COACH TRADES CONFER

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9630, 10 April 1917, Page 7

COACH TRADES CONFER

ON EFFICIENCY QUESTION ADDRESS BY ME- WILLIAM FERGUSON. The Coachbuildcrs’ Convention was resumed at 10,30 yesterday morning, Mr George Gash (president! in. the chair. Mr William Ferguson (chairman of the National Efficiency Board), who met with a hearty reception, congratulated the convention upon the resolution they had passed on Saturday with reference to keeping alive the businesses of the members of their trade who were _at the front. The men who were going forward, to the front were, he said, making individually very much greater sacrifices than any who were left behind. Therefore, it was essential that they should assist those men at any rate on the financial and business side is much as they could. He thought that they had struck the note in their resolution. That was the right spirit, and if they could only persuade all their members when they got back to the’ir rospiective districts to wn y that out they would have fied their meeting in Wellington . (Applause.) Each of the efficiency commissioners was working in his own district trying to organise committees so as to get in ■ touch and keep in touch ; with, all the local people in a way that no central organisation at Wellington could do. (Applause.) The board had taken in. hand first the question ot dealing with the farms of men on active service but they were very anxious that each trade should do what they as a trade had already done, keep in touch with the people of its own and safeguard their businesses. (Applause.; For example they would find ' it nee®*' sarv to do more than blacksmithing work for a blacksmith who was away. They would find it necessary to keep his accounts and collect his money as well and if the Efficiency Board could help them in- that matter in any way they would be only too glad to do so. Every attempt to assist a member who was going to the front must be on a business footing. ,It was necessary to have everything in black and "hire, with a power of attorney properly signed appointing trustees and so on. men they could'do the work, voluntarily u possible, but if not at as low a rate a possible- The Government, of course was now faying" monetary assistance P to £2 per week to enable soldier** to meet their obligations in regard o rent, interest, and so forth. One way in- which their association could help the board and the country was by making inquiries locally in order that the actual facts might be put before the Military Service Boards and the Efficiency Board. AN ESSENTIAL INDUSTRY ? With regard to the resolution as. to their trade- being an essential industry, it was as. in many other Coses, very difficult tof define whether it was tial or non-essential. It was, ho might say. Partially essential. For example it was very possible that a blacksmith in a country district .was abajiutelr essential for repairing tile, tarm/rs ploughs and so forth But it did not, therefore, follow that the blacksmith working_in a to'va shop was so essential. Therefore he did not think that the board would adopt their resolution as passed. Ho thought that the association should go a little further and analyse for the board the men employed, not only in the town but in the country districts, especially those in the Second Division, -and find ouf. which men were or were not essential. Body-painters, of example, might be essential. It might be that, ordinary housepainters could mot do bodypainting . But. then, .it might be that they would have to give up bodypainting during tho war, send vehicles out rough pointed, and have them properly finished after the war. Personally he was very keen that the result of thenefficiency , movement- during the war would result in greater efficiency after the war. (Applause.) ■ He hoped that they were going to carry on business more economically than in the past. A great deal depended Upon the . masters, and still more, on the men. That, he believed, was going to be one of their difficulties, but it must be faced. There was no doubt about it that they must train their servants to the idea that it was essential in the interests of the Dominion and of the Empire as a whole that everything should be done as economically as possible, with the, least waste in every way They had not felt the necessity in the Dominion before as they were so wealthy, and their produce realised good prices. But it did not follow that the after-war conditions would -be the same, and it behoved them and all other bodies of thinking men to take time by the forelock and see how thev could modify their businesses with a view to greater efficiency. (Applause.) The introduction of machinery, for instance, was one of the things that they as a body should try and lead the laggards in their trade to handle. Then, there was the question of technical edu r Cation. They had good technical schools, but the New Zealand youth, when he had passed the fifth or sixth standard thought that ho knew everything that was to bo known, and ho did not wish to learn any more. It would be veryhard to induce him to continue bis studies. He preferred to go to tho pcture theatres instead of to the technical schools. From returns that had passed through his hands he found that the attendance at technical schools was not so regular as it should be. ENCOURAGE TECHNICAL TRAIN-

ING. He thought that the masters should look at that and encourage the boys even to-the extent of paying their fees, and to some extent insisting that the boys should go to the technical schools and make use of the facilities afforded. They might also encourage the boys to attend the schools either by giving prizes or giving them facilities for attending classes. He had seen a proposal the other day—it was started in America, he thought—for taking "twin apprentices." They took two boys instead of one, and the boys took turn and turn about in the workshops and the technical school. Under that arrangement, each boy got only six months’ workshop training in the year, but in practice it was found that the boys benefited more than they would by six months’ workshop training, ns the technical school work made them better at the trade than they would otherwise have been. Tho Government had also thrown upon the Efficiency Board the duty of trying to promote §t»me scheme of scientific research work for New Zealand. The board was considering that matter, and would be glad of any suggestions in regard to it.

