APPRENTICESHIP

Timaru Herald, Volume CLVIII, Issue 23261, 24 July 1945, Page 4

APPRENTICESHIP

House Debates The Subject Shortage Of Skilled T radesmen Building Industry Affected 'N.Z.P.AJ WELLINGTON. July 23. Apprenticeship was debated in the House of Representatives this . afternoon, members discussing the ‘ report of the Apprenticeship Com- ■ mission which was tabled earlier in j the session. Before the debate commenced Miss I Mabel Howard 'Government. Christ- ; church East’ gave notice to ask the I Prime Minister if he had noted the report that the United Kingdom Gov- I eminent proposed to give power to local , bodies to take over unoccupied houses for the benefit, of the homeless, and if the New Zealand Government would i grant similar powers to local bodies in this country. Mr Jack Acland 'National. Temuka’ gave notice to ask the Minister of Finance if he was aware that when a I person in receipt of the age benefit who had certain moneys, including | money on registered mortgage, with- i drew such mortgage money for war j loan investment, he forfeited his age benefit? Mr Acland said that an old I age pensioner who had money so invested withdrew £7OO and invested it in the Victory Loan, and his age benefit was then cancelled. Mr T. W. Macdonald ’National, i Mataura' in a question to the Minister of Social Security, asked if it wa.s the practice of the Social Security Department not only to keep a check on I the savings bank accounts of age bene- j ficiaries. but to question the holders of such accounts regarding the purpose | for which withdrawals were made. Mr i Macdonald said in one case where £25 was withdrawn for the purchase of ’ household linen a note was received asking how the money had been spent. Mr G. H. Mackley ’National. Masterton) gave notice to ask the Minister of finance whether the Government would consider making legislative provision for periodical actuarial examinations of the Social Security Fund. Report Commended Mr W. J. Polson 'National. Stratford’ said the report of the Apprenticeship Commission was a commonsense one because it pointed out that if we were to assume that the 40-hour week would remain, then the necessary increase in our production would have to be achieved by more efficient labour, more up-to-date methods and more modern machinery. The Commission also pointed out that production from the land must be at a price to enable it it compete in world markets. This was sound common sense such as members on his side of the House had always expressed, said Mr Polson, and it was therefore gratifying that the Commission, including as it did men prominent in trade union circles, had reached similar conclusions. Mr F. Hackett ’Government. Grey Lynm suggested that much of the present difficulty in the housebuilding programme in the Dominion was due to the shortage of skilled tradesmen resulting from the fact that during the years 1932-6 the number of apprentices in the building trades was reduced to about one-third of that for the preceding years. In many cases apprentices were used to run messages instead of being trained. In effect, employers were using apprenticeship as a means of securing cheap labour. Mr W. Sullivan ’National, Bay of Plenty’ said the period of apprenticeship should not be less than five years so that boys could have a thorough training and be given every opportunity to become efficient. One of the reasons for the shortage of apprentices in the building trades was that there was insufficient continuity of work. A five or 10 years’ building programme would give employers confidence to train apprentices. Mr R. McKcen 'Government. Wellington South’ referred to youths who had been trained in the Services to the point where they were semi-skilled and asked what was to become of them when New Zealand returned to peacetime production. He asked if time put in in military trades would be taken into account. Mr C. M. Bowden ’National. Wellington West.’ said if he had any criticism at all it was that there was too great a tendency to throw the responsibility on the employer. For instance, it was claimed that, at the end of the day boys were too tired r.o attend classes, therefore classes should be in the employers’ time. There was also a suggestion that employers should provide tools. The young people of to-day were just as tough and willing as any before them, and he could see no reason for making conditions too easy for them. Not Revolutionary The Attorney-General (the Hon. H. G. R. Masoru said the recommendations ; made were not immensely revolutionary, i but they were important. The Commission appeared to think that there w’ere defects in the apprenticeship system, but a large part of what was recommended was already in operation. The Hon. C. F. Skinner said he was rather disappointed that the report had not laid greater emphasis on trade training schools which were playing an important part in rehabilitation.' There were to-day 677 men in trade training schools, while numbers more were training with private employers and others had completed their training. The Rehabilitation Department had made a survey of many trades and computed that to achieve a housebuilding programme of 12.000 houses a year we would need more than 16.000 carpenters. The figure of 12.000 was ambitious when it was realised that the greatest annual total as yet had been about 8000. but if the shortage of houses was to be over- i come we needed an ambitious programme. Mr Skinner said that the shortage of skilled tradesmen was limiting some forms of building to-day. For instance, if we had more bricklayers we could de more building in brick. Admittedly bricks were too dear, but the limiting factor was not the cost of bricks but the shortage of bricklayers. Tlie Hon. F. Langstone ’Government. | Waimarino) advocated the extension of trade training schools, which were I doing excellent work for rehabilitation, to country centres, where thev should I be established on a permanent basis to : give training in industrial process tc : boys and girls, 100. if girls desired it. There was more hope for New Zealand in placing people in industry than on the land, although farming, too. lent itself to the scientific training of those i engaged in it. The debate was interrupted bv the tea adjournment.