Llanelly Star

T h. I ell e r i I < I Tec h nical College for Llanelly.  I I EDUCATION COMMITTEE AND MANUFACTURERS IN CONFERENCE. I I AN AMBITIONS SCHEME AND ITS COST. I The scheme propounded by the Mayor I (Aid. D. James Davies) for the immedi- ate conversion of the Higher Elementary School into a Junior Technical School and for the subsequent erection of a Technical College was. submitted on Wednesday evening to a conference between the local Education Authority and the manufac- turers together with the Council of the Chamber of Commerce and the Executive Committee of the Trades Association. Coun. J. Walter Thomas, chairman of the Education Committee, who presided, said :-Allow me to thank you on behalf of the Education Committee for your at- tendance. It augurs well for any good project in Llanelly when we have the sympathy and help of such a representa- tive body of men. You arc all aware that our present Government has set to work a Scientific and Industrial Research Com- mission, and the first report of the in- vestigation has been published, and" it makes very interesting reading. It points out that our American friends are very much more advanced in Technical and I Research work than we ,rc as manufac- turers, and ?hat they devote a consider- able time and money in investigating I their processes to prevent failures, with t110 result that there is a tremendous amount of success forthcoming in per- fecting their processes, and it adds that I I "in every industry progress is the result of continual acquisition and application I of new knowledge and in a competitive market progress is indispensable to success." On the other hand it is agreed I that the British manufacturers possess a j greater inherent capacity for organising I labour and turning to account manufac- i luring facilities than any of their Inter- national competitors, and this may, to a considerable extent offset the advantages I' which the latter derive from organized scientific research. There is, it is added in England, an urgent need for consider- ation on national linos, means for the better education and training of our youths who will be in the future skilled workmen, and the demand expressed by II' many for a more important place for scientific instruction in education needs no emphasis. In the minutes of evidence of the Royal Commission of Universitv Education in Wales, one of our most im- portant manufacturers makes it clear in his evidence that Technical instruction is a dire necessity in the tinplate and steel } iml>i!«try, and to-nipbt we have called upon you, ladies and gentlemen, to con- ider tlw best means of developing tec- mchal education in Llanelly, the com- j mittee having received a report on the matter from Mr. Coles, the Principal of the Cardiff Technical Institute. The Education Committee of this town has made a study of this report, and in con- sultation with this expert adviser we have come to the conclusion to place be- fore you what we think should be our first step in connection with this very Im- portant scheme of education. The sug- gestions are :— The Scheme. (1) The adoption of a definite sejicmo in principle after consultation with all interest s conferred. (2) The appointment of a Director of Technical Education. (3) To at once convert the Higher Elementary School into a Junior Techni- cal School and carry on certain I'l'nro'1 <- < -t J..1  J.L .1 j/ t.- ments to the building, i.e., extension of 0' the present Chemistry and Physics Labor- atories, probably taking in a couple of the classrooms and providing additional apparatus and additional workshop for metal work. The a bove proposals aro preliminary to the major scheme con- tern plated, i.e., the erection of a Tec- I 'H. L' L' nical College. The Technical College. j A site proposed for the erection of this building is in the centro of the People's Park facing the Higher Elementary School. It is suggested that the Borough. 1 > Council be approached and asked to move in the matter. Sketched plans of the buildings contemplated will he prepared so that when peace is declared the build- ing of an Institute worthy of the town will lie proceeded with. The training of girls, of course, will be provided for, pro- bably on the lines of Mr. Coles' report. You are all probably aware that the late I Mr. Beaumont Thomas was particularly interested in this work of technical edu. cation, having had some considerable ex- perience cf science and secondary schools in Gloucestershire, and he came to the conclusion that it was an urgent need in Llanelly where such a large number of important industries were centred. You know, too, that he promised considerable help, a first donation of L.5,000, or as his brother, Mr. Spence Thomas stated in his evidence before the Royal Commission: "Oar Company is going to make a sub- sbltial grant of ?o,000, and if necessary more to start it, so that we may have a I school at Llanelly." Views Gf Mr. EonJ. Mr. 11. C. Bond, managing director of Messrs. Richard gliomas and Co., Ltd. said we had to look forward to the end of the war when wc would have to com- J ?mencc the struggle for commercial ? supremacy once more. We had the power to gain that supremacy by giving our attention to equipping ourselves for the war. He was confident of this. Al- though some people might think the Mayor was rather ambitious, he (Mr. Bond) was heartily glad to see the state- ment he made at the last meeting of the Education Committee relative to that scheme, and he assured him it would have the very hearty support of himself and also of his firm. The late Mr. Beaumont Thomas always took a great interest in education, and his successor would carry out his promise to the full, and he hoped to an overflowing measure if a scheme could he brought forward in Lb nelly which would give the town what he consiered it needed in the direction of technical education. £ 30,000 might seem a. large sum, but these things wore com- parative. He did not know whether they ever sat down and thought what the weekly production at LIa nelly was. '\Vhe:i they thought for a moment that the normal production oi su-el was 1,000 or 8,000 tons a,, week, they would see that £ 30.000 was not H' much. Tha-v had to look upon the matter as an investment ¡ and manufacturers had to look upon it I as part of their capital. Personally ho did nob believe that money could in any way be better