The Garden Island. [volume] (Lihue, Kauai, H.T.) 1902-current, 1921-04-26
Chamber Of Commerce
Holds Regular Meeting

The evening meeting of the cuum
ber of Commerce last Thursda~ at
Lihue was a decided success. There
was a good attendance and much in
terest was shown.
Following the reading Of the min
utes the President called for reports
of committees. whereupon
Report on Vocational Education
Mr. Brandt, on behalf of the COM
mittee on Education, presented re-
port on vocational work in the
schools Of Kauai, which emphasized |
the value of such work, and recon-
mended that 1t be given larger and
more important place on the school
program.
More Money for Vocational Work
r 8. Pugh, in connection with this
report, called attention to the deplor-
ably meagre amount of money that
was available for the conduct of this
work. While some s4,100 a year
was paid to the teaching force on
Kauai for this department, there was
only 500 available for the necessary
supplies and equipment for the q
schools of the Island. The conse-
quence was that the teachers were so
badly handicapped that it was prac-
tically throwing money away. Either
a much larger appropriation should
be made for supplies and equipment
or the work should be given up; as
now conducted it was sheer waste
of money. The Department had
brought in budget Of $4,000 for this
purpose and the Legislature had cut
It down to $4,000. He thought that
the chamber of Commerce should
take action in the matter by forward
ing a good strong petition to Legis-
lature urging the more adequate rec
ognitibn of this very important
branch Of education. II 1t were sent
promptly, there might still be time to
remedy the mistake.
More Money or Quit
Mr.. sroadbent heartily concurred
in Mr.. Pugh's recommendations. Our
common school education ran far too
much to book-learning,-what was
needed was more practical education
for the real issues Of everyday life.
Apparently, the way things were 60
ing now, good public money was be-
iny wasted to no purpose, the COM
prratively large sum of s41o0 year
VS. being spent to little or no pur-
pose for lack of the necessary sup
plies and equipment. Either more
money should be forthcoming for
these supplies, or the whole thing
should be dropped In addition to
the waste of good money 1t was set
ting the children bad example Of
waste and inefficiency. They would
see that they were Just marking time
and getting nowhere.
Too much "White COLLAR" Education
Mr.. SIoggett was much impressed
with the value of this vocational work
and thought that much more empha.
SITS should be given to 1t. Education
at present ran far too much to white
collar ends; we had an over supply
now of that kind of proficiency, what
we needed was more of the practical
proficiency Of the farmer, mechanic
and artisan.
The Only Kind Available
Mr.. Mecluskey declared that not
only was this vocational. instruction
very valuable, but that there was also
an urgent demand for it. In his
dealings with the children he found
that they were almost unanimously
anxious to do this kind of work In
creasingly the criticism of the schoo
output is that the graduates aren't fiji
for anything but clerical and desI
jobs. And it is not entirely the
fault Of the boys themselves. That
is the only kind of an education they
can get, so they have to take it. Much
more attention should be given to vo
cational work, and larger emphasi:
should be given to it.
Mr.. Broadbent moved that the re
port be adopted, and then We woult
be in a position to take some actor
in regard to an appeal to Legislature
Carried.
Appeal to Legislature
Mr.. Albert Horner Jr. framed an,
introduced a resolution calling atten
tion to the very meagre and total!