WORK FOR BOYS

Opunake Times, 15 January 1935, Page 3

WORK FOR BOYS

POSITIONS IN COUNTRY

FEW JOBS IN TOWN

As lias been tbe case for some years, there is ample scope for the employment of youths on farms, but the position in trades and professions in the towns is not so favourable, and it appears that a large number of boys who under normal conditions would have completed their secondary educaton are returning to school this year. Openings have been found in the \\ aikato for a few boys who were at school last year "at- the head office of the Neiv Zealand Co-operative Dairy Company, -Ltd., which is probably the largest private employer of labour in tlie district. An official of tbe company stated recently that there were some.2oo applications lor jobs of a clerical and like nature. Owing to the fact that the peak of the dairying season was reached early, and production is now declining rapidly on account of the dry spell, no additional ■staff is needed at dairy factories —the tendency is rather the other way.

rm ßanks and Le 6 a l Offices.

. I1 Ilere 1 lere has beeu little movement hi the staffs of banks and Wal ffhres and inquiries made show that'lew lads who finished their post- primary education last mmth have obtained a start loudly. In some of the trades opportunity has occurred, and the nopiietor ol a large motor <>-arige intimated that he had taken m tliree assistants since the New rear holidays.

incentives in tlie electrical traaes do'not hold out much Hope lor tne absorption of a larger number of boys tban usual. Tne manager of on e large dim stated tJiat there was little building going on, with tlie result that most drms were faced with the difficulty of duding sufficient employment for their present stuffs, witn out considering any additions. l or the moment there was little scope for aspiring young electricIclliS.

Engineering Trades, A more hopeful outlook, howtn er, wa s voiced by a departmental manager of an engineering firm in Hamilton, with Dominion. ), , e He mentioned that although the requisite proportion of apprentices to journeyiiieu could not b e exceeded it was the policy of his firm to retain at least four or live boys, a numbei of \\ horn each year passed out os their time, their places being filled by new lads from the schools. 1 respects were a great deal blighter in the engineering trade than was the case a year or two ago.

0 tIle 1 insurance profession f. ry endeavour is being made'to relieve be unemployed boy problem. -Many branch managers have received instructions Irom ben bead ofbce to employ boys instead of girls wherever i t is practicable. 1 13

Hundreds of Farm Jobs. wl^ U ( t iere 18 011 , e s Phere from .idi womeii aud g lr j s cannot be of tlle shorthand 1 st .; ,|^ s ,. al ' e 110fc considered to bo suitable lor this class of work, aud girls prove Miexnselves fax juore adapted to report, type and Handle correspoudeuce. The bov u f * ll ‘ le - not only dislikes the ’" ork, put .is also quite incapable of performing- it to the satisfaction of bis employer.

# X i/ —•> • A very different story is told in' the primary industries. Where, on one hand, dozens of boys ire striving after- office and_J:rade jobs, on the other hand if is found impossible to fill even a small percentage of the positions which are vacant on farms throughout the Waikato. Jmt before Christmas one Hamilon registry office required more than 100 boys and youths for farm work, but a very small proportion of the jobs were able to be filled. At the present time the same office had at least 30 applications from farmers for, which it was impossible to find applicants. “Boys will not leave the town, even though the wages offered by farmers range from 15s to £\,” commented the principal of another registry office, who stated that if the labour were available it would be possible to fill two or three positions daily.