of other centres, the provincial championships will expand into a Dominion typewriting championship. Already considerable interest is being evinced in other centres throughout New Zealand.