Montana labor news., 1939-03-09
LOWELL W. JOHNSON
MAKES PLEA FOR A
MORE EXTENSIVE Use
OF VOCATIONAL ARTS
Memorandum TO Crafts and In
dustrial Managers of Butte
and Vicinity.


This note is to acquaint you with
a Vocational Education project and
its progress this far for the Butte
Schools. You are nc doubt
mindful of the fact that there is a
decided need for more educational
facilities of a vocational nature.
Many boys who formerly went to
work at the age of fourteen to six
teen are no longer able to procure
employment. These boys have
sought an outlet for their time and
energy in our public schools, but
many Of them are not of the aca-
demic type of mind that u tradi-
tional type Of school curriculum was
originally planned to serve. Con-
sequently, great numbers of them
never remain in high school very
long as they do not find anything
there to their liking. When they
leave school, they tramp the streets
with nothing to occupy their time.
Such procedure is a decided detri-
ment to the development of good
citizenship. Many of them become
petty thieves or develop into real
criminals. The average age of the
people brought into court today is
about nineteen years, While many
of them do not develop what is
usually called criminal tendencies,
they do adapt themselves to a life
of idleness and dependability.
It does not appear that industry
will ever again be able to employ
all these boys at such an early age,
Educators are seeking a solution for
this problem which has proven SC
embarrassing to our nation. Many
of US believe that the only solution
is to revamp our school system SC
as to keep these boys occupied in
school until they are eighteen to
twenty years old. In order to do so.
it will be necessary to introduce into
our curriculum many courses of ar
industrial nature that appeal to boys
of the non-academic type of mind.
Montana legislature passed a bill
that makes provision for certain high
schools throughout the state to be
designated as vocational high schools
Such schools will be subsidized by
funds from the federal government
through the Smith-Hughes anc
George Dean Acts.
On the 18th of February, Mr.
Hawk, regional director for Smith
Hughes for the United States gov
eminent, was in town and we asked
him to talk to a group of folks con
sisting of our school board members
the high school principal, the voca.
tional teachers, and a delegation
from the Builders Trades Union. The
consensus of opinion from that grouI
was that Butte should get it on +;
vocational program if it can b.
financed.
Questions asked at that meeting
were:
Would you be in favor Of Butte
High School teaching the skills anC
fundamentals that go with Carpen.
try, Machinist Work, Printing, Weld.
ing, Metal Work, Auto Mechanics
Electrical Work, Plumbing, etc?
Would you be favorable to a plar
of selecting your apprentices from
among our graduates?
Would you be in favor of giving
apprenticeship credit for a certain
amount of trade training?
Would you be in favor of furnish.
ing US with data as to the possible
number Of openings in the differen-
craft fields to be used in the guild.
ance of our students, so that We
might direct them in making a choice
of occupations?
The questions yer all answered
in the affirmative, and it was sug.
gested by Mr.. Hawk that we organ.
ize a committee consisting of mem.
bers from the industrial managers
from the unions, and from the
schools to study the problem anc
determine what Butte should do.
We would appreciate the reaction
of your organization to this PROPOSE
ton. To date, the Carpenters Unior
has voted their moral support of {
vocational program.
Thanking you for any interest yot
have in a vocational program, We
are,
Yours very truly,
Lowell W.. johnson, Superin.
tendent of Schools.