WORK FOR BOYS.

Press, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20736, 22 December 1932, Page 7

WORK FOR BOYS.

' A COMPREHENSIVE j REPORT. ! I ! TASK FOR LOCAL EFFORT, j j IMPORTANCE OF CONTINUED ' TRAINING. ; j I'he problems arising from juvenile employment in the Dominion are reviewed in a report presented to Cabinet this week by Messrs A. E. Ansell, M.P., and S. G. Smith, M.P., who were appointed a committee to investigate the position. The report puts forward a scheme for employing youths on the land, but at thia samo time gives consideration to the difficulties to be faced in dealing with the special problems of boys trained for work in the cities. One of its main contentions is that .the task is one to be borne particularly by local organisations and individual citizens rather than by the central Government. The committee confines its report to "effects" and remedies, with a full recognition of the Government's financial difficulties. "Wo would point out ! that our recommendations generally for dealing with the. problem are qualified, so far as Government assistance, monetary and otherwise, is concerned, by reason of our knowledge as members of Parliament, of the general economic budgetary difficulties brought about by the fall in prices,'' the report ■ states. I "Had it. not been for this knowledge, our suggestions may have been of a very different character; but we are unable to gauge when conditions may improve, nor can we say on what level the Dominion will eventually !>« called upon to exist." The Work Already Done. As a result of personal investigation ' of the work already being done by organisations, the committee expresses its high appreciation of the public-spirited effort which has already led to "i measure of success. This is indicated, ' and the extent of the remaining problem also shown, by the following figures:— Unemployed boys registered . S!K>S Placed in employment: On farms 1172, in trade 421, in shops and offices 593, miscellaneous > 004. .. 2300 : Still on unemployed roll . . 3044 ''Unemployment for tkcje boy? is , more than loss of earning powers: it is ; the serious ioss of the opportunity to acquire skill, diligence, and love of toil at that critical period in their lives when they should be trained in industry and their characters moulded to meet I life's difficulties. The responsibility for dealing with this problem is one which concerns every citizen. "It is not a task that can or should be borne by the Government, but is one that essentially attaches itself—outside the parent —to local organisations and individual citizens. As a vc- | suit of our onquiries wo are convinced that an organised committee of citizens (representative of every walk in life) in the various centres can deal mo3t effectively with the problem. There is no comparable substitute." Tho Nature of tiie Problem. After investigating the opportunities j for boys in town occupations, the committee declares "at no period in the history of New Zealand have commerce and industry offered such slendor chances for the absorption of boys on *. completing their school life." There Core . the report gives special attention to the s possibility of absorbing boys on the i land. The committee considers thai if r larger numbers of boys can be placed od the land and iuduced to develop their j country, and in'so doing establish themj selves, what may to-day be regarded as misfortune may be turned into blessings in the future. ' A full section of the report (published l elsewhere in this issue of The Pres-*) r develops a plan by which youths may - be placed on the land and from wage- - earners become self-supporting farmers. Apprenticeship and Training. The need to evolve some scheme Lo overcome the problem existing because by the force of circumstances large . numbers of apprentices have been deprived of work and of the opportunity " of completing their training, is discussed in the report. Tt is pointed out that they are likely to be relegated to i the ranks of unskilled workers, and that j when trade revives and the demand for j skilled men increases they will be unable to benefit by the changed conditions. "The normal solution is work," states " the report, "but if there is none avails' able a substitute must be found. Technical training can provide the atepping- _ stone to regular employment when industry revives. The country may uot at present be able to employ these boys, but ean still leas afford to let them . drift. . - - 5 "It is of the utmost importance that t local organisations shall make such ar- ® rangements with technical school authora ities in the various centres as will assist in overcoming this difficulty by providing facilities for vocational training. As the training provided in our technical schools has proved to be efficient, we have no hesitation in recommending that, provided a pupil shows a satisfactory degree of proficiency, the time spent at such schools or continuation classes shall be deemed to be a portion of his apprenticeship period, e.g., twt> years' training shall count as one year of apprenticeship. Continuation Work. •'Delay in finding regular work,'-' states the report, "will probably undo the good which years of school work have accomplished, and provision should bo made for continuation of training. In accordance with the evidence presented, the bare minimum for efficient worU I ig ten hours a week. The facilities i for this training varv in different disi tricts. and despite the voluntary service offered by Technical school teachers, the State must' be expected to contribute towards the expenses involved in the organisation necessary for the purpose. ~ This leads the committee to discuss 1 the problem of the boy n-ho has become indifferent 'to his own welfare. Upon 1 whom will the responsibility rest for acceptance or refusal of these educational facilities? The committee is emphatic that it must not lie left with the boy. "The community." it states . "has a" responsibility and efforts should be made to renew in these boys the hopes and ambitions natural to boyhood. In this sphere of the work, ehureh srganisfttions, the Y.M.C.A.. kindred bodiep c& n g' vc valuable assistance. That parents also have a duty to their boy's is obvious, ,but in Rome cases influence from without the home may be , more effective. Cases will exist where

