PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION J. 315 
cf that controlling power which the State should exercise in 
virtue of the financial aid granted by it.” 
The following questions were then discussed :—(1) Prepara- 
tory Training; (2) A National Basis for the Extension of 
Technical Training; (3) Centralisation. 
1. Preparatory training. “The chief duty of the elementary 
schools should be to train the pupils to teach themselves, and 
the test of the success of the schools, not the amount of know- 
iedge stored in the pupils’ memories, but the capacity they have 
attained for learning. The fact was pointed out that the 
Technical Schools were obliged to undertake much that was 
merely preparatory for want of some other agency to do it, and 
this greatly to the hindrance of true technical teaching. 
2. A rational basis for the extension of technical instruction. 
Before initiating technical instruction in connection with any 
specific industry, it was urged that careful inquiry should be 
made upon the following lines:—(a) Number employed in 
each grade of existing trade, and number likely to be benefited 
by specialised instruction; (6) grades of instruction neces- 
sary; (c) present means of giving instruction, its efficiency or 
otherwise; (d) probable effect in the way of improving exist- 
ing trades, or adding new branches; (e¢) effect in developing 
new industries suitable to this country. “The result of such 
preliminary inquiry would form a rational basis to work on, 
and prevent the waste of labour and public money in useless 
channels.” 
This proposed method was illustrated by applying it in three 
(3) typical cases, viz., (1) carpentry, (2) the mining industry, 
(3) pottery and chinaware manufacture. 
3. Centralisation. “One of the most difficult points in con- 
nection with technical training here is the solution of the ques- 
tion as to how far control should be in the hands of a central 
authority, or entrusted to local bodies.” It was pointed out 
that uniformity in educational matters is not desirable, and 
that the tendency elsewhere is to discourage uniformity, and 
foster local interest and effort, and that in Great Britain, even 
in primary school work, the rigid test by examinations is giv- 
ing way to one by means of inspection only. If in education 
generally unbending uniformity is undesirable, in technical 
education it is disastrous. 
3—THE DRIFT OF EDUCATION IN VICTORIA. 
By A. W. Craic, M.A. 
