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1945 NEW ZEALAND
COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO APPRENTICESHIP AND RELATED MATTERS (REPORT OF)
Presented to both Houses of the General Assembly by Command of His Excellency
Commission of Inquiry into Apprenticeship and Related Matters
C. L. .N. NEWALL, Governor-General • To all to whom these presents shall come, and to His Honour Mr. Arthur Tyndall, of Wellington, Judge of the Court of Arbitration ; Clarence Edward Beeby, of Wellington, Director of Education ; Frederick Daniel Cornwell, of Wellington, Secretary; Charles Koderick Edmond, of Wellington, Secretary ; Francis George Fowler, of Auckland, Engineer ; Alfred Gilbert, of Auckland, Engineer ; Henry Ernest Moston, of Wellington, Secretary of Labour ; William Joseph Mount]oy, of Wellington, Secretary ; Frederick Charles Eenyard, of Wellington, Superintendent of Technical Education ; Kandolph Gordon Eidling, of Wellington, Technical College Principal; Eoy Stanley, of Auckland, Secretary ; and Edward Bellamy Taylor, of Wellington, Registrar of Apprentices : Greeting. Whereas it is expedient that inquiry be made into the working of the apprenticeship laws and the desirability of reorganizing facilities for training in manual trades and into the other matters hereinafter referred to : Now, therefore, I, Cyril Louis Norton Newall, the Governor-General of the Dominion of New Zealand, in exercise of the powers conferred on me by the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1908, and all other powers and authorities enabling me in this behalf, and acting by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, do hereby nominate, constitute, and appoint you, the said Arthur Tyndall, Clarence Edward Beeby, Frederick Daniel Cornwell, Charles Roderick Edmond, Francis George Fowler, Alfred Gilbert, Henry Ernest Moston, William Joseph Mount] oy, Frederick Charles Renyard, Ranc'olph Gordon Ridling, Roy Stanley, and Edward Bellamy Taylor to be a Commission to inquire into and report and make recommendations upon the following matters, namely :— (1) To investigate existing educational facilities of both prevocational and vocational character, and to report on the changes necessary to meet the present and future needs of industry so far as they can be foreseen : (2) To examine existing legislation bearing upon apprenticeship ; to make recommendations as to changes in such legislation, or as to new legislation which might be necessary to enable the reforms recommended by the Commission to be carried into effect;
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And generally such other matters arising out of the premises as may come to your notice in • the course of your inquiries and which you consider should be investigated in connection therewith and be brought to the attention of the Government: And in exercise of such powers and authorities as aforesaid, and with the like advice and consent, I do hereby appoint you, the said Arthur Tyndall, to be the Chairman of the said Commission : And you are hereby authorized to conduct any inquiry under these presents at such times and places as you deem expedient, with power to adjourn from time to time and place to place as you think fit, and so that these presents shall continue in force and the inquiry may at any time and place be resumed although not regularly adjourned from time to time or from place to place, and to call before you and examine on oath or otherwise such persons as you think capable of affording you information as to the matters aforesaid, and to call for and examine all such books, papers, writings, documents, and records as you deem likely to afford you the fullest information on any such matters : And, using all due diligence, you are required to report to me, under your hands and seals, not later than the thirty-first day of August, one thousand nine hundred and forty-four, yoixr findings and opinions on the aforesaid matters : And you are hereby strictly charged and directed that you shall not at any time publish or otherwise disclose, save to me in pursuance of these presents or by my direction, the contents or purport of any report so made or to be made by you, or any evidence or information obtained by you in the exercise of the powers hereby conferred upon you, except such evidence or information as is received in the course of a sitting open to the public": And it is hereby declared that the powers hereby conferred shall be exercisable notwithstanding the absence at any time of any one or more of the members of the Commission hereby appointed, so long as the Chairman and at least four other members be present and concur in the exercise of such powers. Given under the hand of His Excellency Marshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Louis Norton Newall, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, on whom has been conferred the Albert Medal of the First Class, Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in and over His Majesty's Dominion of New Zealand and its Dependencies, and issued under the Seal of the said Dominion, this 19th day of April, 1944. P. C. WEBB, Minister of Labour. Approved in Council— C. A. JEFFERY, Clerk of the Executive Council. at
Extending the Period within which the Commission of Inquiry into Apprenticeship and Related Matters shall report
