The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1909-11-03
A GRANITE CUTTERS SCHOOL.

As Substitute For The Apprentice sys.
tenn.
The following is letter from i prom
inent manufacturer:
I'VE note in your September issue Of
Granite, Marble and Bronze an article
The Need Of More Good Granite Cut
tiers. The article seems to hit the ease
pretty good. we have lot of work.
but cannot get stonecutters TO do it
with. We have been advertising for
about a month in the daily papers and
can't seem 10 get any OF course, Z--
may not BE- 4 desirable place to
come to as some Of the large granite
eenters, but we never had any trouble
before IN getting men. The. trouble
seems to be with The union, az they
have restricted the apprentices down 50
that they are not making stonecutters
as fast as the old one die IN our place
we are restricted TO two apprentices to
each yard, that Isl we can only ma ke
two stoneeutters IN three years time.
We presume the apprentice question is
about the same everywhere Scotland.
England and Italy are practically drain
ed dry al stoneeutters and we do not
know where we are going to get any
more II is rather peculiar that a boy
brought mp IN this country cannot learn
his trade while men coming ii from
Scotland England and italy come into
the country and be Immediately receiv-
led BY The stonecutters union. DO not
thing a trade school would be much use
in teaching the trade 10 apprentices"
II the manufacturer had read uur col
umns more closely BE would have learn
cd that it il not altogether the fault Of
the gfanite cutter Tint there il lack
Of stone cutters There "a limit I'd the
number Of apprentices that ran be eng-
ployed BY manufacturer, but this limit
has not been reached by any manufae-
tnrer II either Barre, Quincy, or any
other granite manufacturing center. II
Is a question as II whether OF not the
manufacturer wishes 70 be troubled with
an apprentice who i placed IN the shed
to learn or not to learn, according to
bis ability or desires. Why should
granite cutter take upon himself the ed
neation Of an apprentice There II
nothing III Il for him, and he may rather
look upon Il al means which will take
the bread ont Of bis own mouth by and
hy, therefore, the apprentice Il left, to
d large extent, to his own desires. and
it If our experience that the average
granite shed is not an attractive place
To q Young man. We have gone all over
this matter before and stated our reasons
for thinking that a trade school was an
absolute necessity in order to take care
of the future granite cutter. We are
not satisfied with the mere statement
that one does not think d trade school
would Be q much use but We want to
know The reason why not II takes Us
as ire only solution Of the granite man
ufactnrerse difficulty. even In ordinary
good times. When business is on the
boom we do not dare to predict what the
conditions viii be. for there is growing
demand for granite work both large and
small. monuments. mausoleums, and
building. and If the trade school can
solve the problem 81 educating the Yonng
men in other lines We do not know why
II would not serve the SAND purpose
when applied to the granite business.
This Is 4 serious matter and should be
taken up III serioHs way by the Granite
Manufacturers association, and when
we say 4 seriDns matter. We mean it,
Prom Granite, Marble and Bronze.