The Connecticut labor press. (New Haven, Conn.) 191?-1921, 1921-01-01
BOARDMAN COUNCIL TO
MEET ON JANUARY 6 FOR
THOROUGH INVESTIGATION
School, Hampered During War
Times, Actually Doing Good
Work in Most Departments
Under Skilled Instructors.

Following the articles published in
The Connecticut Labor Press and one
of the New Haven daily papers last
week, in which the Boardman Manual
Training schools were criticized and re-
ports published of the intent of the
Board of Education to suspend at least
temporarily two of the departments, a
meeting of the advisory board of the
school has been called for January 6,
to look into the matter and if there is
indeed any inefficiency in the school, to
remedy it. The committee consists of
a number of businessmen interested in
the trade lines together with the presi-
dent of the New Haven Trades Council,
now Ira M. Ornburn.
The criticisms of the Trades School
was first brought to the attention of
the Board of Education by some con-
tractors who complained that they were
unable to get apprentice boys from the
school. This was particularly directed
against the painting and plumbing de-
'partments and the board finally dis
cussed the advisability of suspending
these two departments for the time at
least but such action was held up by
protests of other contractors.
Investigation of the actual situation
at the school this week, by a represen-
tative of The Labor Press. discloses
that instead of being the farce the
critics claimed, the school, in the main
is actually doing some splendid work.
While it is true that the two depart
ments complained of have not been up
to the standard of other departments,
this lies principally with the pupils who
have not desired to take up those lines
and Of course, unlike in the branches
of other education, they cannot be COM
eN--iied to do sos szass.s-s.-sa, =~#a
During the war period the school as a
whole was somewhat hampered because
many of the pupils left school and went
to work at the high wages prevailing
and the registration i'll the vocational
trades were therefore slight in compar-
ison. The pupils in the school, how
ever, did some great work, in the ma
chinists end actually having made ma
chinery that was sent abroad and put to
good use. Even/f1ow the boys in the
woodworking department have been en-
gagged in making the desks for the new
commercial high school and have turn
ed out a fine lot of work. The printing
department has always. been up to high
standard of efficiency and turned out
men who are now employed as skilled
printers about town. Other departments
also are doing good work and rapidly
picking up since the registration is in
creasing.
1t is not the purpose of the trade
school to turn out skilled and finished
mechanic. 1t is only to train the youth
into first class apprentice who can &c
sout with a knowledge of the trade he
selects and with a short term of actual
working experience qualify for fin
ished journeyman. In the past this has
been very successful, especially since the
instructors were selected from men
highly skilled at the trades.
The entire thing hinges apparently or
the hysteria of some employers who
couldn't get finished apprentices the
minute they demanded them The ad-
visory board perhaps has been lax in
not taking closer interest and held
more meetings, but if there is anything
to adjust, will speedily adjust it now.