EVENING SCHOOLS AND SCHOLARSHIPS. 351 



trades. The methods adopted by Mr. Bailey's firm, therefore, aim to counteract this deficiency 

 and are well worthy of application by everyone interested in the same line of work. The 

 author has, however, dealt mainly with the training given for the actual operations of ship- 

 building, and I venture to suggest that, with a few modifications, his method might be easily 

 applied to those who are aiming to fit themselves for the higher positions either in the execu- 

 tive, financial or design departments. 



I would refer especially to the young men who have decided to take a regular four-year 

 course at some recognized university or technical school. It would seem most desirable that 

 there should be the closest possible cooperation between the two institutions in these cases. 

 I think that it is probably well understood that engineering curricula in colleges cannot possi- 

 bly cover "practical" work, and that the aim of such institutions is to give the student a 

 thorough groundwork in the theory of his profession, together with a certain amount of the 

 application of the same. In the past there has been somewhat of a tendency to expect too 

 much from the college graduate, mainly because of the misunderstanding relative to the 

 "type" of work and experience which he has gained. Perhaps in some cases the young man 

 has been somewhat to blame. 



I would suggest, therefore, that a regular course of practical work, comprising experi- 

 ence in the important branches or divisions of the shipyard, and covering a period of from 

 one to two years, would be a good thing to establish. The men could be watched and graded 

 during this time and at the end of the course placed in the department to which they seemed 

 best fitted, or in such positions as are deemed advisable. A student could start such work 

 during the summers, even while he was attending the university, and in many ways this is 

 the most desirable method and is commonly known as the "Sandwich" system. 



One important point that is often overlooked, and which has been the cause of the loss 

 of a number of men to the shipbuilding business in this country, is that the young man 

 should be made to feel that there is a future for him if he makes good. With the establish- 

 ment of some regular system of training, and taking care of the men as far as possible at 

 the end of the same, this question is largely answered; but with a lack of the same there is a 

 strong tendency for the college man to look around to other branches of engineering where 

 advancement may appear to be more assured. 



The cooperative plan between the technical school and the industry has already been es- 

 tablished by certain institutions and firms in other branches of engineering, and I feel it is 

 time that such a scheme should be introduced in marine work generally; perhaps not only 

 with the shipyards but with shipowners and others associated under this category. 



So far as the University of Michigan is concerned, I can promise the heartiest cooper- 

 ation, and I feel that in this way the best results may be secured for obtaining a nucleus from 

 which the future persormel for important positions may be drawn. 



Mr. H. T. Here, Member (Communicated) : — In the main I think Mr. Bailey has cov- 

 ered the situation very well indeed. We have one practice which is not touched on in the 

 paper and which I think is quite important : We have the heads of our dififerent depart- 

 ments lecture to the regular apprentices, and especially to the fourth-year men, on the func- 

 tioning of our different departments to make up a comprehensive organization and to pass 

 the work through the shop to completion in the most efficient manner from the standpoint of 

 engineering, production, accounting, etc. For instance, the head of our Production Depart- 

 ment will lecture to the boys on the functioning of his department, the head of our Turbine 



