Evening star., 1919-05-11
PLAN FOR TRAINING ENGINEERS
TO MAKE u. S.. MORE EFFICIENT
Would Enable Industry to Meet World Competi-
ton Without Reducing the American Work
mans Standard of Living

its annual meeting in Baltimore on
the three days following the confer
ence in Washington.
The word engineer has so broad
meaning that 1t is we'll hero to
specify that in, the forthcoming con-
ference 1t includes the Ave main
branches-civil, mechanical, electri-
cal mining and chemical. The
best technical thought will be
brought to the conferences by rep
resentatives from the 126 technical
and engineering schools of tho coun-
try. most of which have already
pledged that they will alter their
curriou1a to conform with the recon-
mendations Of this conference.
Major Topics for Discussion.
The four major topics for discus
sion will be:
/. Business training for the engin-
eer. This takes up the question OF
introducing courses of business
training in the engineering and
technical schools-general economies.
cost accounting. business organise
tion and business law. Development
Of the business side Of engineering
will deal with production. selling.
transportation. marketing. etc.
2. Engineering training for COM
mercial enterprises. This is-the con-
verse of the proposition stated above.
1t contemplates putting engineering
courses in schools Of commerce, so
that there may be more efficient shop
management.
3. Significance of the war expier-
ences for engineering education. This
is a direct and practical enort TO
take advantage Of war lessons Tor
the future of American industry by
developing the phases on which the
war emergency showed emphasis
should be laid.
4. Training Of the engineers for
overseas engineering projects. This ID
really a side issue, for the problem for
the engineers at home Is so large that
the engineering guides are devotins
their attention first to the permanent
,oh ahead Of the engineers In this
country. Meanwhile, Belgium and
france have both sent their engin-
GERS to this country to get technical
training to At them to rebuild their
var-shattered couptries.
ouickened by the War.
For mare than twenty-five years the
science leaders have been working To-
ward this vision Of the broader fu-
ture for the engineer and the mission
not "a his to bring productive peace
into industrial life. Out of the din
,rd obstruction of war has seemed
to come a general industrial awaken
| ,,a +o the need for and advantages
80 s,ch a readjustment through scien-
tific study.
Heretofore the engine ering training
has been devoted mostly to designing
machinery; hereafter it will be de-
voted to mechanical production. 1t Is
| fact that in industry today there
are hut per cent of the production
| managers who are technically trained
man. The others have come up from
| the RhOD. They are ShliiAul oH Ihe
particular type of production they
are used to- They are not trained to
analyze the problems Of production
to make all possible shortcuts to get
better results.
Training for production brings the
engineer face to face with the hu-
man problem. and it is In the way the
human problem Is solved by the en-
rineer with personality and with
sympathetic. understanding that the
future of Industrial competition very
largely depends. AS engineering ex-
pands into new fields now opening be-
fore it. the conception that character,
Judgment, efficiency and understand
ing of men are no less necessary than
technical knowledge and skill will
become more and more fmpellfng.
The Federal Trade Commission has
accentuated the need for such new
training. It has found that only 10
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