The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1919-02-13
VOCATIONAL TRAINING
AT THE MORNING MINE
FIRST CLASS WILL BEGIN WORK
ToMoRRoW-ATTRAcTING
MUCH ATTENTION

vocational training of miners is to
be tried out in the Occur a. Aaena dis
ulet' Although this system of train
ing has long been practiced success
lcnly IN other lines of industry and
business, this will be the first attempt
to apply it to mining For that rea-
son the experiment will be watched
with unusual interest not alone locally
and throughout the state, but by yo
cational training experts throughout
the country. The adoption of the svs-
tenn here is made possible through an
appropriation by the federal govern
inent and is being introduced under
the supervision of the Idaho school
OF mines. The matter was taken nm
several months ago by Francis A.
lhoinson dean of the school of mines
he FOUND the mining operators of the
Occur d'Alene district without excep
tlon much interested in the plan and
received assurance of their cordial CO.
operation. With this evidence of local
support, Prof Thomson at once gave
his attention to wording out the de-
tails necessary to making practical
test of the training in the mines of
TINS district, which was no easy task
since there are no presidents to guide
III the matter. One of the first essen
tials to working out the plan was
10 flnd the right man for instructor.
who
as practical knowledge of mining, and
combining with these wide EXPERT
ence in under ground work Such a
man he found in f. II, Skeels, of this |
city, graduate engineer and a man |
whose experience extends from mucker
to superintendent of large mines.
First Glass at Morning.
Since being commissioned to take
charge of the mining class, Mr.. Skeels
mas been engaged in preparing to be-
gin the work, He announced yester-
day that everything was now in read
mess and that the first class would
oegin work in the Morning mine to- ID
Friday, morning. The class
VIII be engaged in driving a drift. The ]
work will be done under contract and I
VIII therefore cost the company no {
more than If it was done by its own '
orce' The men in the first class are /
III inexperienced and the progress will {
necessarily be slow at first: but even
men they acquire degree of skill
n the work, Mr.. Skeels makes it plain |.
nat no attempt will be made for a ]
peed record, but rather efficiency will
he the Watchword. That lis the pur-
'ose of the vocational school to raise n
he standard of efficiency in under j
round work. The number in a class ID
WI depend upon the character of the e
YORK and the room available. r
MIR Skeels expressed much salts r
action with the interest displayed by 81
oeur dAlene operators in the expert e,
'ent, all having assured him of every F
ssistaance possible. w
Many Applicants. OF
Application was made to p, v
'helan, in charge of the federal en-
loyment office, for men to enter the ia
Hning training class, and as a result NJ
'ere are more applicants than can be pf
ccommodated at this time. All but &c
ne of them are ex-soldiers, young
FLOWS who are ambitious to II.
'emseves for profitable employment m
lat promises to lead to higher posi- M
ons. Very properly Mr.. Skeels will wi
We preference to the soldiers.
II this class at the Morning proves
lccessful, classes will be organized fir
other mines, or when conditions are DIV
vorable several classes may be main tn
ined in one mine. ho