BOYS EMPLOYED.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20483, 8 December 1934, Page 23

BOYS EMPLOYED.

Increase During Last Quarter. IMPROVED POSITION 1 . A noticeable decrease in the number of boys out of work was the chief feature of reports submitted to a meeting of the Boys’ Employment Committee yesterday. Mr A. J. M’Eldowney presided. Mr G. M. Keys reported that a tent had been taken at the show for the purpose of meeting farmers and making contact with boys already placed on farpis. The bureau staff were busily engaged in making visits to the schools and eighteen had already been covered. The interim figures confirmed the impression that there was a most noticeable improvement in boy employment, said Mr Keys. During tine period from September 28 to December 8, 177 boys had been placed in permanent employment, while the number in temporary employment was 220, a total of 397. Last year, for the whole quarter, Sep-tember-December, 144 boys had been placed in permanent employment and 143 in temporary employment, a total of 287. While the figures showed a noticeable improvement, it was expected that the registrations would increase in the near future. On the roll there were still 553 boys unplaced and another 215 were in temporary positions and would be requiring further help. Of the boj's unplaced a number were still at school. At the end of last year the number unplaced was between 600 and 700. Good Positions Available. In commenting on the report, Mr M’Eldowney said that one of the satisfactory ieatures was the number of good positions that were being made available. Reporting for the Welfare Committee, Mr M’Eldowney said that 178 boys had been visited during the quarter. Of these, 106 were in permanent employment, eighteen in temporary employment, twenty-four were unplaced, nothing was known of the whereabouts of eighteen and twenty-three had gone back to school. The committee had met failure in the letters sent to school committees asking them to help in calling meetings for the purpose of forming sub-com-mittees, said Mr M’Eldowney. In a number of cases the school committees reported that the people were apathetic while in the majority of cases no replies had been received. This went to show that they would have to do their work from the central bureau. A report from the Opportunities' Committee stated that ninety-two firms had been visited during the quarter and also a number of men who were in a position to help. Figures showed that 197 boys had been placed with the firms visited. Of these, only eight had proved to be unsatisfactory, while sixteen had lost their jobs through firms closing. Mr M’Eldowney reported that of the twenty-four boys who had attended the last salesmanship class, twenty were now in employment.