C. L. N. NEWALL, Governor-General To all to whom these presents shall come, and to His Honour Mr. Arthur Tyndall, of Wellington, Judge of the Court of Arbitration; Clarence Edward Beeby, of Wellington, Director of Education ; Frederick Daniel Cornwell of Wellington, Secretary ; Charles Eoderick Edmond, of Wellington, Secretary ; Francis George Fowler, of Auckland, Engineer ; Alfred Gilbert, of Auckland, Engineer ; Henry Ernest Moston, of Wellington, Secretary of Labour ; William Joseph Mount]oy, of Wellington, Secretary ; Frederick Charles Renyard, of Wellington, Superintendent of Technical Education ; Randolph Gordon Ridling, of Wellington, Technical College Principal; Roy Stanley, of Auckland, Secretary ; and Edward Bellamy Taylor, of Wellington, Registrar of Apprentices : Greeting. Whereas by Warrant dated the nineteenth day of April, one thousand nine hundred and forty-four, and issued with the advice and consent of the Executive Council under my hand and the seal of the Dominion, you, the said Arthur Tyndall, Clarence Edward Beeby, Frederick Daniel Cornwell, Charles Roderick Edmond, Francis George Fowler, Alfred Gilbert, Henry Ernest Moston, William Joseph Mount]oy, Frederick Charles Renyard, Randolph Gordon Ridling, Roy Stanley, and Edward Bellamy Taylor were appointed to be a Commission to inquire into
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the working of the apprenticeship laws and the desirability of reorganizing facilities for training in manual trades and into the other matters hereinafter referivi to : And whereas by the said Warrant you were required to report to me not later than the thirty-first day of August, one thousand nine hundred and forty-four, your findings and opinions on the matters therein specified : And whereas it is expedient that the time for so reporting should be extended: Now, therefore, I, Cyril Louis Norton Newall, the Governor-General of the Dominion of New Zealand, in exercise of the powers conferred by the Commissions of Inquiry Act, 1908, and all other powers and authorities enabling me in this behalf, and acting by and with the advice and consent of the Executive Council, do hereby extend until the thirtieth day of November, one thousand nine hundred and forty-four, the time within which you are so required to report: And you are hereby strictly charged and directed that you shall not at any time publish or otherwise disclose, save to me in pursuance of the said Warrant, the contents or purport of any report so made or to be made by you, or any evidence or information obtained by you in the exercise of the powers hereby conferred upon you, except such evidence or information as is received in the course of a sitting open to the public : And, in further pursuance of the said powers and authorities and with the like advice and consent, I do hereby confirm the said Warrant and the Commission thereby constituted except as altered by these presents. Given under the hand of His Excellency Marshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Louis Norton Newall, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, on whom has been conferred the Albert Medal of the First Class, Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in and over His Majesty's Dominion of New Zealand and its Dependencies, and issued under the Seal of the said Dominion, this 30th day of August, 1944. P. C. WEBB, Minister of Labour. Approved in Council — C. A. JEFFERY, Clerk of the Executive Council.
REPORT
To His Excellency Marshal of the Royal Air Force Cyril Louis Norton Newall, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George, Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, on whom has been conferred the Albert Medal of the First Class, Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief in and over His Majesty's Dominion of New Zealand and its Dependencies. May it please your Excellency,— Your Excellency's Commission, dated the 19th day of April, 1944, directed us to inquire into and report and make recommendations upon the following matters, namely : — (1) To investigate existing educational facilities of both prevocational and vocational character, and to report on the changes necessary to meet the present and future needs of industry so far as they can be foreseen : (2) To examine existing legislation bearing upon apprenticeship ; to make recommendations as to changes in such legislation, or as to new legislation which might be necessary to enable the reforms recommended by us to he carried into effect. We have now the honour to submit to Your Excellency our unanimous report and recommendations. After appropriate notifications in the press and over the broadcasting service, the Commission commenced its formal sittings for the taking of evidence at Wellington on the 20th June, 1944. Sittings were held later at Auckland, Christchurch, and Dunedin. On the return of the Commission to Wellington from Dunedin, further evidence was taken in that city. The Commission sat on forty-six occasions in all, and evidence was heard from one hundred and thirty witnesses. Sixty-eight written statements were submitted by witnesses and, in addition, seventeen further written statements were received from other interested parties in different parts of the Dominion. A list of the names of witnesses, with the organizations they represented, and of those parties who made written submissions only, is given in the Appendix. Various members of the Commission made numerous visits to factories, workshops, and technical schools in each city, where apprentices and boys hoping to become apprenticed were interviewed individually and in groups, the object being to learn as much as possible of the outlook of the boys and their immediate problems. In addition to these personal interviews by members of the Commission, a case study of forty apprentices was made by Mr. H. C. McQueen, Research Officer attached to thejDommission.
