WORK FOE JUVENILES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21295, 23 September 1932, Page 11

WORK FOE JUVENILES

RESULTS OF INVESTIGATION REPORT NOT YET READY POSSIBLE LEGISLATION [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECI.VJj REPORTER] WELLINGTON, Thursday The investigation into the juvenile employment problem which has been carried out during recent months by Messrs. S. G. Smith and A. E. Ansell, M.P.'s, has practically been completed, but compilation of the report they intend to submit to the Government has been delayed owing to the late arrival of written statements by apprenticeship committees in various parts of the country. Mr. Smith has been devoting himself particularly to the apprenticeship question, in view of bis wide experience of this problem, and he has collected a mass of detail which will be considered first by the Minister of Labour and then by the Cabinet. He has been connected with labour questions for many years, and his term at the Ministry of Labour has proved useful to him in investigating many aspects of the apprenticeship problem. On the other hand, Mr. Ansell has been dealing more particularly with juvenile education in the light of employment difficulties, investigating technical education, agricultural instruction and allied subjects. The report- on the complete investigation will probably not be presented to the Government for some time, but it will be ready in time to enable any necessary legislation to be brought down this session. It is likely that it will be found desirable to amend the Shops and Offices Act and Factories Act, while changes may be necessary in parts of the land laws to enable youths to receive more extensive training on the land. This particular point has been receiving considerable attention. There will almost certainly be changes in the law concerning apprentices thi'4 ! session. USEFUL WORK FOR BOYS KINDLING WOOD FACTORY One of the activities of the Auckland Boys' Employment Committee which is quickly establishing itself as a success is the factory which has been opened in Chancery Street, where boys are employed ciitting kindling wood. The factory, which is close to the committee's offices, has proved a convenient point for the concentration of boys registered with the organisation and who are awaiting employment. So far work has been found in the city for 14 of these boys. The ground floor of the factory is used as the workshop and there the boys are ; employed breaking up packing cases and cutting the timber into short lengths of kindling wood. These sticks are then made up into bundles and it is estimated that about 400 of these bundles can be put up each day with eight boys working. An arrangement has been made with a firewood merchant to deliver the output at Jd a bundle and at this price tbe factory, by turning out 600 bundles weekly with eight boys would b e selfsupporting. The boys receive Is a day and their mid-dav meal, but they have to serve a probationary period of three days before their pay starts. A messenger service js being conducted in conjunction with the factory. POSITION IN HAMILTON SATISFACTION EXPRESSED [from our own correspondent] ... HAMILTON, Thursday "The position in Hamilton with respect to unemployed boys is highly satisfactory," said the chairman, Mr. J. Treloar, at a meeting of the Hamilton Unemployed Youth Committee to-day. > The secretary, Mr. L. Calo, said 170 boys had been found work by the committee's bureau since October last, and* of these 109 went on to farms. There remained only six boys on the roll and these were employed in learning carpentry and in doing odd jobs in the town. There appeared to be an unsatisfied demand for farm hands, said Mr. Cato. Any boy willing and fit could be found work |on farms, he said. " - CAMPS DECLARED "BLACK" RESOLUTION AT TE KUITI [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] TB KUITI, Thursday The Te Kuiti Unemployed Association last evening passed a resolution protesting against a reduction in wages and deciding that nil relief camps in Waitomo County, whether for single or married men, be declared "black." SINGLE MEN IN CITIES , REDUCTION OF WORK REPORTED [by telegraph—press association] WELLINGTON, Thursday It was reported in Wellington to-day that in future single men working on city relief jobs may have to stand down every alternate week, thus earning 15s a fortnight, instead of 15s a week. The reason for the proposed step is understood to be that it would provide several hundred days' more work for married men, who would take the single men's places during the stand-down week.