Trade schools and cooperation

Title

Creator

Pinkerton, H. K.

Language

English

Year

1916

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN living and who had never made any attempt to live in groups. Schools of this nature have been established in Camarines and Bataan, and are exercising strong influence in the upbuilding of Negrito communities. Often the school building is the most imposing and spacious building available in a community, and, naturally, the people look to it as the proper place for meetings of great community significance and of far-reaching influence. The school is an institution consciously established for the promotion of social welfare. Its authorities are nonpartisan in politics and, consequently, they are in a position to bring together the various elements in the community. A free educational system is an institution of democracy and its benefits are open to all the members of the community. The possibilities of the school as a nucleus for cooperative work are immense. TRADE SCHOOLS AND COOPERATION. By H. K. Pinker t on, Principal, Trade School, Albay. There is not the cooperation among the several members of the Government who have to do with the industrial department that there should be, nor that there will be when they more nearly approach a common understanding of the scope and problems of the department, and of the immediate needs of the locality in which the particular unit is operating. Still, in some places the cooperation of provincial treasurers, district auditors, and engineers with trade-school principals is quite satisfactory. In order to secure the cooperation of the provincial treasurer, it is necessary to show him that the trade school, while true to its name of school, is in another sense a repair shop or a small manufacturing establishment for the province; that the treas-. urer stands in the relative position of president; and that the principal is as the superintendent of this business establishment. It is necessary on the part of the trade school to do good work, to do it reasonably, and to guarantee the product. The lack of thoroughness that is apparent in some schools is largely responsible for the provincial treasurer’s want of faith in the school. Good equipment must be had, and, while some companies make articles that are classified under names that fulfil the conditions, it is not always the machine that answers to the name that is suited to the conditions in the trade school. For instance, there is a well-known company making mortising machines; it elaborates on the advantages of the hollow chisel OTHER ASPECTS OF COOPERATION 37 mortiser and recommends it to the small shops. This is good in places where the wood is soft and straight-grained, but for the Philippine Islands that type of machine is not good. The provincial treasurer, as the purchasing agent for the province, must be shown the advantage of spending 15 or 20 per cent more for a good mortiser of the oscillating type. The same is true of some of the other machines. Confidence induces cooperation. The principal should go to the treasurer in person and talk the situation over from a financial standpoint and also from a school standpoint. The moneymaking end of the trade school should not entirely rule the management. Treasurers will recommed and push and do almost anything for the trade school, so long as it shows a large profit to the province. This kind of cooperation is not the kind that should be sought. The school is primarily a teaching and instructing institution, and its purpose should not be obscured. Cooperation between the trade-school principal and the district auditor is not so noticeable as between the principal and the provincial treasurer. The auditor has more of a passive or restraining influence. It is desirable to do everything in a businesslike way, and the principal should have the school’s interest primarily in mind. He should let no personal issue, especially in money matters, sway him; this is the kind of thing that the auditor is to watch and check up. Accounting is the chief matter in which the auditor’s cooperation should be solicited. There are certain provisions in the accounting regulations that seem out of place in the trade-school system, but they are put there by law and they are to be followed. A definite understanding between the trade-school principal and the district auditor is essential, and it should be secured before any difficulties occur. The district enginner can bring much commercial work to the trade school or he can withhold it. He is the largest single purchaser of trade-school products in the province, with the possible exception of the provincial treasurer. It is purely on a business basis that the principal should approach the district engineer. The engineer’s chief orders are for doors and windows. There are fixed prices for these articles, and most trade schools can make them in the province cheaper than they can be imported. The required woods are usually available locally, and shells can be obtained from the Bureau of Supply. As these windows and doors go into public buildings, it is obvious that the quality should be first-class. If windows or doors prove defective and the reason for such defect is poor material or poor workmanship, such articles should be replaced free of charge. THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN The pupil or pupils who did the poor work should be required to repeat it, and if the old material is not fit it can be used for exercise work and enough new material expended on trade-school operation to cover the defective pieces. This procedure will soon put an end to careless work. By such methods cooperation can be made to reach its limit with the district engineer as well as with the treasurer. Bl'YlNG INIHSTRIAL MATERIALS FOR A PROVINCE. By H. H. At k ins, Division Industrial Supervisor. Municipal appropriations for industrial work in Pangasinan have been liberal. Most of the 28 intermediate schools are supported by subscription. Certain fixed sums for operating expenses for the industrial classes must be supplied either by subscription or by transfer from general to school funds. This requirement has invariably been met by transfer from the general funds. Knowing exactly what to buy, where to buy it, and how much to pay has always been a serious and difficult problem, and the partial solution that was reached in Pangasinan in a single experiment was reached through a willingness on the part of teachers, superiors, and merchants to cooperate for the welfare of the schools. All orders for equipment, materials, and supplies made by supervising teachers are first submitted to the division office for approval. This requirement is for the purpose of controlling municipal expenditures and for the purpose of checking orders with standard requirements. Supervising teachers are supplied with order blanks containing the statement that sufficient money is available to cover the order. This statement is signed by the municipal treasurer. The order is then sent in triplicate to the division office for approval, where the items are checked and needed corrections are made. One copy is retained for file and the other two are returned to the supervising teacher who may make the purchase anywhere. Two years ago, in order to meet the need for materials to be used in the division normal institute, and in order to supply the towns with most of the materials required for the year’s work, a local firm was furnished with lists of materials needed and given all information available as to the kinds of materials wanted and where purchases should be made. Goods were bought, of course, in wholesale lots and distribution made at the store according to orders previously given. Prompt payment by munic

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