350 TIIK TRADES SCFIOOL IX TIIK TRANSVAAL. 



This is an anomaly which will not hear criticism, hut there is another. 

 A boy joins as a working' apprentice in the shoj) and attends technical 

 classes. He passes from his first year in the shop to his second, his 

 second to his third, and so on to the end of his time quite irrespective of 

 the quality of his work at the technical classes. Indeed he may be in the 

 fourth year of his apprenticeship at the shop and first year at the classes; 

 this is actually the case at the present time ( tqii ). He may attend both, 

 but play the whole time and do no work at all. Nevertheless he passes 

 nnt of his apprenticeship, although he may have really learnt very little 

 either in the shop or at tlie classes, becomes a journeyman and is nominally 

 classed as one who has learnt everything there is in both shops and classes. 

 His real knowledge and qualifications count for nothing. So long as he 

 serves his time in the shop, he becomes a journeyman at the end of his 

 apprenticeship however ignorant he may be at the close of his indentures. 

 The system which thus places the earnest and capable on a par with the 

 careless and incapable is obviously a wrong one. The end of it can easily 

 be seen. The small minority, composed of those who would get on under 

 any circumstances, succeed, it is true, but the lazy and incapable remain 

 lazy and incapable, with the result that the general standard is lowered. 



I Iia\e ([ttoted Mr. Stohie at length l;ecaitse he appears to me 

 to set forth ^'ery clearly the need for trades schools. Emhodied 

 in Ills remarks are three main points: (a) the recognition of the 

 need of theoretical knowledge and the necessity for the organisa 

 tion of classroom subjects concurrently with workshop practice;^ 

 ( h ) the question of fees ; and ( c ) the necessity for the recogni- 

 tion in indentures of training in tlie theory as well as in the prac- 

 tice of trades. 



It seems to me that the.se three ijoint.s can he.st he met l)\- the 

 tyi)e of trades school which has been esta])lished for the Trans- 

 \aal. To take the first point, it will be obvious that to organise 

 the theoretical course to fit in with the worksho]) practice means 

 definite syllabuses in the workshop instruction as in the classroom 

 instruction. Syllabuses of practical work taken in a commercial 

 workshop are, of course, impossible, since the first consideration 

 is output, and also the nattu-e of the work done depends upon the 

 demand. Again, if the work is to be equally advanced in prac- 

 tice as in theory, syllabuses ipust necessarily modify each other. 

 That would mean dictation as to what work could be done in the 

 shop and the order in which it could be carried out. I think we 

 have there at once an insurmountable difticulty, and to my mind 

 {he simpler solution is to provide the workshop at the school. In 

 the second point we have a vei"v vexed question. If we are to 

 provide for the sons of those who are unable to maintain them- 

 selves and their families without some assistance — and these form 

 the greater majority of those we ought to train in trades — it will 

 be necessary to make grants in sui)]Jort. The Indigency Com- 

 mission recommended that liberal provision shouhl l)e made in 

 the way of btirsaries. 



Togctlier with a small sum paya!)le quarterly to assist the parents in 

 feeding and clothing their children. 



The Commissioriers went on to point out that 