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INTRODUCTION It is an inescapable fact that an adequate supply of efficiently trained artisans is essential to the industrial future of the Dominion. A study of the present situation reveals that in many industries we have not even maintained the relative position that prevailed in the past; for example, the situation in the group of trades constituting the building industry is well known. Moreover, several trades which to us appear necessary to the national welfare are on recent trends rapidly approaching The_ table of numbers of apprentices given in the Appendix shows the trends to which we refer. It is obvious that a special effort is required to restore our former position. Further, New Zealand is aiming at two great social and economic objectives—a substantial increase in the population, and a higher standard of living. Increased population may be achieved by an improvement in the birth-rate and by planned immigration. In either case, the requirements of increased population will necessitate the services of an increased number of skilled tradesmen. It would, of course, in normal times be possible to include amongst immigrants a good proportion of artisans, but, having regard to the future requirements of other countries for the work of restoration and for the making-up of leeway, we feel that tradesmen for a number of years will be at a premium in those countries and New Zealand can expect little assistance from them. We must therefore be prepared for some considerable time to rely mainly on our own local efforts for the training of an adequate supply of skilled workers. Our other important objective—a higher material standard of living than that which we enjoyed in pre-war years—can be achieved only if there is an adequate volume and variety of goods and services available at reasonable prices for distribution and consumption. Any increase in goods and services must depend on increased production, and if we assume that the forty-hour week is an established and accepted institution, the necessary increase, in production will have to be achieved by the use of more efficient labour, more up-to-date methods, and more modern machinery. In the case of the primary industries, the increased production must be obtained at such a cost as will enable the surplus over local requirements to be sold in the world's markets at prices which overseas purchasers are prepared and able to pay. With the adoption of more modern methods and machinery, and with the bringing of more and more amenities of civilization to the man on the land, skilled tradesmen will be of greater importance to the primary industries than ever before. At the same time, if our secondary industries are to continue to exist and to expand, there will be a' steady demand for more and better tradesmen. It is true that in some such industries the proportion of skilled workers to the total labour force is decreasing because of the subdivision of manufacturing operations, but, on the other hand, the degree _ of skill required by certain craftsmen is much higher than formerly, and consequently a higher initial standard of education and more scientific and thorough training will be necessary. It is also true that in some industries there is a tendency for tradesmen to be employed on specialized trade processes, and it has been suggested as a consequence that there is no longer the need for the same breadth of training as has been customarily given to apprentices in the past. We do not agree with this view. We think that too narrow a training unduly limits a boy's opportunities as an industrial unit, and also tends to restrict his general development as a member of society. Nevertheless we recognize that specialization and production planning, while they are necessary and inevitable' in industry, do constitute serious stumbling-blocks to any apprenticeship system. It appears to us that the more specialized a factory or workship, the less suitable it is likely to be as a training-ground for apprentices. The difficulty necessitates some departure from the traditional system of apprenticeship ; and suggestions to overcome it will appear later in this report. From the foregoing remarks it should be obvious that if New Zealand is to hold her place in industry, and if we are to achieve our main social objectives, the general standard of craftsmanship in the manual trades must be improved, and in many industries the supply of properly trained tradesmen must be increased. The problem is to determine the best way in which to reach these results. We have heard a great many witnesses, and some radical proposals have been put before us, but almost without exception witnesses supported the retention of a system of apprenticeship. Even in the most radical proposal submitted to the Commission the authors quoted with approval the following statement from a publication of the International Labour Office :— " Of the high value of apprenticeship as a method of vocational training there can be no question. However developed a system of vocational schooling may be, apprenticeship offers the additional advantage of .affording experience of a practical character under something like normal working-conditions. While, therefore, apprenticeship is .neither suited to, nor required by, the conditions and occupations where a sufficient degree of skill can be acquired very easily and rapidly, in all cases where a high degree of knowledge and skill is required, and where a lengthy period of time is essential for a proper mastery of the trade (in genera], apprenticeship is regarded as