WORKLESS YOUTHS

Dominion, Volume 30, Issue 171, 16 April 1937, Page 10

WORKLESS YOUTHS

High Proportion of Total Unemployment FEWER APPRENTICES Dominion Special Service. Auckland, April 15. That the percentage of young men and youths in the total of unemployed is disproportionately high is the opinion of men closely in touch with the labour situation. They state that while there is a keen demand for lads of about 16 years, the chances of employment of youth grows progressively less with every subsequent birthday, while their firm impression is that quite 50 per cent, of the men on sustenance in Auckland are in their early twenties. It is stated that the preference given to married men for Public Works employment is a substantial factor, but by no means the only important one in contributing to the situation among men on sustenance. So far as the situation among youths is concerned, hundreds of lads desiring to qualify as journeymen in skilled trades arc finding the door to apprenticeship shut in their faces because, while industry is expanding, awards generally do not take cognisance of the fact in determining quotas of apprentices. In the carpentering trade the opinion was expressed that the Government, by giving most of its contracts to one firm under the housing scheme, was starving the industry of apprentices. It was considered that if the contracts were spread over the building industry individual builders would take on far more apprentices than now was the case, and it was pointed out that unless’something were done speedily in the building industry to ensure that an adequate number of trainees was provided there would be a grave shortage of journeymen within the next two or three years. Indeed, the whole trend of industry was toward a serious reduction in' the number of apprentices, the total number in New Zealand having shrunk from 10,227 in 1928 to 3300, according to latest official returns. Increased mechanisation in industry was working in many trades toward the employment of female labour as against males, the clothing and textile trades being notable instances. It was pointed out that not only were high minimum rates of wages based on age restricting the employment of youths, but the effect of the basic rate of wages was becoming more obvious every day. Instances were ’given of youths approaching 21 years of age or of that age or little more who, despite good qualifications, were pursuing an apparently hopeless quest for employment. In order to assist inexperienced youth to obtain employment in the country the Government had introduced a subsidised wages scheme, but this was described as an absolute failure in practice. Farmers were refusing to be hedged by the restrictions imposed on them under the scheme. The opinion was also expressed that months or years of idleness had contributed to an attitude among young men that was making it increasingly difficult to fit many of them into employment. Only those closely in touch with the situation could appreciate what a difficult problem was developing.