Evening star., 1950-07-19

7-Member Report
Backing Trade School
Private trade schools here had
the blessing today of seven men,
bers of a dissension- ridden fact
finding committee, but the Com
missioners remained without a
full report from the investigating
group they appointed a year ago.
The city heads yesterday re-
leased a report submitted in Feb
ruary by Leon Chatelain., jr.,
committee chairman, and approved
by six other members, discounting
allegations that some of the
schools had been exploiting vet
Grams.
The report had been withheld
previously because several men,
bers complained they were not
permitted to vote on it or even
to see it. The committee originally
had 20 members.
Mr.. Chatelain explained atten-
dance had been poor throughout
the existence of the committee,
and that it was decided to ACCEPT
the recommendations of the ma
jority in attendance when the
conclusions he submitted were
reached.
Minority Views Expected.
He said this was to be with the
suggestion that any member who
did not concur with the majority
report submit to the Commits
sioners their minority views.
A conference with the committee
members yesterday, however,
failed to bring them to any agree
ment. The Commissioners took
the matter under advisement.
The February report said the
committee had met eight times
and had carefully considered"
a report of the Executive Commit
tee of the District Apprenticeship
Council to Commissioner Guy
Mason, which was the basic COM
plaint against the private trade
schools.
Representatives of nine trade
schools met with the committee
and furnished detailed informa-
tion on their operations, it stated.
Although the committee particu-
larly sought copies of reports and
complaints referred to by the APP
premiership Council, the council
made very little supporting data"
available. the report said, and
no complaints were submitted by
students or graduates of the
schools.
See Services as Beneficial.
The report said no basis was
found for concluding the schools
were exploiting GIs.
1--WE have concluded that these
schools are performing a useful
and hitherto unavailable service
which is beneficial to this COM
munity as well as many other
parts of the country from which
their students are drawn" the
report declared.
Signers of this document in
cluded A. w. Lee, apprenticeship
chairman of the Washington
Building Congress; Victor R~Daly
chief of personnel and fiscal divi-
sion, District Office of the United
States Employment Service; Her.
bert j. jacob, national employ
ment officer of the American
Legion; Philip L. Graham, pub
Usher of the Washington Post:
Claude H. Woodward. director OF
the Better Business Bureau, and
C. Melvin Sharpe, president OF
the Board of Education.
The schools are under the con-
tinuous supervision of the Board OF
Education. DR.. Garnet C. Wilkin-
son, first assistant school superin-
tendent, submitted report from
Boise L. Bristor, secretary to the
advisory committee on services to
veterans.
Employment Cited.
In answer to a charge that only
one in 20 graduates ultimately
finds work in the trade, it gave
figures indicating that 70 out OF
8S graduates of tile-setting
school, which was under attack,
were working in the trade; all 81
graduates of a bricklaying course
were employed at bricklaying, and
240 out of 800 Matchmaking school
graduates were working in that
trade. 1t also gave statistics on
other schools.
The report declared that, were
it not for the trade schools, it
would be impossible for hundreds
of colored veterans to receive
training in trade of their choice. y
1t pointed out that neither the
tile settlers union nor the painters
union would accept colored ap-
prentices or colored members.