Cooperation of local dealers in the sale of schoolmade industrial articles

Title

Creator

Meliton, Julian

Language

English

Year

1916

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

26 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN of school children may render a vital service in preserving satisfactory health conditions in the community. Local officials cooperate more readily when they see practical results achieved by the schools; when gardens are kept in firstclass condition; when the industrial output is up to the standard; when the teachers are in harmony with each other in working out school problems; when the teachers regard their work not so much as a matter of hours and wages, as a trust and an opportunity to better the community. Entertainments have proved highly effective in securing favorable interest in the schools. An intelligent and tactful teacher, through a well-planned program, can bring home to the public the most pressing school needs and secure the good will of the officials. The members of the local government who have the most to do in cooperation with the schools are the president, the councilors, the school board, and the municipal treasurers. The president usually belongs to the party in power; and, as he is the presiding officer of the council, he has almost absolute control in the preparation of the annual budget. He has political and moral influence in his community, and any undertaking which he sees fit to support is likely to succeed. If the president does not belong to the party of the majority in the council, the councilors assume a more important place in the administration. Then they make the annual budget, and it is to them that appeal must be made in case of any special need. Often the local school board exists in name only. Its members, except the president, are powerless unless they are men of great personal influence in the town. The municipal treasurer usually does more for the school than any other member of the local government, except the president. His knowledge of conditions through his intimate contact with the people is very useful, and frequently the municipal treasurer is approached rather than the president. COOPERATION OF LOCAL DEALERS IN THE SALE OF SCHOOLMADE INDUSTRIAL ARTICLES. By Jul ia n Mel it on, Teacher, Naga, Camarines. The output of salable articles made in the industrial classes of the schools is constantly increasing, and the problem as to how best to dispose of the goods demands consideration. There are three established channels of sale which have hitherto been relied upon. The first consists in filling the orders that are sent to the division by the General Office. The second, and so far the most effective medium, has been through the division OTHER ASPECTS OF COOPERATION salesroom and school exhibitions. The third method of disposal has been that of supplying the local demand through merchants who are willing to cooperate with the schools. Till now, this has been the least successful means tried. The sales have generally been too small to warrant the continuance of the experiment. Nevertheless, this matter presents most interesting and hopeful possibilities. Dealers usually wish to secure the goods on credit, but a credit system is not desirable to the schools. If cash payments are made, the money may be reinvested to good advantage in the purchase of additional supplies of raw materials. The industrial work of the schools can thus without difficulty be placed on a business basis. In case the merchant is not in a position to pay cash, an alternative may be taken—he may pay periodically, perhaps once a month, or once in two months. A thriving business should exist in order to justify cooperative selling. The vital matter here is the margin of profit. The greater the margin, the better it will be for the agent, and the more keen will be his interest. School-made articles, when quoted at wholesale prices, should be so marked as to guarantee a reasonable gain to the dealer. Ten per cent of profit is generally acceptable, however. The variety and quality of articles is closely related to the profits. Articles of excellent workmanship are more readily sold than poorly made ones. Goods in demand should be available at any time and there should be no competition. The yearly sales in the division of Ambos Camarines will amount to nearly 'P2,000. Naga, the capital, has a population of between 15,000 and 17,000. There are many Chinese and a considerable number of American and European residents. The conditions are especially favorable for a cooperative selling arrangement. Here Mr. Guillermo Lopez, a popular Spanish merchant and proprietor of a good-sized store, has for the past few years been interested in retailing school-made articles. He has always been able to dispose of the goods without much waiting. After the division industrial and sales exhibition of February 19-22, 1916, he offered to retail all of the articles remaining unsold. This indicates that he is receiving good returns from acting as agent for the schools. His best and steadiest sellers have been stem baskets of various forms, work baskets, rattan chairs, lupis trays, embroidered articles, and laces. If placed upon a permanent basis, this sort of cooperation tends to facilitate the marketing of school products, and it 28 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN relieves schools of the burden of selling to individual buyers. Since by this arrangement the schools have to deal with but one buyer at a time, no accounting difficulties are likely to arise. Also, when the articles are ready for sale they need not be allowed to accumulate in the salesroom of the division, but they can be displayed to the public by the local dealer. COOPERATION OF SCHOOL AND LOCAL INDUSTRIES. By Wm. s. Fic kbs, Division Superintendent of Schools, Iba, Zambales. The town of Olongapo, situated in the southern part of Zambales Province, derives almost its entire income from the salaries of those employed in the shops of the United States navy yard. Being a Federal Government reservation, the municipal administration is conducted by detached naval officers who regard honest work as the duty of every normal man. Since only able-bodied men are employed in the yard, and all male residents not engaged in business are required to work or leave the reservation, there is a notable absence of indolence and unemployment. As the fathers of almost all the school children are men doing manual labor and earning from FT. 50 to P8 per day, they are highly interested in having their sons receive training that will be advantageous to them in securing advanced positions in the navy yard. The naval authorities are in constant need of trained men, and the schools have been in need of facilities for giving the boys such training as will be of greatest benefit to them in afterlife. The conditions being so favorable, steps were taken toward the establishment of cooperative industrial work between the schools and the navy yard. The preliminary arrangements were concluded with the commandant, Capt. Benjamin Tappan, as to the courses to be followed, the nature of the work to be taken up, and the time for giving the instruction. Early in August, the boys of the fifth grade began their industrial training in the shops of the navy yard. There was a question as to the best method of arranging the academic work so that the boys might be able to complete the intermediate course as outlined by the Bureau of Education. The class was divided into two groups of eleven boys each. These groups were assigned to alternate weeks in the shop and in the school from 7.30 a. m. to 12 m., Sundays and holidays being excepted. This allowed full time in school for one half of the boys during every other week. The academic work missed by the section in the shop was made up by taking double

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