BUILDING INDUSTRY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16583, 16 November 1921, Page 10

BUILDING INDUSTRY.

LECTURE BY PROFESSOR CONDUIFFE. A thoughtful address on the history of the building industry and some of its problems, particularly with respect lo education and vocational training, was delivered by Professor J. B. CondliOe before a largely attended meeting of the Allied Building Trades Association of Employers last night.. JVIr W. H. Winsor occupied the chair. Professor Condliffe said that all discussion of the evolution of industry mst begin with the effectively simple organisation of mediaeval time a-. lx was that age which produced tho great English masterpieces of architecture. The building of a great cathedral, for instance, would be and the materials ordered and workmen engaged by the steward. The actual build ing was left to the master craftsmen : hence there was much faulty structure, but much originality and inspiration. The craftsmen were organised in guilds, and it was from these guilds that the developed form of apprenticeship came The object was to raise up honest and virtuous masters to succeed the older members as tliey died off. a long period of apprenticeship Yhe trainee became a journeyman and the first signs of disinteg?ation came when the journeymen formed guilds of their own. 1 he old guilds had become exclusive and the stronger ones tried to dominate the others and in consequentthe old* mediaeval organisations of industry eventually broke up. The lecturei quoted several historical incidents in connection with the guild system, with th© object of showing the value the guilds had been in keeping the indu - tries they represented up to a big l standard. The building trade differed from most others in rot having produc tion of large quantities of exportable articles and the need for much capital Hence builders of the present day wex« nearer the organisation of the Middl. Ages than other trades, having largeb escaped ” factory organisation.” Tlv relation of a worker in the buildir.; trades to tho consumer was more direct than usual, hence the craftsmen were ar-t +o resent the presence of middle men. who had not apneared until quite recently. After dealing with the sue cess of building guilds in various town in England, and on other aspects of tin subject, Professor Condliffe', answerer<t number of questions. He was accorded a vote of thanks for his address.