PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 



35 



to higher technical education, should be very closely in 

 touch with the needs of the callings for which the students 

 in them are being trained. Advisory Committees consist- 

 ing of representatives of those who are carrying on callings 

 can bring just the kind of advice needed to enable professors 

 and teachers to shape the courses and train a type of man 

 possessing not only a practical and common-sense power to 

 work usefully, but to re-organise and effect improvements. 

 Severe criticism is often levelled at what is described as 

 the impracticability of the courses of training of technical 

 schools, and even of some universities. Such criticism 

 would not be made, at any rate it would have small effect, 

 if the work of these institutions was better understood by 

 the community at large. On the other hand, the influence 

 of such committees would ensure that the courses were 

 such as would meet the requirements of the callings, and 

 this being the case, the ground for such criticism would 

 be removed. 



The courses of training were divided into two classes, 

 namely, (1) University, higher technical or professional 

 pupilage; and (2) Trade. 



All who had either commenced or had intended taking a 

 university or higher technical course, or entering as pupils 

 with professional practitioners, were granted facilities to 

 carry out their intentions, provided that, if injured or sick, 

 they were able to stand the stress involved. Various 

 Australian universities and technical colleges acted very 

 generously to the Department of Repatriation by consider- 

 ably reducing fees. In cases where no university or 

 technical college course was available, or where custom 

 required articled pupilage, arrangements were made with 

 qualified practitioners to take trainees. It was conse- 

 quently only in very rare cases that the Department found 

 it necessary to provide for the establishment of classes for 