invested than in bringing up boys and young people tcf take a more intelligent interest in their work, and to do what they had to do with greater I practical knowledge and with more en- ..l' J l .1 '> t. J.11 I.. '1.. thusiasm. We had learnt a great many things since the war began, and there was no doubt this country had been be- hind its principal industrial competitors in education and we could not afford to lag behind any longer. He hoped they would not be afraid of the magnitude of the scheme because as he had said it was not such a big sum in comparison with the immense production of the town. They were all-aware that the education system was in the melting pot. They did not Imow "hat the Government was going to do and they did not want to see the private resources of Llanelly used for doing things which perhaps the Govern- ment were going to do for them, so they had to be very careful in that respect, but- with that reservation he repeated that the Mayor would have his very hearty support for any scheme that would gain the objects which he and other mem- bers of his firm had very much at heart (applause). The people connected with the industries of the town should have tho opportunity of being better equipped to do any work with the help of better | education (applause). Cost of the Scheme. II The Deputy Mayor (Coun. Daniel J Y\"illiams, J.P.) said he thought they v.ere ail agreed that Lhuie'lly was lagging behind in the matter of technical ed uca- I tion and that something should be done to improve matters. He had read Prin- cipal Coles' report which ii-as a very able one. He had also read the Mayor's out- line of his scheme which was also very able. He was sorry to see that there was a huge difference between the figure men- tioned by the Mayor and that given by Principal Colesf The Mayor told them they would want at least £ 70,000 to carry out the elaborate scheme he had outlined, while the figure mentioned by Mr. Coles was had been carried out yet in Llanelly at con- tract price (laughter), and he believed in this instance the sum would be consider- ably more than £ 70,000. What he would like to know was he ways and means be- fore venturing on the scheme. Regard- ing the suggestion that the Higher Ele- mentary School should be converted into a Junior Technical School he quite agreed with it, and if that proved successful, he felt sure the manufacturers of the town would go further and dip their hands deeply into their pockets again for the purpose of building a Technical College. Personally, lie, like Mr Griff Thomas, v. as rather afraid there v>'as going tv bo I some ovelapning unless they went into the matter very carefully, and he was I bound to confess that he had a very warm corner in his heart for the Inter- mediate -School (hear, hear). "W hen the erection of the iutcrinediatc Schuul was "J.  4   4. I decided upon ? ?'ent about collecting; I and he was afraid he got many donations under false pretences, although at the time he was- quite innocent. They were told then that the Intermediate School was going to have a very strong Technical side, the manufacturers of Llanelly were very much disappointed to find this was not the case, and they were disappointed to this day. He did not want to see that fault happen again: lie- I wanted to first o fall, the whole of the manufacturers of the town and dis- trict canvas-ed x?, know exactly what they were prepared to do.. Personally, he was prepared to do everything he possibiy could to promote technical instruction, 11\1. 1,nf'(" 'l:Ålt,Ll']'I'(: _0-"1- <11 :n O'l': I \.J.1 u .l. 'L.L c: \(' as £ 70.000, he wanted to see liioil(,?- (applause). ,It'. I Mr. Grid' Thomas, MA., master of the Intermediate School, said that as a loyal son of Llanelly it was his duty to co-operate wiih any scheme adopted by the "nco^Ic el bnt Iv 1 very strongly to the way in which the work done the County School duriag the last 14 years had been depreciated. Ho hoped that whatever was done there be no attempt nt overlapping. All he asked for was a fair chance for the County School to exist (applause). The Chairman: I don't think Mr. Thomas' remarks should be allowed to I pass without any comment. I had the pleasure of being with Mr. Coles during ins visit, and I can bay he was very high- ly interested in the County School. He passed such remarks as this "This school is beautifully equipped and works well, but its Technical side- ought to he advanced," and every manufacturer in Llanelly agrees that that is just the course that should be adopted. Approved by the Board of Education. I The Mayor said the scheme had been evolved after consultation with experts, and Principal Coles after perusing the scheme as outlined by the Chairman, had written a letter in which he said "I am more than delighted to know that the Education Committee are tackling the problem of technical education with such energy and foresight." He could say without hesitation that what- they were doing would receive the approval of the Board of Education, and he proposed that I they approve of the scheme in principle to appoint a director of technical educa- tion for Llanelly who would supervise the conversion of the Higher Elementary School and make the necessary arrange- ments fot the proposed Technical College. Coun. J), Jennings reminded the inoet- | ing that wh en the Mayor of Swansea ap- lJ.b ilu .ll11. ilL _t d.' .1 \t.1 (,{., < pClrcd before the Education Committee, I he stated that so far as the Swansea Training College was concerned for day students, it had not been the success that it ought to be, and Principal Griffiths of Cardiff, also warned them to be very diffident before embarking on a big scheme. The view expressed by Prin cipal Griffiths was that they should have a Technical School for boys between the ages of 13 and 16 years, and that they could not afford to maintain a higher school as it would probably become a white elephant. That was why he (Coun. Jennings) thought they should proceed slowly. Mr. Bond said that in a very short time he believed that manufacturers would be obliged to send boys during part of the day to school. To some extent that ought to guide them in their deci sion as to what it was wise to do. Personally he thought the attendances would be increased by that means. Eventually the scheme was referred to the special committee appointed to deal o i- further consideration.