applicable only where the period of training is at least a year), apprenticeship is regarded as desirable, if not indispensable." We agree with the above statement, and therefore we proceed with our report on the basis that apprenticeship as the main method of educating and training recruits in the skilled trades will continue. At this point we would remark that we consider that the making of a tradesman is, in the broadest sense, an educational problem consisting of three parts—prevocational education, vocational education, and apprenticeship. There has been too great a tendency in the past to regard these processes as separate and independent, but wo are of the opinion that they should be co-ordinated to the greatest possible degree. To achieve that co-ordination, the representatives of industry and education must collaborate ; their harmonious collaboration is vital to the national welfare. THE PRESENT APPRENTICESHIP SYSTEM The foundation of our present system of apprenticeship consists of two main Acts—"the Master and Apprentice Act, 1908, certain sections of which are obsolete, and the Apprentices Act, 1923. The great majority of the apprentices in. the country fall within the scope of the Apprentices Act, 1923, and consequently it is by far the more important statute. (Amendments were made to the Act in 1925, 1927, 1930, and 1936.) Thus our present apprenticeship system has been in operation for just over twenty years. We have to ask ourselves, "Is it producing satisfactory results to-day ? Will it meet the needs of the future ? " On the evidence before us, we are bound to answer these questions in the negative.
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The Apprentices Act, 1923, was enacted after a Conference, convened by the Minister of Labour, had discussed and reported upon a draft Bill, and, indeed, the proceedings of the Conference show that it gave close consideration to many of the questions which have come before the present Commission. Prior to 1923 the provisions governing the conditions of employment of apprentices were incorporated in awards of the Court of Arbitration, the tribunal which was established by the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act of 1894 to deal with industrial disputes. The Apprentices Act, 1923, prohibited the inclusion of provisions as to apprenticeships in awards and industrial agreements, but, on the other hand, empowered the Court of Arbitration to make special orders governing apprenticeships for each industry or branch thereof to which the Act applied. The policy behind the Act was to remove matters relating to the training and welfare of apprentices as far as possible from the field of industrial bargaining. Apprentice's!]ip orders have been made in thirty-seven different industries. Under the statute the Court is deemed to act as a controlling authority, but provision is also made for delegation to district Apprenticeship Committees of a number of the Court's powers. The effect of such delegation is to transfer a substantial share of the responsibility for the detailed administration of the system to local Committees. The Act also provides for a Registrar of Apprentices and for District Registrars, but these officers have in general been concerned only with registration of contracts of apprenticeship and with enforcement of the Act and of the regulations and orders made thereunder. For a considerable period it has been thought that in any year there should be approximately ten thousand apprentices coming within the scope of the Apprentices Act in order to ensure an adequate supply of journeymen in the various skilled trades. The table in the Appendix shows not only the total number of apprentices for each year from 1928 onwards, but also the numbers in each trade. The numbers of new contracts registered in each of the last nine years are— 1936 .. .. 1,292 1941 .. .. 1,974 1937 .. .. 2,328 1942 .. .. 2,441 1938 .. .. 3,235 1943 .. .. 1,917 1939 .. .. 2,700 1944 .. .. 2,096 1940 .. .. 2,840 Average .. 2,314 The Commission has not deemed it necessary or advisable to try to determine the number of apprentices required in future to maintain an adequate supply of journeymen. Such inquiries are better made by those immediately concerned in each trade ; moreover, the estimating of the numbers of apprentices necessary will be dependent on a knowledge of the probable trends in each industry. The Organization for National Development recently established by the Government will, it is hoped, be more adequately equipped to supply information on such trends than any other body, and, as its findings become available, those concerned with apprenticeship should review the position of their respective industries periodically and determine the approximate number of new apprentices required from year to year. We appreciate, however, that this task is a most difficult and exacting one, for it must be remembered that in most industries the youths who are apprenticed to-day will not affect the supply of journeymen until a period of five years has elapsed. The building industry is one which is very vitally interested in apprenticeship and. one whose fortunes have in the past fluctuated most violently with economic changes. Certain witnesses made very strong submissions to us that a long-term plan should be devised and adopted for the industry, with the object of achieving a measure of stability which would be of advantage alike to employers, workers, and the community in general. While consideration of such a proposal is outside our order of reference, nevertheless we would express the view that without