APPRENTICE PROBLEM

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LII, Issue 17157, 6 October 1926, Page 10

APPRENTICE PROBLEM

PROPOSED ADVISORY BOARDS. TRAINING- BOYS FOR TRADE. (Per Prow, Association.) AUCKLAND, last, night. A suggestion to institute a central ; board in each main centre to advise par- ! cuts on the choice of careers for boys j was warmly supported by Mr. Justice i Frazer in the Arbitration Court as a solulion of the difficulty created by the overcrowding of certain trades arid the dearth of apprentices in others. The suggestion arose in the course of discussion on.the applications by several electrical firms and the Auckland Master I’lumbers’ Association. The applications were for amendments to apprenticeship orders in the electrical and plumbing and gas-fitting trades respectively. They sought, to increase the district proportion of apprentices to journeymen. • There were_also appeals lodged by individual employers in both trades. “The. primary schools educate boys in the ground work of -clerical work,” added Mr. S. E. Wright, for the employers, in discussing the apprenticeship question geml'ally. “They do not prepare boys for trades. We claim that the boy who enters a trade has a better chance than the boy ‘who just takes up clerical work. We do not say all clerical work is unskilled, but there are instances.” His Honor: The derk who is not qualified in any direction is mo doubt the unskilled worker of the clerical world. Some qualify in study of accountancy or law or similar subjects, and other men are simply “pen-pushers.” They are the unskilled workers of the “white collar brigade.” It is quite fair lo make that comparison. BETTER CITIZENS. •Mr. Wright: In my opinion every boy desirous of entering a trade should be given tho opportunity. He becomes a better citizen from the training he gets as an apprentice, and will be a far better man than the man who has no trade. Mr. A. L. Monteith (employees’ representative on tho Court): You expect parflnts to be asked .to let boys waste live years learning a trade in which they may not get- employment '! Mr. Wriglil: It-is bettor'than wasting' them on unskilled work. Mr. Monteith: What would you do with surplus boys? Mr. Wriglillt is a difficult problem. What would you suggest? Mr. Monteith : It seems to be a case) of deciding where their services are most needed. Mr. Wright: What I would like to see is the institution of a ceSitral board to take the place of the committee, and to give advice to parents on the choice of careers for thdir hoys. His Honor: I am very much impressed with that. It, was just what was passing through my mind. There is no doubt that -certain trades are being rushed, such as electrical work and engineering. Every boy seem? to want, to go in for one oi* other of these trades. If we had a central board it- might- be possible to divert these lads to trades in which there would be some scope. One such trade is baking, in which, I understand, apprentices are scarce, and I understand there is a dearth of apprentices in some of' the building trades. Mr. Wright : We did have an arrangement with the Labor Department for the registration of boys wishing to learn trades, but we found that, although the boys registered, the employers did -not go to the department.