WORK FOR YOUTH

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23254, 25 January 1939, Page 12

WORK FOR YOUTH

Faith and works do not always march together in the programme of the Labour Government. One article of faith, enunciated clearly and vigorously by the Minister of Labour, Mr. Webb, and supported whole-heartedly by the majority of citizens, is the desire to remove young men—the youth of the depression years—from the ranks of unskilled workers, and also to see that their younger brothers, the youth of to-day, have at least an equal chance of acquiring proficiency in skilled trades. Mr. Webb's initial efforts in this direction, taken when he was deputising for Mr. Armstrong about two years ago, foundered largely on the rocks of silent trade union opposition and the administrative inertia which followed Mr. Armstrong's return. Now, when Mr. Webb is in a more favourable position to proceed with his plans for training young men to take their rightful place in industry, further obstacles are becoming apparent. The Minister of Railways, Mr. Sullivan, announced the other day that more boys than can be accepted have applied for apprenticeships in the railway workshops. Even in the days when there was no skilled labour shortage, the railway workshops played a prominent part in training young men for subsequent private employment in several expert trades. With the present dearth of artisans, these training activities could well be widened, and at the 'same time additional incentives could be given to private employers to assist in building up the ranks of skilled workers. What is needed is an immediate and thorough overhaul of the whole apprenticeship laws, which in many instances ignore modern industrial methods by which the precision of the machine replaces much of the skill previously required of the individual tradesman. This question must be faced and Mr. Webb's proposed industrial councils would be serving a most useful purpose if they could suggest an adequate solution.