King Country Chronicle. Tuesday, February 3, 1931. WORK FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

King Country Chronicle, Volume XXV, Issue 3262, 3 February 1931, Page 4

King Country Chronicle. Tuesday, February 3, 1931. WORK FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

At the end of the year there are hundreds of parents who are seeking avenues of employment for their young people. A few years back parents had little difficulty in placing their offspring in positions, but of late have had great difficulty in this connection. Thousands of boys and girls, having passed through the primary and secondary schools, are fitted for the battle of life, and today it is a source of anxiety and worry to their parents that positions cannot „be found for them. This has been accentuated by the intimation from the Public Service Commissioner that there will be no situations offering in the Government departments this year. In the past the Civil Seiwice could be relied on to place 500 to 600 girls and boys. This year 1265 passed the Civil Service Entrance examination, but the effect of the prevailing economic depression is to close this avenue of employment for young people. It is certain' that many of these successful candidates will return to school and sit for higher examinations. This naturally adds to the expenses of the Education Department. It will be disappointing to these thousand odd successful candidates who worked so hard to make themselves eligible for positions in the State Departments to have their expectations destroyed, more especially as situations are so difficult to obtain in other directions. The parents will continue to be responsible for the keep of these young people, and this is a heavy burden for many who are suffering through the present Economic conditions. The problem of finding employment for the rising generation is one that must have the immediate attention of the Government of the day. Certainly the Arbitration Court does not help matters. Limitation of the number of apprentices has been a great drawback to the employment of young people, while the wages prescribed for mere beginners are quite uneconomic, and impose upon the employer an obligation to pay wages which the inexperienced recruit cannot possibly earn. If the young people cannot obtain employment, and they remain dependent on their parents, it opens up a dangerous position for many. Released from the discipline of school routine their minds are in a plastic state. It is a critical stage in a boy's life, and if he has to undergo a period of enforced idleness it may have a lasting effect on his future life and he may drift into the ranks of the unemployable. The vitiating- effects of idleness is well known in this country, and some policy should be adopted to enable those who have left school to find employment immediately, otherwise they may be inclined to drift. The first and most necessary step in this direction is the removal of some of the restrictions covering the employment of these young people.