A most enthusiastic group of more than fifty teachers and persons interested in business education met in the Davidson High School to form the Saskatchewan Business Teachers’ Association on October 24, 1964. They came from as widely separated areas as Lloydminster and Estevan, and they included teachers, administrators, and educational officers from the Technical Institutes, Private Business Colleges, Collegiates, and Department of Education. A constitution was adopted and executive members were elected.

R.J. Reynolds, principal of the Saskatchewan Technical Institute, Moose Jaw, was the key-note speaker and described some of the problems facing commercial education. He pointed out the great changes taking place in business and industry, and that we need to work with business and industry to advance with these communication skills, and the tool subjects of modern business. He outlined how the Association could improve teaching in this field by research into such fields as team teaching, teaching aids, improved teacher training, and evaluation of program and methods. He emphasized the importance of business education today and that its effectiveness depends n the amount of effort that teachers and other interested persons put into it.

“Tests and Measurements in Typewriting” was the topic of a panel of Saskatoon teachers. Mrs. I. Manning of Nutana Collegiate outlined the purposes of testing.

S. Harasymuk of Aden Bowman Collegiate outlined the Error-Limit method of scoring and told of his experiences in using this. Mrs. L. Norelius offered her insight on production typing.

Mrs. L. Olson, principal of Saskatoon Business College, described the vocational standards required by business employers. After their presentations, questions from the floor were answered by members of the panel.

C.K. House of Balfour Technical Institute in Regina presented the topic, “The Application of Business Machines to the Bookkeeping Process.” He was assisted in demonstrations by L.W. Kenyon, Saskatoon, of Burroughs Business Machines Ltd.

The following points were established at the business session, which brought the organization meeting to a close. The Saskatchewan Business Teachers’ Association is a Special Subject Group affiliated with the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation. Membership is open to any person with a professional interest in business education, and it is hoped that it will include as broad a representation as possible from the fields of education, government, business, and industry. An annual membership fee of three dollars was set. The first annual meeting is to be held in Saskatoon on the on the first Saturday in October 1965. At least one meeting is to be held before the annual meeting and newsletters are to be published. The Executive was empowered to appoint committees and fulfill all other requirements necessary for carrying on the program within the framework of the Constitution.

The application for special subject group status was approved at the regular executive meeting of the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation, which was held on November 6, 1964. The first executive meeting of S.B.T.A. was held on November 21, 1964 at which time Mrs. Lorna Norelius was appointed Newsletter Editor. J.B. Swinton was appointed to form a committee to compile a bibliography. Representatives to the provincial Division IV Planning Committee were: Mrs. Helen Mitchell and Dorothy Tovell.