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Aviation History
1917
1917 - 0806.PDF
IGHT the types we advocate, but it will not do for us to rely on anyone but ourselves, at least in the mean- time. America has still a great deal of organisation "to do^before she can achieve a great result, and much is likely to happen before she can really get going. When at last she is able to supply us with all the fast machines necessary to maintain a crushing supremacy, then we can concentrate on the heavy bomb-droppers. Until then we must bend all our 'energies to the objects we have set forth. j_ Ministry of Labour' has just issued tt£ya" a ioint reP°rt dealing with some of the Problems, questions that will arise after de- mobilisation. The report covers a con- ference held under the presidency of Mr. R. A. Bray, during which a discussion arose regarding the necessity for approaching employers with a view to inducing them (a) to notify discharges of juveniles in advance, (b) to notify all vacancies to juvenile employment committees during the period of demobilisation, and (c) to consider and formulate schemes of apprenticeship and training. The con- ference felt that, fon the benefit of children, parents arid; employers, some arrangement should be made which ^would prevent the children from wandering from one employer to another in search of work. It was. also agreed that every effort should be made to provide training for young people engaged in industry. This touches closely upon the matters dealt with in our article on "A Revival of the Apprentice System " in our'issue of the 5th inst. To our way of thinking, much of" the future of skilled labour is bound up in a revival of the system of apprenticeship, and, as we have no wish to labour the point, we would refer our readers to what we said in the article we have mentioned. _ ,-'-'• — ^ " The A most useful and interesting report on the education of apprentices has just oTh been issued b7 the Council of the N.E. Apprentice. Coast Institution of Engineers and^hip- — builders, in which the whole sutjject of technical education is reviewed at length and certain excellent suggestions made for its carrying out from the time the boy leaves school until he has definitely settled down to his life's career. It is a document which should be read and studied by all in the aircraft industry who are interested in keeping up a high standard of efficiency in the engineering trades. Briefly, the Report recommends that boys who are prospective apprentices should be drafted at the age of 12 or 13 to junioftlay technical schools for a three years' course of general education, including amongst other subjects, mathematics, mechanics, machine fgtf. drawing and' Mamraf training. Employers shoul<£ give preference to yotttiis training in these schools, and in future i&e selection of apprentices should be the function of su memi>er of the administrative staff of the works, ire close consultation with the head- masters of the jwuor technical day sckools. From among the lads seleeted for apprenticeship, a furtiier selection (a small percentage) should be made of those- showing exceptional ability, solidity of character,, and general promise at t&e beginning of tfie period of apprenticeship. These lads should spend half the^ week in the works and tke other half at a local technical college, in whicftthey would receive a special two years' course of technical education. From this class would ultimately be drawn the foremen and higher officers of the industries. At the end of this two years' course a second selection would be made, and those selected should pass direct to the university for the full engineering or naval architecture degree courses. It is further recommended that the remainder of the boys—those passing into the works as ordinary. apprentices—should be liberated from the works for at least two half days per week, and if possible three, for the purpose of attending part-time continuation classes. That attendance should be compulsory up to 18 years of age, and the time spent should, be regarded as a part of the apprenticeship period, with no reduction in wages. While undergoing the actual apprentice training, provision should be made for definite practical instruction by expert craftsmen in the shops. These are the bare bones of the scheme, which seems to us to be excellent. There is no doubt about it that if we are to regain our industrial prestige, and maintain it, after the war, our whole system of technical training will have to be drastically revised. As we pointed out in a previous issue of " FLIGHT " when dealing with the same subject, our present system— or want of system—has resulted in rilling our industries with workmen who cannot realiy be classed as craftsmen at all in "the proper sense of the term. They are often good enough men of their hands, but there it stops—they know nothing at all of the why and wherefore of the work they are doing and they are, at that, too often one or at best two-process workers. With a well-considered scheme of apprentice training such as is outlined in the Report with which we are dealing, enormous improvement would result and a constant' reinforcement of really skilled labour would be assured. Moreover, the selective process recom- mended would ensure that every boy at the outset of his career would be given a full opportunity to turn his abilities into a channel in which they would have the best scope, to the manifest benefit of himself and of the particular branch of industry concerned. Honours for Zepp. Strafers.IT was announced in the London Gazette on August 7th that His Majesty the King had been graciously pleased toapprove of the following awards in recognition of conspicuous gallantry and determination displayed in connection with thedestruction of an enemy airship:— Military Cross. 2nd Lt. (T. Lt.) F. D. HOLDER, E. Kent'R. and R.F.C. ""-_••• - • Military Medal. •506 Sgt. SYDNEY ASHBY, R.F.C." "^Mentioned in Despatches."- IT was announced by the War Office on August 7th that the names of the following have been brought to the notice of the Secretary of State for War for valuable services renderedin connection with the war :— Qr.-Mr. and Hon. Lt. (Temp. Lt.-Col.) A. FLETCHER,M.C., R.F.C. Qr.-Mr. and Hon. Lt. (Temp. Major) W. J. D. PRYCE, H.F.C. Work of French Naval Air Service.IT is announced from Paris that during June French seaplanes carried out 3,139 flights; attacked German sub-marines on 10 occasions; discovered in six cases enemy minefields ; and took part in nine night bombardments onenemy bases. They also carried out some reconnaissances at a considerable distance frorrj their base. During the sameperiod French naval airships made 141 trips, representing a total of 483 hours in the air. 806
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