APPRENTICESHIP LEEWAY

Evening Star, Issue 23136, 9 December 1938, Page 8

APPRENTICESHIP LEEWAY

N.Z. REQUIRES 10,000 [Pek United Press Assocrniox.] WELLINGTON, December 8. Steps to increase the number of ap» prentices are to be taken next year br the Minister of Labour (the Hon. H. T. Armstrong). He said in an inter* view to-day that he hoped to introduce a Bill in the next session of Parliament consolidating the legislation relating to apprentices and providing for a number of amendments that were considered necessary. He wanted to have his proposals considered by Labour people, and, probably, by employers too, because he was anxious to have something that was satisfactory to all parties.

During the past year or so, Mr Armstrong said, the shortage of skilled tradesmen was very noticeable, particularly in the building industry. Of 1,500 adult apprentices since 1936 who were registered under the amendment to to* Apprenticeship Act that year, 450 wer* building trade apprentices. Beside* these apprentices, a _ large percentage of ordinary apprentices were in th* building trade. There was a lot of leeway to make up. When the present Government came into office there wer* about 3,300 registered apprentices, but now there were somewhere about 9,000. By the end of the present school terra he hoped there would be more than 10,000. This was about the maximum number of apprentices there had ever been in New Zealand at any one time. It was considered that, to meet _tho normal requirements of the Dominion, there should be about 10,000 apprentices, but there was a lot of leeway to make up. 1