RECAPITULATION OF TABLE F.-ATTITUDE OF LABOR ORGANIZATIONS

GROUPS OF TRADES.

DO YOU FAVOR A PUBLIC INDUSTRIAL OR PREPARATORY TRADE SCHOOL, WHICH
SHOULD ENDEAVOR TO REACH BOYS AND GIRLS BETWEEN 14 AND 16, THAT NOW
LEAVE THE COMMON SCHOOL IN VERY LARGE NUMBERS BEFORE graduaTION?
SUCH A SCHOOL WOULD NOT TEACH A TRADE, BUT WOULD GIVE A WIDE ACQUAINT-
ANCE WITH MATERIALS AND FUNDAMENTAL INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES TOGETHER
WITH DRAWING AND SHOP MATHEMATICS, WITH THE OBJECT OF GIVING A BETTER
PREPARATION FOR ENTERING THE INDUSTRIES AT 16 AND BETTER OPPORTUNI-
TIES FOR SUBSEQUENT ADVANCEMENT.

TOWARD INDUSTRIAL AND TRADE SCHOOLS-Concluded.

DO YOU FAVOR PUBLIC TRADE SCHOOLS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS BETWEEN 16 AND 18, THAT
WOULD GIVE TWO YEARS OF PRACTICAL TRAINING TOGETHER WITH DRAWING AND MATHE-
MATICS, PROVIDED THE GRADUATES OF SUCH SCHOOLS SHOULD SERVE TWO YEARS MORE
AS APPRENTICES OR IMPROVERS?

TOTAL.

COMMENTS OF INDIVIDUAL UNION OFFICERS.

(Arranged by groups of trades as in preceding Table F. The comments are in the form of answers to the two questions asked of all unions.)

I. BUILDING, STONE WORKING, ETC.

BRICKLAYERS.

Q. 1. I would favor a school of that kind providing these scholars serve two or more years as apprentices or until they are competent.

Q. 1.

Yes, if such pupils would serve apprenticeship of at least four years after, to qualify them to become competent mechanics at practical experience with trade.

Q. 2. No, because I believe an apprentice must be under strict supervision of the foreman or competent men and must work at different branches of trade to become a good workman.

Q. 2. No, I don't think they would make good mechanics and it would be detrimental to trade.

Q. 1.

Somehow boys and girls should be given a thorough knowledge of the three R's. Then they have a chance of success in any trade.

Q. 2. The drawing and mathematics are good but the trade idea is bad unless they have a natural bent for a trade. Then they would receive better instruction under an employer.

CARPENTERS.

Q. 1. Yes, attract boys into skilled trades.

Q. 2. Yes, if followed by apprenticeship.

Q. 2. We favor such schools but insist that graduates should serve three years as apprentices.

Q. 1. Seeing that in skilled trades the number of apprentices plus importations more than supply the demand, such schools would have the effect of cheapening labor, just what is really intended.

Q. 2. The expense of such schools would be borne by the working class. It would be favoring a fairly well to do class at the expense of parents who have to send their children out to work at ten years or less. We should begin at the bottom.

Q. 1. Yes, think it would be very beneficial to the students of this age. Q. 2. No. Experience is the best practical teacher; therefore, any boy or girl expecting to learn a trade should get right down to the bottom and learn it by application, at the same time being of some use to others.

ELECTRICAL WORKERS.

Q. 1. Yes, if such school could be founded in each city and after once started attendance be as strictly enforced as in the public schools, not for those wishing to go but each and every one made to attend.

Q. 1. We believe in legal public preparatory trade schools but not in schools organized by corporations to the detriment of trade unions.

Q. 2. Yes, on the same conditions as above mentioned.

Q. 2. Yes, if apprenticeship will be carefully carried out.

GRANITE CUTTERS.

Q. 2. I do, provided the articles manufactured in said schools are not sold in competition with union made goods, as convict made goods are in some states at the present time.

HOD CARRIERS.

Q. 1. No; all have large families and very poor.

Q. 2. Same reason as above.

Q. 1. Biggest number against it, as our members are all poor and anxious that children earn some money after 14 years of age.

Q. 2. At the present dull time such question is very hard to consider.

INSIDE WIREMEN.

Q. 1. I would be against such school for our business as it would leave too many youngsters loose who would be always butting in and would cause loss of life and property from fire because of their inexperience.

Q. 2. This might do, but every town then should have an inspector who had worked at least five or six years at the business, said inspector to be paid by the state or city and he to be responsible for any improper wiring and he to have power to stop all incompetent workmen from doing wiring.

PAINTERS AND PAPER HANGERS.

Q. 1. Think it would be an excellent idea with the power given to the superintendent of such schools to send scholars back to the regular schools that failed to show their ability to grasp the teachings.

Q. 2. No boy or girl can have too much knowledge of anything that they expect to make their lifework.

Q. 2. In favor because a certain time for apprenticeship is served and the union can make them serve the rest of their apprenticeship.

Q. 1. By all means, yes. My opinion is that there is not enough drawing, etc., taught at present in the common schools and their place filled with music, physiology, scripture, etc., which is very poor stuff to earn a living with in after years.

Q. 2. I am in favor of anything that will improve and elevate the condition of working men and women but would favor three years practical training as apprentices or improvers. I have in mind the graduates of correspondence schools, with whom I have taken a course, as doing the above preparation and am aware the average time worked each year by building trades. If you mean two years of 365 days each or 730 days, I would say yes.

PLASTERERS.

Q. 1. We, as a local international body, do not favor or approve of trade schools at that age.

Q. 2. Yes, providing it be conducted by members from the trades unions at that age and that students serve their apprenticeship in shops or buildings to become competent mechanics.

PLUMBERS.

Q. 1. I would favor any school that would better prepare boys or girls

to learn a trade.

Q. 2. I would favor trade schools providing they would serve four years at their trade, because they should go to school until the age of 18 and should they serve two years at trade school, then at the age of 18 they would be far enough advanced to take hold of their trade with better understanding.

Q. 1. Yes, because it gives them a better knowledge of what they are about to enter.

Q. 2. No, because our country would be flooded.

Q. 1. We believe in children having a public school education and if they get that properly they will have no time to take up any other subjects at that age.

Q. 2. We do not approve of trade schools for they only give a small fraction of the trade. A boy's time is wasted going to one.

Q. 2. No. They should get practical experience first and instructions from a school later.

SHEET METAL WORKERS.

Q. 2. Yes; apprentice doesn't get fair show to learn trade in shop.

Q. 1. Yes, and make it compulsory for boys and girls from 14 to 16 years of age to attend.

Q. 2.

years. least.

I am in favor of it but would make objection to only serving two I would favor a three or four year apprenticeship, three years at the

Q. 2. If forced to serve two years as apprentices, I would favor it. If not, I would consider it an injury to all trades.

Q. 1.

Heartily in favor of industrial schools.

Q. 2. No. Buffalo United Trades and Labor Council have voted on this question and they were unanimously against it.

SIGN PAINTERS.

Q. 1. We would favor such a school as in the foregoing and could see where a proposition of that description would be very effective in the sign painting industry.

Q. 2. Yes, although it would require more than two years for an apprentice to obtain the necessary experience to be recognized as a finished sign painter.