APPRENTICES ACT

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIII, Issue 16475, 20 October 1927, Page 10

APPRENTICES ACT

ALTERING THE QUOTA

AMENDMENT PASSED

(Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night

When the Apprentices ’ Amendment Ppll was called on in committee the Leader of tile Opposition asked the Minister of Labor if he would postpone this Bill until the whole question could be gone into thoroughly. He was receiving objections to the Bill from all parts of the Dominion, and lie failed to see why this amendment, which was only a partial one. should be rushed through at the end of the session. The Hon. G. J. Anderson said lie could not postpone the Bill because he had asked for suggestions and, having received them, he felt that lie should give effect to them. Mr. W. A. Yeitch said that while the Bill did not do all he would like to see, he. considered it. an Improvement on the existing law, and it would give apprentices a better opportunity of learning their trade than heretofore.

Mr. R. Mi-Keen urged the postponement of the Bill, as it had not, as mt, received mature consideration by the labor unions. Only one si;de hail been consulted, and he moved to report progress in order tiiat the whole question might bo brought under review bv all persons concerned. Sir John Luke said that if the Opposition wished to befriend the appientices they should support the Government.

ill-. J. Horn said that delays were dangerous in a ease of this kind, and lie could not, for that reason, support the amendment, Mr. E. J. Howard declared that no clear statement of the position had been made, and that was'the reason why the Bill should he delayed. Mr. MeKeen’s amendment to report progress was ruled out, on the ground that the dinner adjournment had intervened before the amendment was put. The first. clause of the Bill was allowed to pass, and on the second clause Mr. I’. Fraser again moved to report progress, not as he explained, to block the Bill, but to emphasise the need, for further eonsideralion. On a division the amendment was lost by 53 votes to 15. “BUILDING ON SAND” Mr. P. G. Sullivan said there was no doubt the effect of the Bill would be to increase the number of apprentices. It was a tragedy to train more apprentices than could be absorbed in the trade for which the youth was trained. The Hon J. A. Young said it was far worse to deprive young men of the opportunity to learn any trade, for a. tradesman always stood a bettor chance of obtaining work than one who had no trade at all. Messrs 11. T. Armstrong and W. J. Jordan argued that the unions were not. responsible for the present situation. The root of the trouble was that employers were not employing their quota of apprentices, because they' would not be bothered with them. They preferred to import ready-made journeymen. After further criticism and objection by the Labor members the clause was agreed to on tile voices. Mr. Fraser then moved a new clause providing that no person be added to the list of employers unless he lias been a journeyman in that trade, and was at that time engaged in it. He said the object of the clause was to prevent the ranks, of the employers being stuffed with bogus "names. „

The Minister said he could not accept the amendment at that stage, but he would consider the suggestion when he was going into the whole question of apprentices. The new clause was lost on the voices, and the Bill was reported without amendment.

On the third reading Mr. Holland said the Labor Party had in committee endeavored to. get the Bill postponed, in order to give industrial organisations an opportunity of formulating their objections to it. The Minister had, during the recess, circularised employers’ committees, but the unions had no notice of the intention to introduce the Bill, and their side of the ease had not been heard. That being so, ho sought to have the Bill postponed. Mir John Luke said notice had been sent to labor unions by the clerk of the Labor Bills Committee, and evidence offered was by no means hostile to the Bill. Mr. Sullivan said the Minister was making a mistake. He was, in fact, building on sand. The Minister said lie was not. building on sand, but, he was being •'uided by common sense and experience. The alterations being made v,ere in the right direction. The third reading was agreed t:o.