INDUSTRIALISTS AND THE APPRENTICESHIP BILL

Dominion, Volume 16, Issue 179, 17 April 1923, Page 11

INDUSTRIALISTS AND THE APPRENTICESHIP BILL

A special general meeting of the Wellington Industrial Association was held yesterday afternoon for the purpose of receiving the report of a committee set up recently to consider the draft Apprentices and Arocational Training Bill, which is to be discussed this month at a conference convened by the Alinister of Labour.

Air. I. T. AVatkins, president of the association and a member of the com-' mitteo, said it had been indicated at the last meeting of the association that the manufacturers were in favour of encouraging the training of Now Zealand apprentices for New Zealand industries. It was not in the best interests of this country’s industries that their future should be dependent unon workers who were imported. The statement had been made that there were only two bricklaying apprentices in AVellington ; that was not as it should be. If the labour people generally made it imperative for every suitable omnioyer with, say, three employees, to have an apprentice, the skilled men reeded would bo trained. But unless employers and employees tackled the problem of apprenticeship in a spirit of sincerity, they could not hope for a. solution. He was afraid that the Rill micrli'b have “a political tinge. He would not like to see it used as a "round for no-confidence motions. The result of the council’s work had been that Afessrs. Mitehell and Stonehanks. who had investigated tho 1918 Rill, had been asked to express their views on the later draft. The meeting went into committee to receive and discuss the report of Afessrs. Afitchell and Stonebanks.