Tho secretary (Mr E. C. Harvio) said that there were .550 men engaged in the trade in New Zealand, and the association represented 50 per cent, of them. Members pointed out that the awards now provided and engineers could have one apprentice to each journeyman, and the coachbnilders were allowed only one apprentice to two journeymen. That would have to be altered before the suggestions in regard to apprentices oouid bo adopted. AWARDS AND EFFICIENCY.

Mr H. A. Whitaker said that their trade was doing mors work than before the war, but they were handicapped by the high prices of material and so forth, and he thought it would be a good and patriotic thing if during the currency of the war the labour unions would allow their men to work two hours a day longer at ordinary rates. He had put the suggestion to the men in his factory.

and all but one agreed that thev would be glad lo work tc-n hours a day for ordinary rates. If the move came from tho masters’ the men would demur, but if it came from, the Efficiency Boaid it might bo adopted. It should be understood, of course, that after tho war they would revert to tho present system. ill* scurr contended tiuv. a considerable amount of motor-car work was not necessary, but purely a luxury. He thought that the Government should practically have prohibited the importation of pleasure motor vehicles into New Zealand during the uar. Mr Cooper contended that for dairy farmers motor-cars were absolutely essential, as owing to the present scarcity of labour they could not do their work without a car.

The secretary said that 5798 new cars were registered in the Dominion last year, and ho thought that -50 per cent, only of those were essential. Mr Lock (Gore; said that within an area of 33 miles in his district there were 20 to 25 blacksmith’ shops; and the work now done by six shops could lie readily done by two. _He thought it would tend to efficiency if they could form companies and combine their works during the period of the war so as to out out unnecessary shops. , Messrs Dongohuc, Joll, and Matthews also took part in the discussion.

SUSPEND TERRITORIAL CAMPS?

The chairman said that the convention ought to approach the Government on the question of suspending the territorial training camps during the war. Some farmers in his district had twenty horses or more standing idle because of their boys being called npn in that way. In his opinion they had too many men in their trade in the country, and ninetenths of them had been chasing work. They could with advantage cut down the ’ number during the war. thus releasing men. Part of the work, too, could be done by women. Members, when they got back to their districts, should get the consent of their union to the officers of the union representing them in touch with tho local Efficiency Board. He had come across cases, some since ho came to Wellington, in which tradesmen complained that they could net get freightage for essential goods though there were loads, and loads of beer transported. He thought that they were .entitled to demand that freightage should not be given up to non-essentials at the expense of essentials. Then as to looking after soldiers’ farms and business, they could not make , money for a man, but they should so manage as not to run him into debt. They ought to emphasise the principle that on no account should any man coming back from the front have to pay off any debt incurred for him by their running his business or by the Efficiency Board running his farm. As to scientific research, the Government could well set aside half-a-dozen experts to find out with regard to the mineral and other natural resources of the Dominion and what could be done to save waste and to expand tho industries of tho country. (Applause*) SOLDIERS’ BUSINESSES.

Mr Ferguson expressed his satisfaction that the speakers had got such a good grip of the questions at issue. With regard to soldiers’ farms and businesses, a man’s first duty when called up, or if he volunteered, was to try and get his friends to carry on his business. If he could not do so then the Efficiency 'Board would do what they could for him. And the first thing they would have to do would be to go through his books, or, in the absence of books, otherwise determine the position of his business. If the business, though the man did not know it, was bankrupt, it would have to be wound up. But if it was a business that could by careful management be made to pay its way, it should be so worked as not to cause a loss. , The trustees would have, to seq to that, and if they could not afford to pay labour they would have to get the work done between them — do the man’s blacksmithing, or ploughing, or what not themselves. They should be prepared to make that sacrifice. That there should be any Government guarantee at the back of them would be disastrous. It would take all the push and energy out of the men ■who were undertaking the work. The board had discussed the matter with the Government, and that was the conclusion they arrived at. As to motorcars, it was very difficult to decide when they were or were not essential. In the country many of them were essential, but in the towns it was questionable if many of them were essential. As t 0 the question of freightage, the board must put it before the Government that freightage -should be reserved for essentials.

On the motion of the chairman, a hearty vote of thanks was accorded Mr Ferguson for his address. RESOLUTIONS PASSED. Mr H. A. Whitaker (Hamilton) moved : “That, in view of the shortage of labour and disturbed conditions of trade, the Government be urged to suspend the territorial training camps during the continuance of the war.” Ho mentioned that on the death of an Indian Mutiny veteran at Hamilton seven of his boys had been compelled to parade for the funeral, and all of them had been called out on a Wednesday for a shooting match when it might just' os well have been held on the Saturday half-holiday. Mr Joll (Auckland) seconded, and the resolution was carried. On the motion of Mr -Scurr, it was resolved; "That necessaries or essentials should take the preference in transport throughout the country, and that representation be made to the Efficiency Board that a reduction in hours or some other restriction of the liquor trade should be made in order to reduce the demand for freightage for beer and other liquor.’’ In speaking to the resolution Mr Scurr said that he recently had to send some plates of iron to the Stockton colliery—and if anything was an essential industry mining was—and he was a whole day begging and praying for freight for the plates, while a shedfull of beer went without any trouble.