The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1916-01-21
Report of President E. p. Marsh

the school curriculum from the ele.
mentary courses up to the cultural
courses. There is the fear in the
minds of some union craftsmen that
the universal extension of vocational
work i'm our public school system will
result in over-crowding the skilled
trades just as the professions have
been overcrowded through the desire
of many youths to become doctors
and lawyers. Just as many skilled
workmen complained bitterly against
the introduction of labor displacing
machinery in the various industries,
so do some complain today that vo,
cational training in the schools will
depress eventually the labor market.
1t is as useless to attempt to stem
was to fight the linotype in the old
hand-set days of the printing trade,
and just about as sensible. The prac.
teal thing to do is to take an intelli-
gent interest in vocational training
and aid in directing and guiding it.
In many of our industries today there
is no such thing as a real apprentice
ship possible because of the furious
pace-setting nature of those indus
en- the personal time and attention in
the factory by the old, skilled hand
Yet are we to deny to our children
| the opportunity to master a trade?
Intelligent cooperation between the
school authorities, employers of labor
and labor unions is necessary. The
individual child needs careful study.
Often the boy imagines he wants to
be this or that without realizing that
calling and years may be wasted be-
fore the child finds it's right niche.
THE LABOR PRESS
No one who knows, envies the lot
of the editor of a labor paper. The
popular conception of an editor used
TO be of a man who could say some
thing mean in his columns and then
take it back before he got licked; had
free passes to the shows and baseball
games and generally enjoyed himself.
Those who have tackled the Job know
differently. If he inclined towards
conservatism the radicals in the
movement hang his hide on the
fence, if he is radical the conserva.
tiVes dress him down. Most of them
work everything they can think OF
to keep their paper going from week
to week. Special editions have to
be gotten out once or twice a year to
keep the paper afloat at all. He fights
the battles of labor week after week
/ and year after year for little recon-
pense. The influence Of the labor
press is of inestimable value. Scan
ming the columns of the labor press
of this country | find that almost
, without exception they are devOting
. cOlullln dlleT COluulu " the IGpOlI VI
, the Federal Relations Commission
and | can scarcely find a mention
of that report in the columns of the
secular press. Just what We should
F have done during our initiative and
referendum campaign for mediums OF
publicity without our labor papers il
is hard to imagine They were of in
estimable value and should be sup
ported by organized labor generally
that their field of usefulness may be
wiGened Organized labor could put
portion of its treasury to no better
use than to see to it that in each 10
calty each union subscribed in a
body for the labor paper, insuring its
weekly appearance in every union
wage-earner's home.
ITO he cOntinupd)