TRADE APPRENTICES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVII, Issue 110, 11 May 1926, Page 9

TRADE APPRENTICES.

ARE THERE TOO MANY ?

"STORING UP TROUBLE."

A deputation from the Trades and Labour Council, headed by Mr. M. J. Savage, M.P., yesterday waited on the Minister of Labour, Hon. G. J. Anderson, to urge a reduction in the number of apprentices allowed in proportion to journeymen. Mr. Bernard Martin told the Minister that, although the Apprentices Act had brought about a general improvement there was dissatisfaction regarding the proportion of apprentices to journeymen, which was now one to two, instead of one to three as formerly. Taking the working life of the journeyman as 25 years—a conservative basis — and the period of apprenticeship at five years, it meant that in many trades journeymen were replacing themselves five times over, and in some eases six apprentices were being trained by one journeyman. This was storing up trouble for the future. The deputation urged that a commission be set up to investigate the position and the needs of the industry. The Minister said that if a commission were appointed it could only arrive at a recommendation at great expense, and then it would be left to him to make a decision. He considered the present method of apprenticeship as the nearest approach to a scientific solution of the difficulty yet attempted. However, he would hear what other organisations had \ ito say, and would then probably find it ] I necessary to call a conference to discuss j the matter.