JUVENILE EMPLOYMENT

Evening Post, Volume CXIV, Issue 1, 1 July 1932, Page 9

JUVENILE EMPLOYMENT

MR. \V. A. ARMOUR'S

REPORT

With regard to.juvenile employment, the headmaster of Wellington College (Mr. AY. A. Armour) reported to the AYellington College Board of Governors yesterday that during the past month a few boys were able to secure positions. The whole question of juvenile unemployment .was most serious. ''Something needs to be done to assist theso lads now or in the very near future," wrote Mr. Armour, "or their prospects in life are theatened, seeing that the boys following them will absorb the positions which increased prosperity will provide." There were at present about fifty boys in the school who proposed to take up farming as an occupation. There were others who would follow this pursuit if unable to be absorbed elsewhere.

"Something might be done to assist lads if they could be taken on as supernumeraries in warehouses, etc., even at a nominal wage," concluded Mr. Armour. They certainly would be learning something of business and would at. least be getting the necessary training and have tlie feeling that they were getting a footing in some form of employment." i

The chairman (Mr. G. Mitchell) said that plenty of boys, would accept employment at os a week if places could be found for them.

Mr. AY. H. Dcnton said that if the board could approach employers regarding situations, or strengthen the hand of the V.M.C.A., it should do so.

Mr. Mitchell gave it as his opinion that farmers were employing as many boys as they could under the circumstances. The only scope for the boys in future employment would be the land. There would have to. be more farms and more subdivisions created.

' Mr. W. H. P. Barber stated that for many years he had advocated publicly secondary industries as a means for providing employment. Mr. Mitchell said that in Xew Zealand secondary industries could only bdeveloped according to the power of the people to buy among themselves. After primary industries, secondary industries were the means of providing employment. °

It was doculcd that the chairman should write to tho Education Board pointing out the need for employment being provided for boys and for facilities tor those who wished to learn farming.