WORK FOR YOUTHS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 67, 22 March 1929, Page 12

WORK FOR YOUTHS

A PRESSING PROBLEM

"BLIND ALLEY" JOBS

POSITION OF TKADES

The problem of finding employment for boys and girls is an ever-recurring

one. At the end of each year the schools, primary and secondary, release thousands of youths who must'bo absorbed into the- labour market if the country's economic structure is to be maintained. The feeling exists in Now Zealand —-and, no doubt, other countries share the experience—that too many boys and girls drift into "blindalley" occupations, which provide liberal pocket money for a few years, but hold out no great prospects i'or the future. The problem which New Zealand faces to-day is: How can this difficulty be overcome? In an endeavour to find a solution, the Department of Labour has recently convened a. scries of meetings

in various parts of the country, and although a number of suggestions have been advanced, if must bo confessed that the progress made lias boon slight. Much depends, therefore, on the conference of representatives of apprenticeship committees and of representatives of employers and employees which is to bo held in Wellington next month, and the result of the deliberations of the conference will be awaited with interest.

Tho main duty of the conference will be to consider possible amendments to the Apprentices Act, 1923, which in a large measure supersedes the provisions of the old Master and Apprentice Act, passed iv lSo'3. The Master and Apprentice Act was largely out of date and not capable of coping with tlio evcr-iucrca.sing problem of apprenticeship and its control. For many ycara the conditions of employment of apprentices had been fixed in awards and industrial agreements under the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, but this in practice was found undesirable. It was felt that apprentices should not bo involved in the hurlyburly of industrial disputes. So tho'Apprentices Act of 1923 was placed on the Statute .Book, and with few amendments it stands to-day. Undor the provisions of the Act the employment of apprentices is now controlled by special orders of tho Court of Arbitration, acting independently of its powers under the'lndustrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act, and by apprenticeship committees, set up in the various industries and localities. The Court lias' authority to delegate many of its powers to those committees, but aggrieved persons may appeal to the Court, whoso decision is final. The Act gives power to compel employers to take and teach a minimum number of apprentices, in order to ensure as far as possible that the future requirements of the industry may bo met. Full power is given to ensure that both the employers and apprentices carry out their obligations, various penalties being provided for. Provision is made to enable employers in intermittent trades, such as building, to take apprentices jointly. In order to encourage youths to enter the skilled trades and thus avoid "blind-alley" occupations, the Act provides for collaboration with the head-teachers in | the various schools, who are required to watch the progress of the; children under their care, and to report to the .district registrars of apprentices us to I the character, aptitude, and attainments of the various children leaving the schools. In a large measure the Act of 1923 has worked satisfactorily, but even those who were responsible for it are prepared to admit that it is by no means perfect. There are still too many boys and girls drifting into "blindalley " occupations. That drift must bo stopped. APPRENTICES EMPLOYED. One point that naturally arises in considering possibilities of employment for boys and girls is the ability of the trades to absorb any more apprentices. Statistics show that at present there are employed in New Zealand something .over 10,000 apprentices as agaiust nearly 30,000 journeymen and wording employers—that is, approximately one apprentice to every three journeymen. Tho maximum number of apprentices which the law requires should be employed is, in the case of most of the trades, one in every two, in many it is one in every three, and in isolated cases it is one ii: one. The following figures show the number of apprentices employed in the various trades (the number of journeymen or

working employers being given in parentheses in each, case): Baking and pastry-cooking, 3(54 (1515); boatbuilding, 52 (185); boilermaking, 70 (247); boolmaking, 221 (88(5); boot repairing, 72 (58S); blacksmithing and ferriery, 91 (409); bricklaying, 127 (399); carpentering and joinery, 1757 (1)116); chemistry, llil (548); clothing trades, 26 (222); eoachbuilding, 370 (1052); coopering, 11 (69); cycle working, 97 (235); electrical working, 950 (1382); engineering, 902 (1751); engineering (motor), 1122 (2071); furniture, 747 (174.6); gardening, 26 (204); hairdvessing, 210 (952); hatmaking (felt), !) (23); jewellery and watchmaking, 75 (::47); loadlight and glass working, 52 (J"l); masonry (stone and monumental), 5-1 (201); moulding, 122 (391); painting, 481 (2019); plumbing and gasuttiug, 741 (1558); plastering. 227 (703); printing (all branches), 723 (2017); saddlery, 49 (318); sail, tent, and cover making, 3 (2!)); tailoring, 77 (916); tinsmithing, 175 (400); wickerworking, 57 (133). Total, 10,227 (L' 9,042). Only in three or four instances (blacksmithing and farriery, bricklaying, engineering, and printing) are masters employing the maximum number of apprentices, but' that does not mean that the others are not doing their best to meet ,the position, Many tradesmen aro not in a position to take on their full quota of apprentices. In the carpentering trade, for instance, the maximum number of apprentices laid down is one to every two journeymen, but actually the number of apprentices employed is only 1757 as against 0110 journeymen. At first glance, this would indicate that the master builders aro not doing their duty but before judgment is passed upon them the fact that their trade is an internuttant one has to bo taken into consideration. Builders are not in a position to oiler regular employment to apprentices, and for that reason tho number they can absorb is strictly limited. The same remarks apply to other trades in which tho work is also of an intermittent nature. FACTORY AND FARM. In' addition to the trades, the factories offer an avenue of employment for boys and. girls,-but herOj again, tho demand is limited, although it will no doubt increase as the secondary industries of the country develop. In the year 1927-2S the number of-boys and girls under sixteen taken on in the factories of the Dominion was 2044, made up of 1030 boys and 1614 girls. One aspect of the question of finding work for boys and girls which has been attracting considerable attention of late has been the possibility of placing more youths on the land, but it seems that the main difficulty to be overcome in this direction is the glamour which attaches to life in tho centres of population. Boys and girls generally show a disinclination to live in country districts when good wages —temporary though they may be —are to be obtained in the cities. Farming is New Zealand's principal industry, and is likely to remain so for many years, but strangely enough it is about the only industry that makes no provision for apprenticeship. A suggestion has been made that tlie Flock House scheme, which at present exists solely for the benefit .of boys from overseas, should be applied to New Zealand boys and girls, and no. doubt the suggestion will receive serious consideration in the near future.