New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1918-12-20
OUR INDUSTRIAL PROBLEM
Prof. A. B. Anderson, State Supervisor
Industrial Education.

In the early days when our fore.
fathers settled this country mer
worked and learned their trades ir
small industrial communities. The
arts and mysteries of a craft were
handed down from father to son OF
from master to apprentice.
Later as these industries grew il
was necessary to establish appren-
ticeship systems through which the
youth could acquire rather a broad
knowledge of his particular trade.
In the present state of highly or
gained industries and large scale
production the apprenticeship system
has been abandoned and the brains
are put into the machines and the
management instead of educating
the workmen.
Every year two million pupils are
leaving Jul schools to become wage
earners of tomorrow without any
vocational training and some with
out the general education which we
consider necessary in this day and
age for the welfare of our citizens.
If the schools do not offer voca-
tional training for the youth he must
accept the lower grade positions,
which offer little opportunity for ad-
vancement as those who leave school
at the age of fourteen find the doors
of the skilled industries closed to
them.
The age of science and invention
has made it necessary for related
work which no shop or industry can
give adequately. Those who rise to
positions Of importance in the pres
emit systeia through knowledge gain
ed in the Industries have secured
this knowledge by wasteful and ex-
p~ensive methods to all concerned.
1t would seem that if we are to
make our school system more DEM
ocratic we should arrange to meet
the needs of these neglected work
ers. The American workmen is the
most intelligent in the world but
we are not giving him a fair chance
to discover and realize his latent
powers and ability and reap from
him his best as a worker and citi-
zen for his W welfare and for
the betterment of society.
We have been foolish enough in the
past TO think of our natural re-
sources as inexhaustable and have
exported agricultural and mineral
raw materials from u land in great
quantities. A part of this material
gone through the hands OF
skilled workmcn, has been return
ed to our shores in the form of
manufactured articles. More skilled
being used in manufacturing
than in producing raw material has
had a tendency to reduce the skill
labor in this country. This is a
practice as the standard
Of living will surely be reduced with
the standard of labor.
War has shown us some weak
in our present system of
workers and to meet the
great future demand for skilled labor
We must train Our own men for the
occupations.
I. A.. Prosser says: STORED away
n the archives of our splendid agri-
institutions is enough
'c;entific knowledge to employ us
or the next hundred years in putt
ing it into effect. What is needed
low is the federal encouragement
which will get all this information
into the mind and hand of the
nan who actually does the farming"
If our commerce was entirely in
erstate the problem of training
hese men and women for the indus
the farm and the home would
re one for each state to solve &C
ording to its own particular needs
nut it is a problem in which the well
are of the nation is involved, there
ore it should receive encouraged
nent and financial aid from the fed
raj government.
This has been we'll taken care Of
hru the enactment OF the Federal
Law which sets aside
certain sum lof money each year
Or the various states to be used for
ocational educational work.
The Government does not in any
'ay expect to dictate to a state the
ind of class it should establish, but,
5 in all other appropriations, re-
certain standards to be es-
and maintained.
1t is now up to the state and local
ommunity to take advantage of
lis opportunity to receive federal
id and the sooner the work is
artcd the better for the individ-
II .La ,o-,.a.:A, o.,J Al.