YOUTHS WITHOUT WORK

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21274, 30 August 1932, Page 11

YOUTHS WITHOUT WORK

FIRST YEAR FROM SCHOOL SUMMARY BY M£. S. 6. SMITH TOTAL OF LESS THAN *OOO Statements to the effect that 20,000 boys who left school at the end of last year are now unemployed were contradicted by figures quoted in an address at Tima/ru by Mr. S. G. Smith, M.P., who, with Mr.. A. E. M.P., is associated with the Unemployment Board in dealing with the problem of unemployed boys. The total he gave was 2902.

Mr. Smith said he all sorts > of figures quoted in respect to the r,um- . ber of boys who were unemployed and v!j the late Government Statistician had - assured him that there had never been any method of collecting figures as to the number of boys out of work. Mr.. Smith said that he personally had investigated the position as at December 31 last and he had found that 16,467 hoys had left primary schools, junior high schools, eecondary schools, combined technical schools and district high schools. Of that number, 10,547 left primary schools. • Of the latter total, 5604 had gone to higher schools, 2506 to farms and 970 to other occupations. While 1115 had stayed at home. It was to the credit of. the head- " masters of the primary schools that so carefully had the returns been prepared ' that out of over 2000 schools in New Zealand there were only 352 boys who left primary schools last year who were unaccounted for. The number who left junior high schools was 673, and of these 429 went to higher schools, 66 went home and only 7 were unaccounted for. The number who had left post-primary schools, other than district high schools, was 5247, of whom 117 went home and 1185 were unaccounted for. The total number unaccounted for was 1544, plus the 1358 who went home. ..

Mr. Smith said that on these figures one could see that the problem was not as huge as some people made it out to be, but he was not quoting them with , the idea of minimising the position. Dealing with a suggestion that there should be compulsory registration of boys, •' Mr. Smith said that neither he nor Mr. : Ausell was prepared to 6ay what they ■ would recommend in their report to the board, but his personal opinion was that there should be no need for compulsory registration in New Zealand.

NEW SCHEME CRITICISED ~ i SUBSIDISING PRIVATE WORK' RELIEF COMMITTEE'S VIEWS [by telegraph—press ASSOCIATION] v CHKISTCHTJRCH, Monday Believing that the Unemployment Board's new scheme of subsidising residents for work put in hand on their. properties would result in many men' being deprived of work, except at relief rates, the Citizens' Unemployment Relief Committee decided to-day not to approve the plan. Local bodies in the urban areas will have this decision communicated to them.

One member of the committee said iiP was a splendid scheme for absorbing '• the whole of the private work of thecountry by taking from the individual the responsibility for improving his own property. He did not like the schema, which was socialistic in tendency.

PROCEEDS OF CLOTHES DRIVE | DISTRIBUTION OF ARTICLES ' The i boots, shoes and clothing collected by the Junior Chamber of Commerce and helpers on Saturday, were distributed to various organisations yesterday. All the women's garments and shoes were given to the- Women's Unemployment Committee and the children's footwear and clothing were donated to the League of Mothers. All the bo<sts and garments snit- - able for boys on farms were taken by the. Auckland Boys' Employment Committee and distributed among the boys at the St. John's College camp. Several offers of, assistance have been received since the drive. These include gifts of a gas stove, a parcel of boots from a city store and. a number of garments from a dry cleaning company. YOUNG MEN ON ORCHARD GRATIFYING SUCCESS ACHIEVED The practical efforts of Mr. W. Gill a Karangahape Road business man, to relieve unemployment among youths by plac-' ing a party of eight young men on an orchard at Te Kauwhata, are meeting with encouraging success. A visit to the orchard was made at the week-end by Mr. Gill, Mr. N. G. Gribble, chairman of the Auckland Boys' Employment Committee, and Mr. T. D. Allen, chairman of the Rotary Club's land settlement committee. The property was taken over six weeks ago on lease from the owner, on condition that the interest on; the mortgage and the rates were guaranteed. The orchard is a well-established one and indications are that there will be sufficient revenue to cover expenses and provide a bonus for the members of the party, who work on a community basis. The. enthusiasm of the youths, who are under the care of a married couple, was commended by the visitors. The Government provides a subsidy of 10s a week for the men over 20 and 5s for those under that ago.