The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-10-23
Trade Schools Are Discussed
 By Federation of Labor
WIDELY DIFFERENT VIEWS
Labor Leaders Are Not United Upon Benefits of Trade Schools and Many Very Bitterly op-
 pose Them.

Washington, October 22-Widely di- vergent views upon how the big prob lem of industrial education In the United States can best be worked out for the economic betterment of boys and girls in this and future generations were voiced today vigorously by leaders in the labor world, and in the field of education, who are attending the meeting of the indus trial education committee of the Amer ican Federation of Labor
 Reflected in the speeches of many of the labor leaders was the fear that if the public does not introduce vocational manual training courses into the public school system of this country, capital will seek to set up specialized contract- ed system of education, fraught with evils to the workingmen's children.
 Among the educators there were those who were convinced that technical train ing in public schools would be il-advised. Others believed that the apprenticeship system was the best method of recruit ing the mechanical trades.
 John Mitchell. vice president of the fed eration, is chairman of the committee WiicH was named DS lne ldsl convention of the federation to gather information about different systems of industrial edu- cation in this and other countries and re- port with recommendations at the con- vention to be held next month. President Gompers, who made thorough investi- l gation into the question on his trip i abroad, gathered much valuable knowl- i edge.
 The fearfal revelations made daily in sllhe. feree courts or the coIyfry indicat- 1 ing that the primary reason for most l cases of domestic infelcity is directly due to the lack of technical training among girls was declared to be one of the most powerful arguments for industrial educa- ton by Miss Ella M. Haas Of the depart ment of inspection of workshops and fac- tories in Ohio.
 'The appalling number of deyorce cases today" she asserted, lis due to the fact that our girls are not being educated and developed along domestic lines. Yet our common schools are not doing one thing to offset this dangerous tendency. Children are being turned out by the thousands not equipped for lifes bat ties. The wonderful industrial advance of this nation makes it imperative that our schools embrace industrial courses. .,
 That all of the federation leaders are not in thorough accord as to the best method of industrial training was evident from the remarks of James Wilson, pres ident of the Patternmakers' union, Gin cinnati. He said the union should not go on record as favoring trades schools
 "T'he trade schools turn out men unfit ted for their work" he said, ''and 1t is unfair to ooverrun the trades with lot of men who don't know what they are cut out for"
 c. W. Cross. superintendent of appren- tices, New York Central lines, declared that the growing scarcity of slxiped work men has, already become a problem to railroad officials and that if plan for recruiting service is not provided imme- diately serious difficulties will be expe- rienced in filling the shops with compe- tent men,
 Among those who did not have much faith In trade schools but strongly in- dorsed the proposition to introduce in- dustrial training into the public schools. was Hugh F. Raynor, of the Sheet Metal Workers, Scranton, Pa.
 Combating this theory, however, were several industrial educators including Leslie W. Filler of Philadelphia. president of the Pennsylvania Museum and School of Arts who wanted the committee to sound a warning against such a phase of education in the common schools.
 The committee will continue it's sessions tomorrow and thereafter will begin com pleting it's report to the international con- vention