Evening journal., 1923-01-30

|
population increased in ten year
about 100000. while our rura
population decreased 1.7OS.OOO.
Percentage Of Unframed.
When the Smith Hughes Ac
was passed in 1917. the evidence il
the Congressional hearings was tina
only one per cent OF those engage
in agriculture were technical!
trained. The census Of 1920 tells VI
that there We're 1O.951.O74 men anC
women engaged in agriculture.
I Think OF that number OF our pOpu
lstion being engaged in one Of III
most important pursuits. and onl,
I one per cent Of them technically
| or skillfully trained. the other
ninety mine per cent cropping IN the
dark. II is true that this study was
made in 1917. six years ago. There
| has been a most wonderful awaken
inS since that time under the Agri-
cultural Department and through
vocational education under the
Smith-Hughes Act
The object Of Voca tionsl Educs-
tion IN Agriculture is to educate the
farmers 10 produce more pounds
and bushels pe- acre. thereby de-
creasing the cost OF production. In
other words. We want them to make
TWO blades OF grass grow in the fu-
ture whore one has grown in the
past. and II possible. on the same
energy expended.
L have one illustration ss 10
what can be done in educated aRri-
culture which am going to leave
with you. Please remember these
figures Figures will not lie. II
properly handled.
Last : sar in the State OF Ark
ansas the vocational students kept
books on FIVE projects. corn. cotton.
Irish potatoes sweet potatoes and
dairy products. II all the farmers
In that State had produced the same
yield in these fve projects as the
vocational students produced. II
would have added 10 the wealth Of
the State over and above what these
FIVE articles did produce, S155.00O.-
900. Do you realize what that would
have meant TO the State OF Ark
ansas in these five projects alone?
Ii would have paid the entire cost
Of education in the State for nine
teen years. II would have rebuilt
every school building in the State
eight times. II would have built
thirteen hard surface higRways
clear across the State. east and
west. and thirteen highways across
the State north and south. In other
words. IL would have built 5000
miles Of hard surface roads at
cost OF S25,OO0 per mile. Il would
have equipped 1890 homes with
electric lights. running water and
artificial heat. It would have bought /
30. 900 touring cars for the farm
FRS Of that State.
Now remember that this only |
applied to fve projects, when there
we're really thirty-nine projects by !
he farmers Of that state. What !
vocational education did in sgricul- /
.ure, Il can and will do in manu-
,acturing. in Germany. vocational
,ducation has been taught for
ears.
In 1917. when the Smith-Hughes |
ACT was passed. there were more /
,eople studying vocational educa- !
ion in the little German Kingdom [,
II Bavaria than were being taught 7
n all OF the forty-eiEht States OF I
his Union. There were more peo-
,le in the city OF Munich studying
,ocational education than were be-
ng taught in the larger cities OF the
United States embracing more than
1000. 900 population.
The census OF 1920 tells us that
here are I2,S12.7O1 men and wo-
nen engaged in manufacturing and
-s allied interests. When the
smith Hughes Act was passed in
9I7. the evidence before the Con-
ressional Committee at that time
howed that only one per cent Of
n ose people we're technically or
killfully trained. That meant that
inety-nine per cent OF the 12,s12.-
OIL people engaged in manufactur-
lg were unframed in their calling.
Some people doubt the accuracy 1
Z the testimony given in the Con-
resslonal hearing and claim that
lore than one per cent OF those
ngaged in manufa curing are tech
icaliy and skillfuily trained. l am ,
My quoting the evidence. II may
OF be absolutely correct. but sup
ose there are twenty-five per cent
,chnically and skillfully trained .
nd seventy-hve unframed. you can
sadlly SEQ the handicap under q
hich we are laboring. Take fac
,ry whose employees are all tech
Ically and skillfully trained. hum q
red per cent perfect. and another j
Lctory where only twenty-five per D
mt Of them are trained. You see
Ie handicap under which that fac 2
ry is operated.
Take a machine In any shop q
at Is only twenty-five per cent I
,rfect and undertake to compete q
Ith a machine that is one hundred C.
II cent perfect. you will at once t
why so many fail in the c.
les OF endeavor. Take any we'll u
guIated factory where every man Il
lows how to take all of the steps h
the job with accuracy and with p
eed and compare 1t TO tn one il
here a part of a force is trained ID
ID n part unframed. a chain is a,