TRAINING ARTISANS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19046, 17 December 1923, Page 10

TRAINING ARTISANS.

SUCCESS IN AUSTRALIA QTeov One Own Correspondent.* SYDNEY, December 6. Instead of importing skilled tradesmen from other countries and thus leaving our own youths to drift aimlessly from one unskilled job to another, the Master Builders’ Association some time ago inaugurated a scheme for training youths as bricklayers. The scheme has been such a success that it is now proposed to extend it to include plasteiers. The Minister of Education (Mr Bruntnell) regards this public-spirited work as a triumph of practical commonscnse. and proposes to ask the Government not merely to help the association in its work, but also to render such assistance as- will enable the master builders to extend the system. The unions, it is stated, although they expressed their determination at the outset to fight the scheme to the last ditch, have now offered it their blessings, ajid are persuading their own sons and other relatives to take advantage ot it. In ten months the association has given not less than three months’ intensive training to 76 students, who have all been placed in jobs in the trade, the majority of them at the award rate and over, and the younger lads at rates fixed by the Beard of Trade suitable to their ages.' With more schemes of this sort throughout Australia far loss would be beard of a shortage of skilled labour, which unquestionably is one of the biggest problems. The work, incidentally, shows to the unions that the spirit of altruism among employers is not quite dead. When discussing his horseback trip from Gisborne to Rotorua, Mr It. M'Villy, General Manager of Railways, at Morrinsville. remarked upon the roughness of the trip. A reporter laughingly inquired if much use wje made of a well-known brand of soothing healing ointment to obviate the inevitable half-crown patches of lost skin. To this rally the General Manager of Railways facetiously replied: “No, nothing like that had to be resorted to. I’m a pretty old hand in the saddle, but even if I wasn’t the number of kicks the Railway Department gets from the general public would have made my skin hard enough to resist even patches which could net: be covered by a five-shilling piece.” A warning to people suffering from infectious diseases was given in the Hamilton Magistrate's Court last week (says the Hamilton correspondent of the New Zealand Herald), wlien a married- woman was prosecuted by the Department of Health for allowing her daughter, who was suffering from diphtheria to travel in a public conveyance. Mr Gillies, who appeared for the department, said that the object of the prosecution was not so much to have a penalty inflicted on defendant, as to bring homo to the public the seriousness of tho offence. If people suffering from infectious disease wore to travel indiscriminately in buses and other public conveyances, a serious menace to the community was constituted. In the present case, he was satisfied that there was nothing deliberate in defendant’s action, and he suggested a conviction with (bo payment of costs only. Defendant said that she had taken her little girl to the doctor for treatment tho dayprevious, and had boon told to bring her back the following day-. In her ignorance she thought she could take the child on the bus. Defendant was ordered to paycosts (7s). Though the sovereign still makes a furtive and fugitive appearance, it may safely bo said that its occupation as currency has gone for ever. It is even regarded with suspicion by the ordinary trader, and to save trouble tho best thing to-be done should a stray gold coin come into possession is to pay it into a bank. The Treasury note has come to stay. The United States holds more gold tbaii all the ether countries of tho world put together, and Japan is second, though a long way behind on tho list. Rut: neither of these countries would dream of departing from the paper currency, which they adopted long ago. Gold, of course, will still remain th'e standard of value, but for all practical purposes it will be as remote frofn real life as if it- remained in (he mines. Wanted, a thousand film fans to own free copies of Bates' Book of Movie favourites, with its special photographs of famous stars. Apply immediately to your nearest cycle agent.r—Advt.