To Make Schoolboy Labour Available In Holidays

Northern Advocate, 4 September 1941, Page 4

To Make Schoolboy Labour Available In Holidays

[Per Press Association. —Copyright] CHRISTCHURCH, This Day. A suggestion that school holiday periods be arranged to coincide with busy periods of farm work, so that school-boy labour may be available, has been made to the Education Department by the National Council of Primary Production. Receiving advice of this in a letter from the Director of Primary Production (Mr. R. B. Tenent) members of the North Canterbury Education Board made a suggestion yesterday to defer further action pending a reply from the department, unless the reply is delayed too long. No Danger of “Sweating"

“The point should be stressed that school committees should require to have power in each district to handle it according to local needs,” said Mr. W. H. Nicholson. There should be no danger of “sweating” if freedom of contract were adhered to. Mr. J. R. D. Johns said that in employing boys he had paid them “so much a row.” There could be no “sweating” if they were on piece work. Other members said that certain classes of work boys were quite capable of doing a man’s work and earning a good wage. Mr. M. E. Lyons said that in Canterbury it would be necessary to extend the summer holidays into February to make the scheme worthwhile. If the Christmas holidays were extended by a week the time could be made up by shortening the next term holidays.