APPRENTICESHIP

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 81, 2 October 1929, Page 9

APPRENTICESHIP

DO BOYS LEARN TRADES?

A DIFFICULT QUESTION

MINISTER IN EARNEST

The- question of the employment of apprentices was discussed when the annual report of the Department of Labour was untie;: consideration in the House of Representatives last night. ' Hi-. D. Jones (Reform, Mid-Canter-bury) asked whether a broad measure would be introduced to enable boys to Jearn the trade they desired. Too many 3ada were turned out fit only for gen■eral labourers' work. Thousands of boys wanted to enter particular trades and found the door closed against them by the House; it was impossible for them to learn what they wanted to learn. The Leader of the Labour Party (Mr. H. E. Holland) said he thought a return presented this session showed that employers could have employed over 50 per cent, more apprentices than was the case. It was an exaggeration to say the door was barred by legislation. The question for investigation was why the employers had not employed more apprentices. Mr. Jones should consider the facts before he made wild statements about the Labour .Party and.its attitude. sThe problem was how to teach the boys their trades and callings,' bxifc it was uneconomical .to suggest that boys should be poured into a trade, .thereby making it a boy labour trade. ' * - ■ : THE MOTOR TRADE. Mr.-Jon.os said he /was aware of .his facts. Jh the >mbtor 'trade the awaTd said youths should do no more than. engineering ■vroik., Previously, boys ; washed cars and repaired tires, but they . were ;not allowed to do that now. One . : firm had decided, .therefore, that it • could not allow boys straight from sehooltq be employed ;pn engine work, and. it,:had, come tol'the-conclusion that it would; be cheaper, to import .skilled labour from Britain. He did not want trades flooded with cheap labour. Mr. 'W-.i-J. Jordan (Labour, Manukau) 6aid it was correct to say ..that general .labourers.were"being made of. boys, but that was also true of mechanics, and many general labourers were out of work; He was hoping, that in another five weeks men would be employed at their own. work. > The Rev. Clyde Carr (Labour, Timaru) said it was complained by master painters that they were restricted to employing apprentices in specific branches.of the trade. That should be investigated. Mr. C. H. Chapman (Labour, Wellington North) said that in certain trades employers looked on apprentices as cheap labour. The Minister should consider the possibility of apprentices being employed as journeymen after their term of apprenticeship had been. Bnished. EXTREMELY COMPLEX. The Minister of Labour (the Hon. W. A. Veiteh) said that the apprenticeship problem was extremely complex. His experience had been that thero was a widespread desire on the part of parents to get their boys into a trade. He realised that there wore a great many more apprentices than thero wcro employers willing to employ them. The difference between tin; number of apprentices employed and the number that r,ould be employed showed a decided difference and there were some reasons for it that could not bo overcome. Some awards provided, for fractions of apprentices to journeymen, and as no employer could employ a fraction of an apprentice a difficulty arose there. In a Bill to be considered later he was endeavouring to provide that in some cases two employers might employ one apprentice so long as it was certain that the apprentice would be taught his trade. In. other cases the apprenticeship committee had to refuso permission to employers to employ apprentices because the employers were not in a position to give proper instruction. It was most undesirable that a youth should be apprenticed to a tradesman unless that tradesman was in a position to teach him his trade. The conditions he had mentioned reduced the number of apprentices that could be employed below the maximum possible; but nevertheless, he recognised that there1 were many employers who could employ more apprentices, but who did not do so. He felt very much in earnest about the matter, and so did the- officers of the Department. The'problem was one that must be overcome. The Minister mentioned that arrangements were being made in conjunction with the Immigration Department for New Zealand boys to be apprenticed to farmers. As farming was the principal industry of the Dominion, they were not without hope that it would be possible to employ a number of lads in that way. EFFECT OF DEPRESSION. Mr. Veiteh said that the Apprenticeship Conference had been a great success, and he was-sure that it would have the effect of very greatly improving the conditions under which apprentices worked. - The reason why in some *ases employers haa more apprentices than they were entitled to was that ... owipg to the depression employers who previously, had had the correct number of'apprentices in their employ had had to discharge some of-their journeymen temporarily, but as they could not dismiss their apprentices it meant that for the time being they had a larger proportion of apprentices to journeymen than would otherwise have been the case. That was a matter that would be overcome in time.