WORK FOR JUVENILES

Evening Star, Issue 21582, 30 November 1933, Page 6

WORK FOR JUVENILES

VOCATIONAL GUIDANCE ACTIVITIES FURTHER PROGRESS REPORTED Satisfactory progress in placing boys and girls in employment was reported to last night’s meeting of tho Dunedin Vocational Guidance Committee. Air J. L. Salmond presided. Tho noticeable feature of employment figures for October was the even spread of work offering, reported the Employment Committee. Work for boys and girls was distributed as follows; —Boys: Farm 13, shops and offices 12, trades 6, factories 4, miscellaneous 6, temporary 5. Girls; Shops and offices G, factories 10; a total of 62 boys and girls. Considering tho exceptional placements for the two previous months, that had to bo considered satisfactory. It was expected that November wotdd easily constitute a record for girls introduced to work - . That was all very encouraging to the committee, indicating that employers were more and more realising the benefits of calling on the officer (Air Conly) for junior labour. Few printing, iron works, or building trades apprentices were inquired for as yet; that was a pity, as the committee had several good lads wanting a start at these trades. The committee hoped before long that tho position would change. It was making a special appeal to retailers to engage their Christmas extras from the register, on which were several boys and girls very suitable for the work. It was gratifying to be able to record the verv high standard of those being placed in work; especially did that apply to boys and girls going to industrial occupations. Certain types of boys and girls were readily placed in work with the result that the committee had been compelled to advertise in an attempt to draw in young people not known to it and perhaps suitable for the work offering. At tlve present time it was wanting trained ticket-writing girls; all those qualified on the register had been sent to shops. Farm boys also were in demand. Air Conly reported a definite increase of platings again this month, fortyone girls and forty-seven boys being found employment. Air Salmond said the mere fact that the committee had advertised for boys to register might indicate that there was.no real problem. Over 200 boys wore on the register, and the purpose of advertising was to bring the register up to date. The addition of only twelve names would make it appear that not many, apart from tlioso previously on the register, were seeking work and that they were indifferent to the efforts to bflp them. On behalf of the AA r e!fare Committee, Air AA 7 . J. Bennett suggested that in view of tho coming exodus from primary schools, parents should allow their children, when possible, to take advantage of further education. Factors militating in some cases against employment was a low- standard of education and physical development. It was desirable that children suffering from social disabilities should be placed under instruction. There was a hope that these now considered unemployable would be placed in occupations where their physical and manual dexterity could he utilised.

The Records Sub-committee reported that record cards from primary schools were now- coming in. During the month it was thought advisable to advertise in both newspapers asking boys and girls wanting work to register. The response added twelve boys and thirty girls, aged from fourteen to twenty years. The committee was pleased that so comparatively few boys registered. However, it was expected*'that immediately the schools closed there would be a rush of applicants for work from those wlm did not seek work before the close of the school year. M iss Black reported that fifty-two positions, mostly in domestic services, had been filled since the previous report. Plenty of work was offering for domestics, milliners, dressmakers, and waitresses.

The Boys’ and Farm Sub-committee reported that fourteen boys went to farms in October, but in November only five had been sent to, the country. At present a sheep farmer was begging it to send him a strong and brainy learner, and it had no one to send forward. The committee could find farm work for many more boys were they offering, but regretted that strong, ‘intelligent jads of the type required wore not willing to go to farm work. At the end of October there occurred a severe frost which ruined many orchards and threatened to throw out of employment many of the boys who had been placed there to learn fruit growing. Following a frost of 1931 many fruitgrowers were financially unable to cany their boys till the summer of 1934. As that would be serious for the boys concerned the committee had immediately communicated with Aiessrs Ansell and Jones, who placed the boys’ position before the Alinister of Labour, who promised to consider a proposal to bring these boys under the Unemployment Board’s scheme of relief works. ” The whole position was being investigated, and the committee was confident of a sympathetic outcome. A few boys who

were paid off orchards were readily placed in mixed farms. Mr J. R. Fairbairn added that the latest advice, in reply to the representations to the Unemployment Board to assist farmers to retain the boys, was that Air Jessep proposes to visit the district in the near future and would investigate the position on the "spot, Mrs S. AI. Park reported that four girls had left the High School to take employment in the past mouth, but Miss King (lady principal) did not anticipate any further withdrawals till the end of the school year. The remainder of the meeting was taken up with a discussion, danse by danse, of the New- Zealand technical school teachers’ report and juvenile employment under the following headings :—Occupational classes, school leaving ago, Dr Beeby’s twin-proba-tioner'scheme, and farm training for boys.