HIGH WAGES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 29 October 1941, Page 4

HIGH WAGES

EFFECT ON APPRENTICES DISSATISFACTION EVIDENT caused by the comparatively low wage . .young unskilled worker, whose services arc now in keen demand, was discussed at last night’s meeting of the Welling Hon Technical Cnllcm* Board <•! Mr K. Brooking, alter quoting in stance.- of high wages for youths, said it could not be wondered that apprentices starting at 22s 6d a week lost in- - when other youths <#>uld come into the same trades at £5 a week. •Some apprentices wanted to "toss in” their jobs. The chairman, Mr W. Appleton: Some have done so. It is going to nil - settle the whole apprenticeship system. I don't know what can be done. Mr Brindle, M.L.C., said the condi- : lions stated were certain to destroy the i incentive to become apprenticed. Mr K. Baxter: Three walked out in the printing trade this week, i Some of the trouble might be due to the fact, that there was not suiticient margin between skilled and un- . skilled wages, said Mr T. Thompson The employers' difficulty was that they wanted labour badly at any price, I particularly young men handy with machines, said Mr Appleton, i Mrs M. J. Bentley raised the question of the enforcement of apprenticeship agreements, blit othei members pointed out that an unwilling youth i could not be made to work. Colonel T. W. McDonald said he saw : no difference in principle between on forcing the attendance at school <-f ; ] children from six to 14 years and mak- ; ing a lad serve his apprenticeship, if ; , all boys suitable for trades were requiri' ed to serve an apprenticeship, it might correct the disparity between wages for skilled and unskilled workers. ! Mr Appleon said that many new inj dustries required labour only to operate certain machines; work which 'could be learnt in a short period. There were undoubtedly serious problems at- ; taching to the payment of high wages to youths. He saw that at Dunedin recently a youth before the Court, when asked what he earned, told the magisi Irate he did not count his wages. The principal. Mr R. G. Ridling: i Did you say Dunedin? That surprises Mr Baxter said that a boy apprentice seeing others from 16 to 20 making from i!2 10s to J£4 a week, and in extreme cases £5. would no doubt ponder ' on the fact that he would be 22 or 23 before he had served his time and be in 1 a position to make similar wages. The money paid for semi-skilled or semiunskilled work was certainly an inducement to youths to go after it. In the older industrial countries the skilled worker got a relatively higher return.