such a plan it will be a matter of the very greatest difficulty to determine with any reasonable degree of accuracy the probable future requirements of the various classes of building journeymen. We agree that stability in the building industry would be the best foundation on which to sot up a satisfactory training scheme for apprentices in the industry. After full consideration of the evidence placed before us as to the efficacy or otherwise of the Apprentices Act, 1923, we are satisfied that, in the main, the general structure of the Act is sound. The principal weaknesses are in the provisions for administrative machinery, and we now proceed to suggest a number of reforms which we hope will remedy the present unsatisfactory state of affairs ; most of them will necessitate amendments to the Act. A COMMISSIONER OF APPRENTICESHIP It appears to us that under the present set-up there is lacking some administrative officer or body whose function it is to take the initiative. It is true that the Court of Arbitration is deemed to act as a controlling authority under the Act (section 2), but,.at the same time, it has several functions to perform which are clearly judicial (sections 6 and 9). It is therefore not a fit and proper body to take initiative, although we see no reason why it should not continue to be deemed to act as a controlling authority. We recommend, therefore, that there should be appointed for the Dominion a Commissioner of Apprenticeship, who should devote his whole time to apprenticeship matters. He should be attached to the Labour Department, and should be Chairman and principal executive officer of each of the Dominion Apprenticeship Committees the setting-up of which we recommend later. The nature of his other duties may be gathered from subsequent references in this report. In at least the four main cities there should also be appointed full-time Deputy Commissioners of Apprenticeship. They should have power to delegate their functions to appropriate officers of the Labour Department in those areas which have local Apprenticeship Committees but which are too far removed from the main centres to allow the Deputy Commissioners to keep in close touch with the Committees and the apprentices in the areas. The Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioners would undertake the duties of registration now carried on by the Registrar of Apprentices and the District Registrars. Wherever there are local Apprenticeship Committees, the Deputy Commissioners or their authorized representatives would be the Chairmen and executive officers. One of the duties of these officers would be to bring Committees back to life where they are inactive, and to take the initiative in getting them set up where they are not in existence. We believe that local Committees are an integral and most, necessary part of the system of apprenticeship. We do not propose a bureaucracy in their place, but merely the appointment of officers who will be active agents in seeing that Committees are set up, and in getting them to function completely. It would also be the duty of the Deputy Commissioners
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to ke«i> in close touch with all the apprentices in their respective districts, and to see that the interests ail-both boys and employers in all matters of training.and conduct are safeguarded. They would have the right to enter factories and workshops, in the same way as Inspectors of Factories. We believe that a greatjmajority of employers would welcome the visits of men whoso business it was to take an interest in the progress of apprentices and in their training. Many employers take that interest themselves already, and would like to share it with some one from outside ; moreover, both employer and apprentice would have a chance to discuss relatively small matters which at present are nobody's business but which so often result in unnecessary friction. The very existence of these officers would encourage employers to concern themselves actively in the training of their apprentices and to make sure that they are getting adequate experience. The Deputy Commissioners, because of their direct knowledge of the nature of the work carried on by employers, and of the facilities for training of apprentices possessed by them, would be in the position to render valuable assistance to the Committees when deciding whether to approve of contracts of apprenticeship, transfers of apprentices, and schedules of training. DOMINION APPRENTICESHIP ORDERS Many witnesses from all sections of industry urged on us the advisability of Dominion apprenticeship orders in each industry, and we recommend that the Act should be amended to provide for such orders and such orders only. Dominion orders will cover the whole of New Zealand, and there will thus be no areas in which there are apprentices not covered by an order, as there are at present. Calculations of the number of apprentices required in any industry need to be made on a Dominion-wide basis, for our population is relatively mobile, and so the proportion clauses in orders should be such as to allow of the requisite number of apprentices being engaged bver the whole country. Only Dominion orders can ensure that desirable uniformity, as well as uniformity of wage-rates and conditions of employment. The present multiplicity of district orders in the same industries, with their different dates of origin and their comparatively unnecessary variations in conditions of employment, is merely an embarrassment. DOMINION APPRENTICESHIP COMMITTEES There was almost universal agreement among our witnesses