NUMBER OF APPRENTICES

Waikato Times, Volume 100, Issue 16814, 4 June 1926, Page 7

NUMBER OF APPRENTICES

AN INTERESTING POINT. CHRISTCHURCH, Thursday. An interesting point that has arisen under the general apprenticeship orders has been settled by the Arbitration Court. During its recent sittings in Christchurch the Court was asked to give its interpretation of the following question:—ls an employer entitled to count in such calculation all journeymen employed by him during the six months prior to the taking on of a new apprentice no matter how short the period of their employment so long as the average number employed during such period is equivalent to tho two-lhirds full time employment of the number required by the order?

j The Court's opinion is as follows: — •‘The object of the clause .is to ascertain the number of journeymen normally employed. The taking of the arithmetical average is in most cases the simplest method of arriving at the normal number employed. If one man leaves during the sixmonthly period and is replaced by another the two men count as one. Tile registrar should not rely on the strict arithmetical average, however, H an unusual temporary increase in fhe number nf journeymen has been caused by the undertaking of some non-recurring piece of work. He should in such case disregard the excess number of journeymen whose employment was necessitated by the special work and calculate the average which it is the object of the Court to regard as the true test, rather than a strict arithmelieal average which may in certain circumstances depart from the normal.”