The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-07-27
TROUBLE HAS DEVELOPED IN TRADE SCHOOL Instructors Don't Like New Contract and Two Have
 Resigned Shorter Vacations and Cur riculum Changes Cause
 Dissatisfaction

I
 Dissatisfaction among instructors at the State Trade School has cropped out. James Ogden, 21 Poplar street, in charge of the mechanical depart. ment, and his assistant, John H. Abar, don't like the way some things are managed. MT. Abar has left the employment of the, school and taken work in the American Graphophone shop MT. Ogden will conclude his services with the school when his con- tract expires, Aug. 31. He will begin bis annual months vacation the first of August. Other resignations are threatened.
 Superintendent Frank L. Glynn was asked today about the reports of fric-' ition and trouble. ''I don't care to say anything about the matter" he said. He was asked if he had known that there was any friction. II haven't known anything about it if newspapeA report last night gave me my first hews of any serious dissatis- faction. I knew there was some dis satisfaction over the new contracts which have been drawn up for in structors which differ from the prev not pleased with some of the changes. I knew that, but so far as any fric- tion is concerned, I haven't known of any,
 MT. Ogden frankly stated that he was dissatisfied with a whole lot of things. MT. Abar left because he didn't like the contract he was asked to sign. The instructors are required to sign a contract and renew them upon their reappofntment For one thing the new contract proposes to cut down the length of the vacation from one month to two weeks. In addi- tion to that there are changes in the rules governing the respective depart ments.
 sI am not satisfied with the pro- posed changes and the new contract, and sent my resignation in July 10 I haven't any bone to pick with any one. I simply don't desire to continue employment in the school under the new contract
 , "I am particularly dissatisfied with the clause in the new contract relat- ing to the manner of conducting the work of my department. It requires that time be set for the completion of all jobs the department does This, to my mind, makes 1t necessary in some cases to hurry a job Conse- quent1y the students are not given the benefit of studying. For instance, If job is to be hustled out the students will be made to skip their mathe- natics and their scientific study and do only the practical work This probably wouldn't be true in all cases, but to a big extent it would. Thus the work Of the department is being commercialized and to the sacrifice of educating the workers.
 sI saw no chance for advancement here so I concluded that it would be just as we'll for me to accept another offer which has been made me The classes are not being conducted as they should be in my Judgment. The plan to set a time limit on the work interferes with the routine of the school. The object of the school is to teach and not to make money from it's work It should give. and does give to big extent, what the factory doesn't, namely, a chance to make a thorough study into the technical part of the work Mathematics, drawing and sciences are studied, whereas in the shop the boy has to do all that outside of the shop and under condi- tions that are not practical. The State Trade School has been made as near like shop except in that respect as it is possible to make it. By fur ther cornmercializing it, it would ap- pear to me. as though we were getting away from the main object of the school. I don't know whether MT. Glynn is responsible for the new ideas or whether they come from the State Board of Education. There Is no. fr1c- tion anywhere as can see. The work will go along just the same. and should.'
 One of the students was asked how he felt about the school. He was in oyeral1s and appeared the typical workingman, with grimy hands and dirty face, but serious with himself and with the world.
 ssWe don't get enough mathematics to suit me- he declared. ''They have cut them out and now we are study ing science. We need both and more of them than we are now getting. Then we don't get as much drafting as we should, I don't think. There is lots of practical work. worked in shon before and it is just the same here as it was there, only we have periods of study