that there should be a Dominion Apprenticeship Committee for each industry or group of allied trades, and we recommend their formation. Each Dominion Committee should consist of three representatives of employers and three of workers, together with the Commissioner of Apprenticeship and a Government appointee conversant with vocational education and possibly with some responsibilities in the sphere of vocational guidance. A majority of the members representative of employers and workers should be persons who are or have at some time been actually engaged cither as employers or workers in the industry concerned. The Commissioner, as Chairman, would have a deliberative but not a casting vote at meetings of the Committees. "Where in any case an Apprenticeship Committee, either Dominion or local, is unable to come to a decision on any matter, such matter may be referred to the Court of Arbitration for decision, with the right of persons affected to be heard by the Court. To save unwieldy machinery and unnecessary expense, we believe that certain industries with a degree of relationship should be grouped wherever possible for the purposes of constituting Dominion Committees. Such grouping would not necessarily mean that all the apprentices in the grouped industries would be covered by the same Dominion apprenticeship order. A Dominion Committee's first duty would be to estimate, from its own intimate knowledge, and in the light of any known planning for its industry, the numbers of apprentices necessary to maintain the requisite inflow of skilled tradesmen. Its next duty would be to negotiate for Dominion apprenticeship orders. Before making their recommendations or submissions to the Court of Arbitration as to the provisions to be embodied in the orders, the Committees would need to give consideration to the following matters : — (1) The flow of skilled workers required for each industry, and the proportion of apprentices to journeymen which it would be necessary to specify to regulate that flow. In this connection the Commission recommends that provision be made for the delegation to Dominion Committees, but not to local Committees, of the power at present vested solely in the Court of Arbitration to require any employer to " employ and continue to employ such number of apprentices as the Court may consider necessary to ensure an adequate supply of journeymen in the interests of the industry " (section 5 (4) (a)). In view of the drastic nature of this power, which, incidentally, has not to our knowledge ever been used in the past, we propose a right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration by any employer, apprentice, parent, or guardian affected by a decision of a Dominion Committee. The Court may hear the appropriate industrial unions of employers or workers in connection with such appeals. We think that the possession of the power of compulsion is necessary if the Committees are to exercise properly their function of planning the intake of apprentices into industry. Local Apprenticeship Committees should be invited to make representations to Dominion Committees in the matter, but the Dominion Committees should not be allowed to delegate this power to any local Committee or, indeed, to any sub-committee of a Dominion Committee : (2) Whether or not there should be training of apprentices at technical classes. If that training were deemed necessary in any industry or branch thereof, then the question of compulsory attendance would have to be decided, and also the question of whether or not that attendance should be within ordinary working-hours. Conditions relating to exemption in country districts and in respect of other special circumstances would require to be laid down. The Dominion Committee in each industry would have the responsibility of approving minimum syllabuses of instruction wherever apprentices were required to attend classes. One function of the educationist on the Committee would be to assist in achieving the closest collaboration between industry and the technical schools in this and other similar matters : (3) Whether examinations (and details of the procedure for them) and .trade tests for apprentices should be prescribed in apprenticeship orders:
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(4) What prerequisite education should be, laid down for apprentices wishing to enter industry: (5) The schedule of operations and skills which employers would be obliged to teach their apprentices in each industry : (6) Wages, hours, and other conditions of employment to be incorporated in contracts of apprenticeship in each industry. While we think that Dominion Apprenticeship Committees should try to ascertain the views of local Apprenticeship Committees on matters to be incorporated in apprenticeship orders, we do not consider that there should be any power of delegation by Dominion Committees to local Committees. We also visualize the possibility of informal conferences of delegates from Dominion Committees, for the purposes of mutual discussion on broad matters of policy. LOCAL APPRENTICESHIP COMMITTEES When the Apprentices Act, 1923, became law, it was hoped by the Minister of Labour that the voluntary activities of the Apprenticeship Committees created by the Act would ensure its full and satisfactory working, and he expressly desired the Labour Department to refrain from taking to itself any of the functions of the Committees. For a time many of the Committees worked very well, this in itself indicating that the main structure of the Act is sound ; but when the first apprenticeship orders had been made, and with