such induenco can lie complementary rather than merely substitutional.'' Miscellaneous Aspects. Attention is directed in the summarised report to the "twin probationer schemo" suggested by Dr. C. E. Beebyof Canterbury College, but though a full explanation is stated to be attached to the main report no comment on the Echemo is included in the summary. The committee also stresses the ini portanee of physical, social, and intellectual activities, and urges on local organisations the desirability of including in their programme of activities for unemployed boys a course of physical training. The co-operation of athletic, football, cricket clubs, etc., also is particularly desirable. Reference is made to the special difri-i-ulty of placing boys between 17 and "0 years of- age in work, and a special appeal is made to employers not to prejudice or condemn the older boys on the ground that, they may have grown careless and difficult to teach. Often these boys were specially fitted to undertake farm work. City Boys and the Land. discussing the alleged disinclination of the city boy to adapt himself to land occupations, the report states that from actual experience it has been found that city boys on farms are quick t9 learn, and that they approach their work in a systematic manner. The report recommends that where suitable openings are available for town boys, they be placed direct on farms. "But the utmost care should be exercised to select only farmers possessed of that sense of responsibility which -will establish confidence i" the minds of the parents and of the boys," it states. Branches of the Farmers' Union throughout the Dominion have come forward with offers of assistance in selecting the farms upon which these boys may or should be placed. .Reference, is also made to the need lor after-care committees, which, it is stated, would do much to overcome the unwillingness of parents to allow their boys to go into the country. Side-lines of Faxmiug. The question of training the sons of farmers whose farms arc not sufficiently large under existing conditions, and methods to assimilate the boys when school days are over, is dealt with. The committee consia<ys it important that these youths should not be lost to the rural community. "On many farms the usual side-lines of farming are neglected, perhaps for tho want of capital or suitable opportunity far specialised instruction, but we consider that if suitable expert instruction could be provided, the sons of farmers could in a great number of cases be usefully employed with successful financial 'results in this way, besides being kept on the land. Included in the term 'side-lines' referred to above are pig-raising, poultry farming. boeljeeping, heifer calf raising (from tested stock with backing), certified seed raising, and orchard development. '' Suggested Organisation. Discussing the problem of absorbing .New Zealand boys in seafaring occupations. the report suggests that as British ships carry a large volume of New Zealand produce, the companies concerned might be induced to include several New Zealand boys in the ships' complements. The report recommends that in each centre where the problem exists there should be established a general council representing the citizens and representative of all interests, and dealing with matters of policy, extension of activities. Working in close association with the General Council should be an Executive Committee consisting of the conveners of sub-committees which will undertake special duties, the conveners thus co-ordinating all activities. The activities of the sub-committee should cover:— (1) Physical development. (2) General educational development. (3) Vocational and pi- e -vocational development. (» Athletic development. (51 Social development.