The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-07-18
WILL TRAIN MINERS
LAW
Government and
State Cooperate
in Work.
PLAN MEETS APPROVAL
Head of School of Mines
Takes Preliminary Steps
First School Here


ample and adequate recogni-
tion in the new plan of indus
trial training under joint state and
federal auspices" according to Dean
Francis A. Thompson, of the Idaho
School of Mines, who has been discus
sing the matter with Coeur dAlene
mining men during the past week.
Miners, foremen, superintendents
and operators alike are deeply inter-
ested in the proposed plan, and prac-
tically all Of them who have been in
terviewed have expressed themselves
favorably to it,
"The idea briefly Is this, to organize
once a year at each camp, or possibly
at each of the big mines, a school for
practical miners.
THE teacher will himself be a thor
oughly skilled, experienced, practical
miner and the teaching, most of it,
will be done under ground in the
working mines.
What Course Includes.
"The classes will last probably
eight weeks and will be composed of
men young enough to learn, which
in some cases might be so or 60. The
work would perhaps naturally begin
with demonstration of the different
types of rock drills, their construction
and fabrication; care of gaskets, hose
ETC.; methods of drilling holes, spac-
ing of holes in the round, most ef-
fective use of powder, means of TAX
ing advantage of slips and breaks in
the face, bottom or back to be drilled
and, in short, to fit promising men to
become skilled miners in less time
than it is possible under present con-
ditions. 1T will in no sense be sub
men to profit more rapidly by their
experience.
young men to whom the plan has
been explained have been quick to see
that such training will enable them to
better themselves by earning more
moneywhenever there is a difference
in pay between mucker and miner,
or where there is a chance for con-
tract work where extra skill means
extra money. To the ambitious man
it will offer greater chance for
working his own property, or for pro-
motion to a place as shift boss of
large mine or foreman of a small
mine, as soon as training shall have
been enriched by experience.
"Other lines of instruction. such as
timbering, sampling and the
like will doubtless suggest themselves
as the work develops.
Nation and State Cooperate.
"The federal act providing, in CO.
operation with the state, the neces-
sary funds for this work is known as
the Smith Hughes act. The schools
to be thus established may possibly
be known as the Smith Hughes Min
ers' Trade Schools. The expenditure
Of the fund in this state is under the
direction of Commissioner e. A.
Bryon, and 1t is upon his instruction
the school of mines is working upon
the matter.
"As in any new enterprises. there
will of course be difficulties and OBJ
stacles to overcome. One of these Is
the shortage of young men. There
will, however, be small number OF
eligible men at each mine and it may
be well to begin on a small scale.
with a view to having the plan in
full operation as going concern
when the boys come home and need
help in finding their civilian feet.
"The first three or four schools
will be in the Occur d'Alene dis
trict, after which the next sessions
will he somewhere in southern Idaho"