the coming of the depression, some of the Committees did not continue their activities. An example has been brought to our notice where a Committee, until the last few weeks, had not met for ten years, although in the area controlled by the Committee there are sixteen apprentices in the particular industry concerned. A few Committees have remained vigorous, however, and recently others have come to life again. Many of our witnesses advocated practices that are already written into the Act, and, under examination, either showed that they were not aware that the Committees had the powers they sought, or admitted that Committees had failed to use their powers. In many cases failure of the Committee was ascribed to its lack of an executive officer, it being stated that members of the Committee did not have the necessary time to give to the work that a full use of their powers demanded. We found, too, that very few apprentices indeed knew of the existence of the Apprenticeship Committees, even in industries in which the Committees are still relatively active. The current discussions on apprenticeship that led to the appointment of this Commission have had some effect in reawakening and livening up a few Committees, and the existence of the Commission itself has had similar effects. We think that our sittings have done something to educate many of those concerned with apprentices in matters with which they ought to have been conversant. We believe that local Apprenticeship Committees hold a very important place in the administration, of apprenticeship, and we recommend that the system of such Committees laid down in the Act of 1923 be retained. In each locality where there are sufficient apprentices in an industry or branch of an industry, an Apprenticeship Committee should be set up in the manner prescribed in the present Act, provided, of course, there is not already a Committee in existence covering that locality and industry. So far as the areas to be controlled by local Apprenticeship Committees are concerned, wo recommend that the principles set out in section 4 of the Act of 1923 and in section 6 of the Amendment Act of 1930 should continue to operate. The constitution of each Committee would parallel that of the Dominion Committees—that is, it would consist of three representatives of workers and three of employers (a majority with trade experience), of the Deputy Commissioner of Apprenticeship (or his delegate), as Chairman, and of a person conversant with technical education, appointed from their staffs by the governing bodies of schools providing technical education for apprentices within the area, and failing that, by the Minister of Education. Our reasons for restricting representation to three workers and three employers are to keep Committees of manageable size, and to give the members a fuller feeling of responsibility. The Deputy Commissioner, as Chairman of the Committee, would have a deliberative but not a casting vote, and the educationist should have some knowledge of the trade with which the Committee is concerned. Tn any given district there might be several persons connected with technical education acting on various Committees. The powers of local Apprenticeship Committees would be those delegated to them by the Court of Arbitration or set out in the terms of the Dominion apprenticeship orders. The present Act gives the Court discretionary authority to delegate eleven powers in regard to apprenticeship matters ; of those, four should in future be delegated only to the Dominion Committees —that is, those relating to the period of probation, compulsory attendance at technical classes, examinations, and proportion. The powers remaining with local Committees, if delegated by the Court, would include cancellation of contracts, prohibition of employers from employing apprentices, transfer of apprentices, extending facilities for training within the scope of businesses, withholding of increases of wages in certain circumstances, ordering that periods during which any increase is withheld shall not be included in the period of apprenticeship, and entering upon premises to inquire into the training, progress, and welfare of apprentices. We very strongly recommend that it be made a breach of the Act to employ any person as an apprentice without the prior consent in writing of the appropriate local Committee. We urge this provision because so many cases have come to our notice where the jurisdiction of the Committees has, in effect, been defeated by non-compliance with section 8 of the principal Act, which requires registration within certain prescribed periods, and with section 10 of the amendment of 1930, which requires that every employer shall within three days after engaging any -person as an apprentice give notice of such engagement to the District Kegistrar in the locality concerned. We consider that section 10 of the Apprentices Amendment Act, 1930, should be repealed, and that the necessary amendment should be made to section 3 of the Apprentices Amendment Act, 1925, to comply with our recommendation. A number of instances have come to our notice where an Apprenticeship Committee has not had the opportunity of considering an apprenticeship contract until many months after the initial engagement of the apprentice. In such cases it is often very difficult for the Committee to exercise its discretion by declining to approve of a contract without doing a serious injustice to the apprentice, and it is not to be wondered at that, as a result, some Committees have grown apathetic in the carrying-out of what are, after all, voluntary duties.
