TRAINING OF APPRENTICES.

Colonist, Volume LVIII, Issue 14444, 30 June 1917, Page 4

TRAINING OF APPRENTICES.

lOnitbd Press Association.] Wellington, June 28. The conference of directors and supervisors of technical education concluded to-day. It was decided to meet again about this time next A-deputation from the' Trades Council • waited upon the conference this afterl noon to communicate its views on the training of apprentices. The council considered that the training of appreni tices had broken down in the Dominion and solicited the support of the conference for suggested legislation to'en- • able children of workers to secure a reasonable standard of knowledge. [| The chairman of the conference, in t reply, eaid the matter had already been i dealt with -along the lines suggested. He said: "We are asking the Government to make the v of attendance [in the daytime up to 15 years. Then I,we are asking that/from that age to i 'the age of 18 all boys and girls shall -be compelled to attend continuation l classes for at least eight hours a week >. Vie. are risking also that employers be .•compelled to provide that time, and ..that where the hours of labour are fixed I. by an award, the time should come out [ol them. We further recognise that •there are cases where parents liavo . children who for the sake of the family must earn a certain amount of wages and; m order to aivoid any difficulty ;• arising from children being kept A ~ school to the age of 15 years, we ask » «ie Government to provide maintenance , tor children m such cases. We are fur- ; tlier asking that the Industrial Conc-T- ---. atjon and Arbitration Act should be ; amended so that awards shall provide , for an apprentice spending at least eight , liours of his employer's time .at a day [school.' We know that eight Hours' work a day is quite enough for a man, > SfV sk ? SrowinS Wor girl, after ' 1* h°P rs Y ork wol>k at a trade, to put mvtune at evening classes, is most