From left; Mr Ian Lander, advertising manager, Taubman's, presents John Ngaire and Pari Hunt with engraved putty knives, while chief technical engineer, Mr Orton Moon stands by TRAVEL AWARD WINNERS Two first year painting apprentices from the Christchurch Technical Institute recently spent three days in Wellington as winners of Taubmans' travel award. They were John Ngaire of Putaruru and Pari Hunt, who comes from Ahititi in the Taranaki district. During their visit to the capital they toured Taubmans' factory, seeing paint in the making—from raw materials through milling, tinting, quality control, filling and warehousing. They showed a keen interest in everything they saw and the many questions they asked indicated their desire to learn all they could. Building projects and a wallpaper factory were among other places visited, and the boys were most impressed with the ‘exposure station’ on the top of Mount Crawford, where paints are tested for quality and maintenance. They also met some interesting personalities, among whom were Mr J. Roberts, national President of the New Zealand Guild of Painters and Decorators, and Mr W. Lyons, a member of the local Apprenticeship Committee. Both these men gave the boys good advice, impressing on them the need to increase their knowledge by keeping up with new ideas and techniques and thus make steady progress in their trade. Pari and John were taken on a sightseeing trip, calling at the House of Representatives, the Botanical Gardens, Victoria University and the Museum. A ride on the cable car was a new experience for both boys and they also enjoyed the view of city and harbour from the Mount Victoria Lookout. The three day trip ended with the presentation of engraved putty knives to the two boys as a lasting reminder of their reward. It had been won because Pari and John, by their consistent hard work, had come top of their class. Competent tradesmen are becoming increasingly scarce, and it is hoped that many more boys of the calibre of John Ngaire and Pari Hunt will accept apprenticeships and so become first-class tradesmen.