34"^ THE TRADES SCHOOL IN THE TRANSVAAL. 



The principal of the school must be a man who has had 

 both teaching experience and commercial works practice, the latter 

 predominating. If he meets difficulties be^'ond the range of his 

 teaching experience his second-in-command is exclusively a pro- 

 fessional teacher from whom he can get the assistance he may 

 require. As to the teachers who take the classwork continuing 

 the boy's education to standard Ml, we ask that they shall give a 

 technical bent to their tuition l^y taking their examples from work- 

 shop practice. Thus in arithmetic, not to deal with " stocks and 

 shares" as if the boys were going to be brokers or bankers" clerks; 

 but to choose a new application based on the workshop courses and 

 on the future work of the boys. 



In the second place, although the staff is chosen so that the 

 instruction may be as practical as possiljle, it is not possible to 

 create in a school that atmosphere of strenuous commercial com- 

 petition so necessary to the training of the modern workman to 

 a thorough knowledge of his trade. It is impossible to introduce 

 the factory system into such schools, for the sufficient reason that 

 they are teaching institutions first and manufactories only as the 

 circumstances of the training given in them permit. Thus in no 

 sense do I claim that the bo}' on leaving the trades school is a 

 finished workman or that he has even finished as an apprentice; 

 what I do claim is that he deserves preferential treatment over 

 the boy who has not qualified himself for employment in a modern 

 workshop. That preferential treatment must be left to the em- 

 ployer to assess. It would be monstrous to suggest anything else. 

 I 'believe that the three years training in Transvaal trades schools 

 is equivalent to two years of the apprenticeship period in some 

 trades ; and in a few others, e.g., metal plate working, electric 

 wiring, wagon-smithing, — the ex-trades school pupil should be 

 accepted as an improver. My opinion, however, is neither 

 here nor there; we shall be content to be judged by what we 

 produce ; all we ask is that each individual boy should be treated 

 on his merits. 



The contract of apprenticeship provides for the transfer of 

 indentures. This is usually effected if the boy finds it necessary 

 to earn a wage in order to keep himself ; or, when nearing the com- 

 pletion of the school course, and to prevent some situation oft"ered 

 to him being filled up by other applicants, it is necessary that he 

 should leave school at once. An actual period of three years has 

 to.be served and not a nominal period. Thus, if he be absent for 

 any reason, whether holidays or sickness be the cause, he has to 

 make up the time lost. If he does not do so he does not receive 

 the completed contract of apprenticeship, and he has no evidence 

 that he has received a training at the school. This is a necessary 

 proviso, as under the system of education in the Transvaal there 

 can be no compulsion above the fifth standard; that is to say, any 

 attendance above that standard is pureh^ voluntary. Employers 

 can assist greatly by demanding evidence of attendance at a trades 



