The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-10-01

come within none OF these categories
II treats all questions which come before
N from the viewpoint OF the party
which usually suffers the most and i
most completely ignored In disputes be.
tween employers and employed. the gen.
eral public. While other subjects. such
as the growth Of Ihe open shop and the
incorporation Of trades unions. will be
considered Ia its convention, the ques.
tIon of industrial education win receive
large share OF the deliberations. Ad-
dresses will be made by DR.. y. q. Dickey,
head Of the Winona Technical Institute,
NJ. w. Alexander OF the General Flee
trie Co.. Vice President Of the Society
for the promotion Of Industrial Educa.
eion. Arthur Dean. Supervisor Of the
Department Of Industrial Education OF
the T. M. G. A., and by several large
employers Of skilled labor.
Aside from these two large gather
ings dealing specifically with this sub
ject, the topic Is actively discussed
wherever the managers Of large indus.
tries. OF. students OF industrial condi.
tlons come together. Under the leader
ship OF It's president. James W. Van
Cleaye. the National Association Of Man
uiacturers has lately taken up the sub
ject with the slogan, "Send the Whole
Boy to School," impessing the need Of
educating the hands an well as the
brain. In many places where the skilled
trades are represented by Thousands Of
worknen In large establishments the
owners OF the industries are cooper
ating with their employees and with
local educators To solve their special
problems, either by the establishment
Of trade schools or by introducing some
feature OF industrial training into the
public school system. Such efforts, how,
ever, are sporadic, and necessarily local
In their influence
One cause for movement 80 wide
spread and manifesting itself independ-
entity In so many quarters Is easy TO
discover II Is found in an alarming
decrease In the deficiency OF labor, a
falling of that. contrary 10 precedent,
has accompanied d rise OF wages. From
every quarter OF the country comes the
complaint that II Is impossible to Sc
cure an adequate supply OF high'elass
labor, and that among the skilled oper-
atiyes employed. the adaptability which
was once the pride OF the American
mechanic. enabling a man to turn read
lily from the use Of one kind OF machin.
cry TO another, has disappeared 50 that
scarcity In one line OF employment
cannot be met by recruiting from other
| lines.
In the opinion Of many business men
and investigators this condition con-
stitutes the most serious menace TO the
commercial supremacy OF America.
Hitherto the greater output and super
ior inventive power and adaptability OF
American artisans have been assumed as
matters OF course and have balanced the
advantages enjoyed by the manufact-
urers Of other nations in competition
In the markets Of the world. With
the disappearance Of this advantage it
Is held that It will become increasingly
difficult for American manufacturers to
meet the competition OF the cheaper and
more abundant labor OF other countries,
"The situation may be illustrated by
comarison OF the relative positions
OF this country and Germany in the
excellence OF mechanical arts today and
generation ago." said manufacturer
whose products are sold in almost every
country of the globe, AT the time OF
the Centennial Exposition in 1915 the
German Commission sent over TO OBJ
serve the relative merits of the ex-
hibhs OF various countries reported that
in comparison with the American dis.
play the exhibit OF their own country
made sorry showing, Both in quality
and appearance the German mechanical
products were behind those OF other
countries, and while some of the other
countries were ahead of the United
States in the finish of their machinery
the latter was unrivaled in point of
practical efficiency, in the opinion of
the commission. 1t was largely as a
result of this report and OF the recon-
mendations of the Investigators he had
appointed that Emperor William l in
stituted the system of industrial edu'
cation that has done more than any
thing else to put the German Empire
in its present advanced condition as d
manufacturing nation.
1.-TWO years ago when another groul
of German investigators came over here
they were able to report that theil
country had nothing to learn from Us
in the methods of training labor ant
maryeled that with the great amount
of attention paid to the higher educa
tion in engineering in the United States
no system of trade education has beer
adopted
The situation, SO far as practica
training in the industrial arts is con
cerned, is expressed in different an,
even more striking way by SeNretarN