The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-11-30
Would Have Children at
Work Give Half Day Each
Week to Trade Class
REPRESENTS U. S.
CIVIC CHAMBER
Such Schools Would Solve Minimum
Wage Question, He Says-Great
Work Being Done by Uni
versity of Wisconsin

H. E. Miles, chairman of the commit
tee on industrial education of the
United States Chamber of Commerce,
was in Birmingham yesterday and had
conference with the local Chamber
of Commerce committee on vocational
education. Mr.. Miles came from Cincin-
natl to Birmingham and left at s
o'clock last night for Chicago, from
which place he will go to New York,
then to his home at Racine, Wis. Mr.
Miles Is travelling under the auspices
merce and is working for vocational
education.
AT the present time a very large
percentage of young boys and girls of
between 13 and 16 years of age are
leaving the public school to seek en-
ployment In industrial or clerical con-
cerns" said Mr.. Miles last night. "They
leave the school and their education
stops right there. They do not have
chance In this country to continue to
study and the result is that the nation
becomes more illiterate every year.
Five Hours a Week
THE idea 1 presented to the com
mittee of your Chamber of Commerce
this afternoon is of a continuation
school. That is, a school to be con-
Quoted for the education of these chill
dren who go into vocational life at
so tender an age. Have the employers
of the children give them half a day
each week to spend In a vocational
training school. The time spent here
will be devoted to instructing them In
the trade they are following. If 1t Is
a young girl who aspires to be a
saleslady, we can teach her the finer
points of selling goods, show her the
quality of cloth, teach her the science
of the business. 1t would only require
five hours a week. She could take the
knowledge thus impaired. Apply it to
her work and learn more In Gle five
hours devoted to it than she would
ordinarily learn In a school lasting
five days week.
IF boy is In shop, or in a store.
we take him and follow the same prin-
ciple. That is the only real solution
of the minimum wage question Instead
of enacting a law to tell an employer
mum, double the earning capacity of
those girls who only get "a a week.
When an employer is told that he must
pay SIS a week, these s4 girls are natur-
ally dispensed with and girls who have
a capacity for earning SIS a week Sc
cured.
These fellows who are always in
ssting upon the enactment of a mini
mum wage scale have never to my
knowledge offered to employ girls who
can only earn $4 a week and pay them
the same salary better clerks receive
1.-The way to reach the root of the evil
is to enact a law compelling employ
ers to give every child employed by
them half a day to be devoted to vo-
cational training. Start your vocation
al school and have competent instruc-
tors in attendance The children will
become better citizens, will have an
increased earning capacity and the
question of minimum wages forever
banished.
The University of Wisconsin is doing
great work in this line and its extern
sion division. which has the work in
charge, has a far greater purpose than
that of merely handing out to the
people of the state the courses in Latin,
in English, as taught in the univer-
sity. Its purpose is to educate the
citizens of the state in any direction
III WHICH lifey are III Hteu
Work in Wisconsin
1.-TWO or three years ago 1t began
to educate retailers in the conduct of
their business and statesmen in the art
of se1ling-for instance, to teach the
quality of the goods sold, to make the
store PEOPLE understand that retailing
is not merely to get the money but to
satisfy the customer to understand
that the store exists for the customers
and not the customers for the store;
that profits and wages must come il
at all, only for service rendered.; that
good training and good manners are
not superficial but essential; to think
of health; to be cheerful; to get along
with all kinds of people; to study their
likes and dislikes; to observe the ex-
preston of the customer and to think
from the customers point of view
"The continuation schools of Wis
consin are charging upon this work.
Where classes have been started they
have increased rapidly and steadily in
attendance and enthusiasm and in sup
port given by all concerned.
Nowhere is the value of the contin-
uation school more clearly disclosed as
compared with the more expensive all
day trade schools 1t is especially help
full to the students to have the actual
experience in employment in conjunc-
tion with the half day In the contin-
uation schools, and no other class has
greater need of its weekly wage while
acquiring it's education This linking
of the retail store keepers and theI-
employees with manufacturers and la
borers in the work of the vocational
schools delightfully."- widens the COM
munity interest in and support of these
schools.
I'm Alabama legislation will be need
Ped to establish such schools It is the
intention of your Chamber of Com
merce committee, I understand, to have
a meeting in the near future at which
plans looking to that end will be dis
cussed. The chairman of your COM
mittee is one of the greatest educators
In the state-J. d. Moore. Associated
with him is number of Alabama's ed
ucators and men who have a reputation
that is far wider than they imagine
The other. members of the committee
are, believe. DR.. ]. III. Phillips, George