AGE TO START WORK.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LI, Issue 16672, 27 February 1925, Page 8

AGE TO START WORK.

APPR ENT ICE PROBLEM. WHEN SHOULD A BOY LEAVE SCHOOL? CHRISTCHURCH. Feb. 23. At what age should a boy be allowed to leave .school to take up a trade? Tho question was raised in the Arbitration Court to-day, union representatives bolding that a Iwy should not be allowed to take up the painting and the bricklaying trades under the age of 15 , years and 16 years respectively. Tho employers considered that the lad was .suliiciently mature at 14 years, and, the Court delivered itself oi the opinion that, except in special instances, if, could not block the way to skilled trades, wjjien unskilled Trades were open to the boys as soon as they had left school. For the Painters and Decorators' Union, Mr G. F. Owen applied that the age of apprentices should he raised from 14 years t.o 15. The union would like to see all hoys with proficiency certificates before the\ v entered their trades. ■Mr Justice Frazer considered that practically all the boys had gained their certificates, or about 75 per cent, of them had, by the time they 'were 14 years old. 17 the age of admission to the trade was raised to 15, boys would he “kicking their beds” or taking on , “blind alley” occupations for two months. The Court would need to have .special conditions before it would be justified in the keeping of boys out of a .skilled trade for that time. A hoy might leave school as soon as he had gained his proficiency or after the age of 14 years. If a big, sturdy boy was wanted in a particular trade, as in the linking trade, where the minimum age of apprentices had been agreed on, the Court would he justified in fixing it at 15 or 16 years. What would influence the Court in fixing the age at more than 14 years, would be tho consideration of whether the boy was required to do heavy work. Mr Owen submitted that the painting trade was one in which tho apprentice had to he of a big stamp to “stand up” to the work. He considered that all hoys should remain at school to the ago of 16 years, and that everyone was entitled to two years’ secondary education. With the admission age at 14 years, parents would be inclined to send the boys to work rather than to school. His Honor said the trouble was that the age limit was not universal among the trades. The hoys would be put into trades where there was no age limit, and consequently, by raising the age limit, tho Court would be keeping the boys out of the painting trade. “Wo can’t force parents to keep their hoys at school if they are unable or if they don’t want to,” ho said. Mr Owen: After five years’ apprenticeship a boy who began at 14 is still a mere youth. His Honor said that a special rate for the sixth year might he agreed on. Some hoys did not work hard in the first two or three years of their apprenticeship. Mr Owen: It' is the employers’ business to see that the hoy learns His trade in the five years. His Honor: You can drive an unwilling horse to water. You would not mean the hov of 19 years to apply for an under-rate workers’ permit, usually granted to the aged or infirm? Mr Owen said that the conference of .educationists had agreed that a. lad should not leave school before he was 16 years old. His Honor: Until we make an ago limit in all cases wo are hopeless. If :we close the skilled trade the bov gets into an unskilled trade, and after getting good money between the ages of 14 and 16, he is not likely to come back into an apprenticeship and give up those wages. It is pretty hard to get a hoy to .see that,. I would like to- see the boy staying at school, hut we have no means of closing the unskilled trades.” ' The Court intimated that it would consider'the claims. ....