TRAINING OF TRADESMEN.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVI, Issue 14145, 21 August 1909, Page 4

TRAINING OF TRADESMEN.

APPRENTICESHIP QUESTION. The , apprenticeship question is likely to como to the- forefront in the "industrial world of the Dominion in the near future. Various aspects of it have already been considered of late by the Wellington Industrial Association, the Technical Schools Directors' Conference, and the Employers' Association, whilst the Minister for Labour has foreshadowed a possible amendment of the Act in regard to the apprenticeship term. The points just now uppermost are: — ' -

(1) That the apprentice- of to-day does not loam his i trade properly, but only a small part of It. (2) That compulsory technical training is absolutely essential. Should this bo given in the master's time or after work hours? ■■*~ '■'

The. Minister for Labour, replying to the Wellington Furniture Trades Union on this matter, suggested that the scale of wages for apprentices might lie readjusted in such a, mariner as to bring, about a more satisfactory state of things. Thus for tho first, year a boy might, bo paid merely a nominal sum, during the second year 30 per cent, of a journeyman's wages, for tho third bO per cent., and for the fourth 80 per cent; Mr. La Trobc, director of the Wellington Technical School, said to an interviewer -, that where . formerly a trade was carried out in its entirety by each individual, and an - apprentice got a good training, in these days of specialisation in factory work apprentices were apt to be trained in only one or two branches of a trade, and a slight chango in tho working of the trade, such as often takes place, was sufficient to make them unemployable. Again, a man who was only trained in one portion of a trade was not a fit person to teach apprentices even that portion of tho trade in which lie himself was proficient. The element of compulsory training had become a matter of sheer necessity. One possiblo solution was perhaps not' exactly, compulsory ' training, but recognition of the fact that training in the workshop must go. hand in hand with training' in the school to produce a satisfactory all-round workman.

At a meeting of the advisory board of the New Zealand Employers' Association at Wellington on Monday tho committee set iip to. deal with the apprenticeship question recommended among other things that indentures in any form should be discouraged, and that in all Aribtratiou Court awards strong endeavours should bo made to secure non-indenture apprenticeship clauses, and that the Hon. J. A. Millar be written to expressing the objections of the federation to his proposal that apprentices should be paid from 20 per cent, to 40 percent, of journeymen's ' wages, and requesting that if he intends dealing with the matter by legislation that opportunity might be given to employers to fully place their views before him.

A prominent business man in Wellington, when interviewed on the - subject, expressed himself as opposed to. the idea of compulsory technical ■ training, and ■ argued that legislative interference with industry had gone far enough. On the other hand, however, trade union secretaries who were interviewed expressed hearty approval of the proposal to supplement apprentices' training by regular instruction at the technical school. The secretary of one union, asked if ho agreed to the proposal to send the boys to the technical school an hour a day in the master's time, said that he would not make it compulsory to take, a boy from his work to go to school. If a boy wished to perfect himself at his trade he would go to school at night. The employer ought to pay his fees, because ho reaped the advantage of. the boy's extra knowledge.