Evening star., 1933-05-05
EMPLOYMENT AID
AND CHILD HELP
URGED BY |CKES
Vocational Education Would
Benefit Both, Secretary
Says in Speech.
EFFECT OF DEPRESSION
ON SCHOOLS RELATED
interior Executive Addresses Citi-
zens' Conference at Viii.
lard Hotel.

Vocational education as a means OF
helping employment by keeping chill
dren from competition with adults for
jobs and also as way for keeping
children from the street, was urged by
Secretary of Interior IckeS in an ad-
dress today before the Citizens Con:
ference on Vocational Education and
the Problems of Reconstruction at the
Willard Hotel.
Secretary Ickes told of the effect OF
the depression upon the schools, as
Serting it is ''one of the unfortunate by
products of the present economic stu
alton At a time when lack of oppor-
tunitieS for the employment of even
our adult population should serve as
an added incentive to keep our chill
dren in school, we are confronted with
the very real difficulty of operating our
schools at all"
The Secretary's address was deliv-
cred at the third session of the con-
ference, which is held jointly under
the sponsorship of the American Vo-
cational Association, the American
Council on Education and the National
Education Association.
Speaks of Competition.
In speaking Of competition of the
goung for adult positions as one reason
for the great number of unemployed
Secretary Ickes said:
This is peculiarly the time when
avery effort should be made to hold back
the flood of young people into industry
where they would have to compete for
jobs when there are no jobs. We do
not need the labor of children when
millions of adult men and women are
out of work. Even in normal times the
tendency is away from child labor.
The educational program of the fu-
ture in order to meet the needs of
youth who cannot find work in indus
try. must be enriched with industrial
arts in the grades and the high schools. -
Unionist and Democratic leader in
the District, told the delegates the
economic earthquake of the last few
years left more ruin and suffering than
the World War. 1t destroyed our
standards and values
He said We have to go through a
temporary period of reduced standard
of living, but at the end of the depres-
sion will be a period of the highest
degree of civilization known to man.
Mrs. Edward P. CoStigan, wife of the
Senator frcm Colorado, addressed the
conference on What the Future Home
Requires of Vocational Education y
Other speakers at the morning session
which was conducted by Miss Margaret
M. Edwards, Alabama College, Monte
vallo, Ala, included Miss Kathryn
McHale. director American Association
OF University Women; Louis Taber.
Columbus, Ohio, master of the National
Grange, and Layton S. Hawkins, New
York adjustment service.
Prosser to Be Chairman.
Charles A. Prosser, Dunwoody 1nsti-
tute, Minneapolis, will act as chairman
and discussion leader at the concluding
session of the conference. Mr.. Prosse1
will also make the chief address, on
THE Task Ahead for Vocational Train
ing" Introduction of a series of reso-
lutions will follow and discussions OF
plans for the ensuing year will con-
Clude the conference.
Thirty-six national organizations are
represented at the conference.
At the session yesterday afternoon
Secretary of Agriculture Wallace called
thc delegates attention to the problem
involved in the return of the vast num-
Der of people to farms, without appre-
Ciable skill or knowledge Of agriculture
He said the country was faced with the
necessity of training these people, a!
farming methods have changed greatly
in recent years, since the hordes OF
people left the country for the city.
Secretary Wallace said the change
has been particularly marked in tht
method of marketing farm products anc
in regard to the business side OF agr1-
culture. He said the need for voca'
tional training is perhaps greater in the
farming industry than in any othel
walk of life.
The speaker pointed to the fact thai
the troubles of the United States as 6
nation have grown out of the fact thai
we have changed from debtor to 9
creditor Nation.
Ship Building School Described.
Homer L. Ferguson, president Of tht
Newport News Ship Building q Dry
Dock Co., described the formation o
an apprentice school for ship builder:
at the Virginia plant. He said the
school was organized when the art OF
building ships seemed 20 be dying out
in this country. At first, he stated. j,
was necessary to bring experts from for
eign countries to begin the instruction
The experiment has already shown thai
1t will pay for itself, Mr.. Ferguson said
The afternoon session was devoted tc
vocational education and the problem.
of readiustment" Other speakers in.
cluded j. C. Wright director of Fedora
Board for Vocational Education; George
F. Bowerman, public librarian of Wash.
ington; Edward O'Neal, president
American Farm Bureau; Arthur E
Holder of the Department Of Labor, ane
Charles A. Ewing. president, Nationa
Live Stock Marketing Association.