UNEMPLOYMENT OF BOYS

Taranaki Daily News, 5 August 1932, Page 9

UNEMPLOYMENT OF BOYS

SEEKING NEW SOLUTIONS DISCUSSION BY BUSINESS MEN. NOVEL SUGGESTION AS TO CAUSE. A somewhat novel explanation of the existing unemployment amongst boj-s was advanced at a meeting of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce last night when during a discuseion on the matter one of the members suggested that the o-irls of the present generation were partly to blame. Owing to a. tendency towards social snobbery, he said, young men who took up manual or farming pursuits became more or less social outcasts. The remedy lay with the girls. The chairman, Mr. A. F. Sandford, introduced the subject when he reported on the conference held op Wednesday to discuss the question of th© relief of unemployment amongst boys. He could not see how much headway could be made with the removal of many of the conditions of the Apprentices Act, he said.

A member: Why not temporarily suspend the operation of the Apprenticeship Act? The clrairmaii: I do not think that would be sufficient. The thing has gone so far now that employers are in a practically hopeless position. Mr. G. H. Dolby: What are the wages for apprentices in the building trade? The chairman: I am not sure of the figures, but they run something like 15s, 255, 32s Gd, 42s 6d and 50s for th© five successive years of apprenticeship. The chairman' said it was not only the wages, which of course were th© biggest factor, but also the conditions hedging round the employment of apprentices that were a great embarrass-

ment. CAREERS TO FOLLOW. - The chairman and other members agreed that it was extremely advisable to make a serious endeavour to put the boys into the careers they were going to follow through life. One of th© members suggested that a canvass should b© made of the tradespeople to see definitely how many boys they could absorb into industry if the Apprenticeship Act were suspended. If gome concrete information could thug bo obtained it could be made a lever for the Government, ho said. The chairman suggested a Government subsidy to the employers to assist in the payment of the boys’ wages; Mr, E. C. Hayton and other members said they were opposed to Government subsidy, which was wrong in principle. Another solution ought to be found.

Mr. A. H. Bone said he did not see there was anything wrong in subsidising the payment of boys’ wages. In a crisis it was advisable to take drastic steps to give th© young men employment. _ j; member- suggested as an alternative that men of 60 years of age and upwards should be pensioned off to make room for the young men. . Mr. Gordon Fraser suggested that the absorption of young people was to som© extent wrapped up in'social snobbery, and if the girte of the country took up the question they might do some good, If the girls had a party these days they asked the boys who wero in “collar and tie” jobs, and the boys who wer© - doing something useful of a manual nature were left out. No wonder such pursuits were not sought.

TO MAKE FARMING ATTRACTIVE. Mr. Blyde said Mr. Fraser had touched upon th© solution of the problem to a certain extent. The greatest thing was to make farming sufficiently attractive. Boys had their heads screwed on the right way and if th© monetary returns aiid the social amenities were sufficient farming would be made popular and unemployment would automatically cease, There ample room for men on the land, and every man on the land kept about five men employed in other avenues of life. .. Mr. Fraser: At present it takes about five men in other avenues of life to keep on© man on the land. Mr. Dolby said h© thought the cham-r her should concentrate on finding employment for boys in their own’town, and other towns eould do th© same. Mr. Blyd© favoured the compilation of an official register to determine the number of unemployed boys, each town throughout New Zealand compiling its own register, An attempt could then he made to place th© boys individually. He admitted it would probably be necessary to alter or suspend the conditions of the Apprenticeship Aet.’ A member: Unselfishness is at th© base of a solution. Th© chairman; Most employers have shown considerable unselfishness and kept on staff when they really had no justification for doing so. Mr. Holm agreed that to reduce the retiring age from 6'5 to GO was e solution. Mr. Blyde moved that a recommendation be made to the committee at present investigating the position to have a register as complete as possible compiled of the unemployed boys in New Plymouth. Thia was carried.