Amerikai Magyar Szó, 1978. július-december (32. évfolyam, 27-50. szám)
1978-09-07 / 34. szám
Thursday, Sep. 7. 1978. IO---------AMERIKAI MAGYAR SZO On trial in California is Hungary’s latest articulated bus, the Ikarus 286 in which the Los Angeles Crown Coach Corporation is showing strong interest. The bus meets the strict US environmental, economic, safety and comfort standards in all respects. Various parts for the bus are to be made by US firms, including the gearbox, engine and rear axle. VOCATIONAL TRAINING Getting acquainted with the printing press Not so long ago it was quite unusual for anyone in Hungary with a secondary school certificate to take a job on the factory floor. Today in 17 trades, mainly in engineering, electronic and telecommunications, it is a minimum requirement. Vocational training has replaced the former system of apprenticeships for all the 190 trades on the National Vocational Training List, and 58.000 students began a course at vocational training schools and training workshops in factories this academic ' year. They are taught by 4.400 teachers for general subjects, 4.500 full-time specialized teachers and 800 instructors. There is a steady rise in the proportion of female students doing vocational training -now 31.5 %. Altogether there are 1.3 million skilled workers in the country, and that means 50.000 new skilled workers are needed every year to make up for natural wastage; taking into account those who for one reason or another do not complete their course, the target is 60.000 entrants for vocational training each year. Minorities in Hungary A profound and detailed survey of national minorities living in Baranya County has been prepared by the county council in conjunction with the associations of Germans and South Slavs in Hungary. The survey, which has taken several years to prepare, is based on thorough research into the social, cultural and economic position of the non- Hungarians in the county; it comprises four papers, more than 40 statistical tables and summaries of the contents in English, German, Russian and Serbo- Croat. The first study concerns the collection of data, and has taken a broader than normal range of criteria to identify members of national minorities. Previously studies confined themselves to ascertaining the mother tongue of those interviewed whereas nowadays bilingualism, family connections, minority customs, the direction of cultural interests and the opinion of the local community are also being taken into account. The war left a temporary after- math of mistrust, which, as .the study shows, led to underrecording of the minority population in postwar censuses. That reticence has been overcome by the encouragement and security offered by the national minority policies of this country. The second paper discusses the interpretation of data, and it shows that Germans are present in 230 and South Slavs in 119 of the 316 villages in the county, forming an absolute, majority in 32 and 12 villages respectively. In 60 villages the two minorities taken together outnumber ethnic Hungarians. Detailed research was made in the town of Mohács and 88 villages. The third study looks into educational and cultural facilities for the national minorities, a major impetus for which was given by the introduction of education in the mother tongue after the schools nationalization in 1949. Cultural centres and libraries have also played a significant part and so have relationships built up with equivalent institutions in the German Democratic Republic and Yugoslavia. Finally, the historical trends are examined using census data avilable since 1880. I At the oilfield recently discovered at Kiskunhalas, five wells are planned of which the first is now on trial production. When full production starts in 1982, an annual 2-300.000 tons of good quality oil and large amounts of natural gas will be extracted. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR “Heritage” is long overdue and much needed. It is a good start but hope it will go more in “depth” eventually. I wish that mv children would have had something like it in their real early years. Every country has been cultivating their younger generations except us, Magyars. It would be invaluable to translate such items as “Magyar nyelv eredetéről’ /6/1/78/ issue. Our present generation American- born children know so little about their Magyar background, or history. O.S. M. Yonkers, NY. The memoir about Bela Bartók was very touching. I have a non-commercial recording of Bar- tok’s music, and on it is a song which very much resembles Mrs. Kovács’ description of the old folk song. S.L. • To the Editor: I would like to learn to write Hungarian.Could you advise me what book to get? I have a little tourist dictionary which I got in Budapest in 1972. I enjoy Heritage very much and so does my family. A New Jersey farmer The best book to learn Hungarian from is Banhidi- Jokay-Szabo’s. - Editor. USA AND HUNGARY SIGN TRADE AGREEMENT Tariffs on Hungarian goods entering the USA are to drop from 15 % to an average of 5 %, and Hungary’s higher tariffs on US imports will also be abandoned. Under the agreement signed' by the US Ambassador to Hungary, Mr. Philip M. Kaiser and Hungarian Foreign Trade Minister József Biro, the two countries are to grant each other most-favoured-nation status according to the provisions of GATT, and mutually guarantee freedom from discrimination, following ratification by the legislative bodies in each country. SUBSCRIBE TO HERITAGE! HERITAGE is published monthly as the English-language supplement to the Magyar Szo. Subscription price is $ 2.- for one year. We welcome letters and comments from our readers. Send your communications to Ms.Fay Deak Editor, HERITAGE, 130 E 16 St. New York, N.Y. 10003. Use coupon below. Enclosed please find $ 2.- for one year’s subscription to HERITAGE. NAME................................................................ Address:............................................................. Zip code........................
