ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20711, 23 November 1932, Page 16

ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES.

CONTROL OF APPRENTICES. COURT'S POWERS TRANSFERRED TO COUNCIL. [FftOAi Our PAKUAMJENTARr -Reporter. 1 WELLINGTON, November 22. Transferring the 'administration of the Apprentices Act from the Arbitration Court to the newly-constituted Apprenticeship Council, the Apprentices Bill was introduced in the House to-day by the Minister for Labour (the Hon. Adam Hamilton). After being read a second time pro forma the Bill, which also serves the purpose of consolidating the Apprentices Act, 1923, and its various amendments, was referred to the Labour Bills Committee to enable evidence to be heard on the new provisions it contains. Mr Hamilton said a mere amending Bill would leave the existing legislation in a form very difficult to comprehend. In general, it had been possible to adopt, with very little alteration, most of the existing provisions, but they had been rearranged under the headings of administration, contract of apprenticeship, employers and apprentices, and general, in order to group together as far as practicable all the related provisions. The general object of the Bill insofar as it alters the existing law is to deprive the Arbitration Court of its general administration of the Act. This has been dono first by transferring to the Minister the Court's powers of appointing and discharging committees, enlarging and diminishing localities within which committees function, and appointing district registrars to exercise the functions of a committee where there is no committee. There has also been transferred to the Minister the Court's powers of applying tnd exempting from the operation of the Act certain employers and apprentices. Constitution of Council. The most important innovation is the establishment of an Apprenticeship Council, consisting of the Registrar of Apprentices, two representatives of employers in industries employing apprentices, and two representatives of workers in these industries. The Secretary of Labour now holds the ofiicc of Registrar of Apprentices, but the Bill proposes that the office of Registrar shall not be held concurrently with any other office in the Public Service. Any inspector of factories may be appointed a district registrar of apprentices. There will be transferred to flic Apprenticeship Council the principal powers of the Court for the making of apprenticeship orders, such as wages, hours, and other conditions of employment, the proportion of apprentices to journey men, the period of apprenticeship in any industry, the minimum age for the commencement of apprenticeship, and the period of probation to be served by the apprentice. However, the power requiring employers to employ apprentices has been dropped, The original Act gave the Court power to require any employer to employ what number of apprentices it considered necessary to ensure an adequate supply of jou/nVymcn in the interests of the industrv. " The Apprenticeship Council will also have transferred to it the Court's present power of hearing and determining appeals, of controlling the functioning of committees, and of making orders." Resolutions of the Apprenticeship Council can only be passed by a majority, which includes the Registrar.

One Function Loft to Court. The only function left to the Court is* to fix- payments, if any, to be made to apprentices on the bankruptcy of their employers. The Minister said the Bill would be referred to the Labour Bills Committee to hear evidence. He was not desirous of rushing it through. "I do not think there will be any'serious objection to the measure.'' h'e said. " H may be thought by some that it would be better to leave certain matters with the Court instead of transferring them to the Apprenticeship Council, but 1 think the new proposal will simplify the, procedure."