The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-16


 and progress of the Bridgeport Stat Trade school, and to be incorporated in the annual report of The American Federation of Labor, gives many in teresting facts about that education al institution.
 MT. Winslow wrote the following re- quest, dated in Washington, D. C., to Principal Frank l.. Glynn:
 My. Dear MT. Glynn:
 T am wondering if you can furnish me a summary of what has been done in Connecticut for trade education in the recent past. It goes without say Ing that l am very much Interested in your particular scheme and would like to know just how it is prospering.
 The purpose of the request is for use in the compiling of report which will be the general report of the Com The American Federation of Labor.
 Very truly yours,
 CHARLES H. WINSLOW." The following report was prepared:
 The Connecticut plan differs great sister states in the matter of indus trial education
 Tn 1909 the State Legislature passed law appropriating $100,000 for the es- tablishment and maintenance of two trade schools for two years. The pur- pose is to train all around mechanics and to replace the apprenticeship sys- tenn which has already declined. The matter was taken up with the various cities and subscriptions raised. One of the schools was located in Bridge port and one in New Britain both large manufacturing centers. The subscription something about $1O00t in each city was used to defray the expense of repairs, and the Initial cost of equipment.
 The idea was to establish two ex- perimental stations maintained by the State in which a solution of the problems could be worked out for the various other cities.
 Connecticut unlike many of her sis ter states represents peculiar features Her general school system was estab- l1Shed at a time when practically the only occupation was that of agricul- ture. Since then she has changed in. to almost entirely a manufacturing center. Already itAis difficult to find mechanics and tradesmen of a suffi- ciently high degree of skill to main tain her production. This will neces- sitate a net work of trades schools throughout her borders as her only economic resource is trade skill and efficiency which must be perperuated through system of trades education
 The school at Bridgeport was open ed September 1910, and the one at New Britain two months earlier. The in- struction in each is practically the same.
 The ideal of each is to reproduce so far as possible the actual factory con- ditions and it was with this end in view that the general organization requirements are that a student be fourteen years of age. All the teach CTS must be fully trained and skilled mechanics. The hours are from a. m. to 6 p. m. and all work instead of being based on models and exercises consists of actual commercial work taken from factories.
 The idea of this at first was to make it necessary for the students to maintain actual trade standards of workmanship. They completed their products in so satisfactory a manner duce in great part the operating cost. If it costs a certain sum per year to educate a student and he could earn that amount then his earnings would provide for the training of another student.
 Every, kind of opportunity is offer ed in this school system. The. depart ments consist of Day school contin- nation school, half time school, vaca- ,tion school and evening school.
 Day school operates nine hours a day. five and one half days week. f1fty-two weeks year allowing each teacher and each student two weeks vacation. Six and one half hours a day are given to actual shop work in the trade pursuit. selected and two and one half houNP to academic train ing. Girls attend seven hours day during the first year and eight dur ing the second
 Students may enter school any day in the year and may leave at any time. Graduation depends upon for the boys the. successful completion of 4.800 sixty minute hours of instruction and for the girls $500.
 Courses are offered in the trades of Carpentry, Cabinet Making, Pattern Making, Machine Shop practice, Tool Making, Die Making, Drafting, Print ing, Dressmaking and Millinery.
 The foreman in charge of each de- partment is the general instructor in the school unit. The carpenter teach es the shopwork, drafting and mathe- matics and gives the daily shop lec- ture connected with his department and so with the other trades.
 Academic work consists of:
 For boys,
 Drafting.
 Trade Mathematics,
 Shop Lectures,
 Applied Science and Nechanics
 For girls,
 English,
 Trade Mathematics,
 Textiles,
 Applied Drawing and Design,
 Physiology and Hygiene.
 In all, however, the aim is to ac- tually reproduce trade conditions. This is done in various ways. The boys schools are located in actual factory buildings while the girls work is car ried on in the business section of the city in actual dressmaking and mil- linery establishments. Tn the latter customer enters and leaves her order for a gown or hat. It is taken by one of the students. designed. estimated and made according to trade methods. The printing department does a great part of the state work and some job- ping work; the machine department department nrekes machines for mar ket orders and jigs and fixtures for factories; the pattern department pro- vides the machine department with necessary patterns and also takes in outside orders; while the carpentry department has almost completed the building of a fifty-five hundred dollar house for a local contractor.
 In no cases, however, are the mar ket prices underbid and sometimes work is lost by the estimate being too high. A job is taken and figured up- on in the terms of a journeyman's time of production and estimated at the regular journeyman rating on that line of work It is then made by the students who have to take account +Lo ooe+ of 1ahOr and