Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-05
PLAN OF WIDE SCOPE
Proposed to Make the Public
Schools More Practical.
BILL NOW IN CONGRESS
Extension of Industrial and Agricul-
tural Teaching.
TO INCREASE PR0DUCTIvENESS
Believed That the Capacity of Wage
Farmers Can Be Developed by
Federal Assistance.
BILL NOW IN CONGRESS
TO INCREASE PR0DUCT1vENEss

Congress has placed on the calendar
for the present session and will shortly
consider a bill providing for technical.
Industrial and educational training and
agricultural teaching in every public
school CT the country. This is one Of the
biggest programs that tho government
has ever undertaken. 1t will cost about
S12, 800 WV annually. but it Is figured that
the nation will get back at least SO for
every one spent. So it Is regarded as
| rather a good investment.
The bill is known as the Davis-Dolli-
yer bill, and was introduced at the last
session and formally reported. 1t pro-
vides, in brief, for the establishment OF
technical and manual training schools in
connection with all Of the city schools
and departments of home economics in
such schools as need them, and agricultu-
raj departments in all of the country
schools. The state agricultural colleges
are to have departments of agricultural
extension. that they may reach those
not actually enrolled in the colleges.
These appropriations for the state
schools are to be made in proportion TO
the population Of each state and territory
Where there Is a state or territory with
less than 100000 of the population en-
gagged in agricultural pursuits there Is
to be an additional grant for their help.
The bill provides also that the states snail
furnish the land and buildings for the
new schools and that the appropriation
from the federal government shall be
used only for administration.
To Increase Productiveness
In speaking Of the proposed plan, Rep
resentative Davis called attention to the
fact that, according to the new census,
We have a population of over 90,OOO,OOO.
OF these 100000 are engaged in gain
full occupations and 3OOOO,O00 in agri-
culture. At least another 25,OOO.OO0 are in
terested In home economics. Counting the
wage-earning capacity of these 55,OOo,OW
at 81 a day, working 800 days in the year,
the gross earnings are S16,JOO,OOO,OOO. He
said that by turning our public school
system sharply toward more efficient
technical education it ought to be easily
possible to increase the effectiveness of
this population in earning power at least
1 per cent. At this rate it would mean
an increase of $165.OV0OoO in national
wealth annually. He said he thought
this would be a satisfactory return OH the
amount Of money it was proposed to In
vest
Referring to the experience of Georgia,
which was the first state to establish
these technical schools Of its own vo-
lition, he said that the idea took hold so
private subscription to establish and
equip r school in each of it's eleven con-
gressional districts.
Supply of Trained Farmers.
The passage of this educational bill, he
said, would precipitate a similar move
ment in every state and territory In the
Cnion If all the states were to follow
Georgias example the country would
have 800 agricultural high schools, and
with only 800 students in each there
would be 10000 highly trained farmers
or about 1900 to each state and a large
number of young women trained in house
hold economics to provide exemplary
country homes for the rising generation.
At present, said Mr. Davis, there Is no
body of people in any country community
with the training or tue faith to reor-
ganize the country schools. One of the
results of this movement will he to pro-
vide a large body of trained leaders and
progressive farmers in agricultural COM
munities who will press to a successful
issue the development of the rural primary
school system.