NO INCENTIVE

Evening Star, Issue 25227, 14 July 1944, Page 5

NO INCENTIVE

SKILLED WORKER PAID TOO LITTLE APPRENTICE ON YOUTH'S PROBLEM (P.A.) ' AUCKLAND, July 13. The apprentice's viewpoint on the conditions facing a youth when lie sets out to learn a trade was given to the Apprenticeship Commission jo-day by John Mathicson Shaw, aged 16| years, an engineer's apprentice. He was the first apprentice to appear before the commission since it began its sittings in Wellington last month. " People ask why their children spend two or more years" at a high school and then leave to work in a factory," said tho youth. " Children have learned'a good deal at school to help them in a trade, but when it comes to starting an apprenticeship they are instantly discouraged by the low rate of pay." Witness said that if the pay were 30s a week to start with, instead of about 16s, he was sure thai, boys would be g'.ad to undertake apprenticeships. The economic difficulties facing apprentices on low wages were dealt with by witness, who said that on such a pay a boy simply could not undertake an apprenticeship unless he had a good home and parents. A boy on low wages could not be expected to apply himself to his work properly when he saw his friends getting £4 or £5 on labouring work. On small wages a. boy cou'.d not be expected to buy tool* after paying for travel and clothes. After the war there would be a great demand for tradesmen, and if young men and women could not be encouraged a little more New Zealand would face a struggle, said witness. Shaw, who has been an engineer's apprentice for about a year, said he felt ho was learning something, but the process was not nearly as fast at work as it was at school. He learnt more about handling tools and more theory in 'three months at school than in six months at work. He would rather learn lathe work night school, which he attended on two nights a week, than at work. They had to hurry n,l work, and were not given an opportunity to make a good finish on a job. The tradesmen took an interest in him. Witness was exhaustively cross-examined by the commission, and ttie chairman, Mr Justice Tyndall, complimented him on the way he had given his evidence. More had been learnt from him than from any other witness, although some eminent men had been before, the commission, His Honour said. The youth's evidence was full of material which the commission wished to hoar. "The skilled worker in this country is paid far too little in comparison-with the unskilled. He has tup incentive •to get ahead," said Mr J. A. Neale, secretary of the Northern Industrial District Coachbuildmg and Related Trades Union, under crossexamination. Mr Neale presented a report on behalf of his union and the Auckland Boilermakers' and Auckland Moulders' Unions. The report pointed out that after working for 15 vcars a tradesman would have received £63 14s less than the pay of a man who started labouring as a boy. The tradesman had, in fact, to work for 20 years before he caught up financially. At that stage .he would be £1 6s ahead. Further, an apprentice had to spend 432 hours at a technical school for which he was not paid, and in addition had to provide and maintain a kit of tools. The opinion that the actual wage rates should be adequate, to allow apprentices a reasonable standard of living without subsidies from their parents was also expressed in the report. Mr W. J. Mounfjoy, a member of the commission, said that as the employers' representative he agreed that there was not enough difference between the wages for skilled and unskilled workers. It was not a fair position, and he was sure nil employers wou'd agree with him.