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There should be no exceptions to the requirement of prior consent in writing of the Committee ; but where a breach of this provision does occur, the Court of Arbitration alone should, in the interests of the boy, have the power, after full investigation of the circumstances, to validate the employment. In the carrying-out of these functions, as well as those prescribed by the terms of apprenticeship orders, actions will from time to time need to be taken against employers and apprentices. Such proceedings for enforcement should be conducted by the officers of the Labour Department who normally deal with prosecutions for breaches of awards and industrial agreements, but only after the Apprenticeship Committee in each case has considered the position and recommended action. Where the Committee itself makes a decision, as, for example, in the case of cancellation of a contract, there should be a right of appeal to the Courts as at present, but not to the Dominion Apprenticeship Committee. The general scheme of our proposals for the work of the various Committees is that the Court of Arbitration should deal -directly with both the Dominion Committees and with the local Committees. There should, however, be scope for direct association of local with Dominion Committees outside the statutory limitations we suggest. We think local Committees should bo encouraged to make suggestions and recommendations to the Dominion Committees on various questions. Dominion Committees would seek the advice of local Committees and would make suggestions to them in connection with such matters as methods of recruitment in those industries in which insufficient numbers of apprentices might be coming forward. In areas where there are no Apprenticeship Committees, the existing provision for delegation by the Court of their powers to Registrars of Apprentices should be retained, with the change of " District Registrars "to " Deputy Commissioners." The Commissioner of Apprenticeship and the Deputy Comissioners will obviously be in close association with one another, and this should have the effect of co-ordinating the work of the various Committees. APPRENTICESHIP TO INDUSTRY OR TO THE STATE Certain witnesses sought to remedy the weaknesses they found in the training of apprentices by proposing " apprenticeship to industry " or " apprenticeship to the State " ; and we feel it is incumbent upon us to comment upon these suggestions. Members of the Commission found it somewhat difficult at first to get sharp definitions of the first of these phrases from those who used it. As the hearings continued, however, greater clarity appeared, no doubt as a result of the examination of the earlier witnesses. To some, " industry " meant an association of all employers engaged in a particular industry; to others, " industry " meant employers and workers in an industry and their respective organizations'. All who proposed apprenticeship to industry or to the State were in agreement, on a negative definition, that apprenticeship should not be to individual employers as at present; and they brought forward three reasons for their opinions : — (1) The Effects of Specialization.— lt was pointed out to us that the increased use of machinery in some industries and the consequent tendency to specialization and subdivision of labour in the workshops no longer permitted of all apprentices getting an " all-round " training. Although the Act of 1923 allows Apprenticeship. Committees to transfer boys from one employer to another for good reason, there are certain difficulties in the way of making such transfers when the training is considered to be inadequate. The Committees are voluntary bodies, unable for lack of time or of an executive officer to keep themselves fully informed of the conditions of every workshop and of the progress of apprentices. Moreover, transfer can be only to an employer " willing and able "to undertake the training, and the finding of such an employer may be a troublesome task. Further, it was claimed that many Apprenticeship Committees are apathetic. (2) The Effects of Depressions.— All our witnesses (with the exception of a few apprentices) and all the members of the Commission have vivid and unpleasant memories of the conditions of employment during the period 1930-34. To some of our witnesses it seemed important that apprentices of the future should be safeguarded against the interruption of training such as occurred during the last depression, and that, moreover, a constant supply of skilled workers should be ensured by the carryingon of the training of the appropriate number of apprentices even when trade conditions are bad. The suggestions made to us were either that by means of a levy on all employers an insurance pool should be created to provide for the employment of apprentices when business was bad, or that the State should be a party to all contracts of apprenticeship. In this latter case the apprentices would become a charge on the State when their employers could no longer meet their obligations (as, indeed, some apprentices did as relief workers in 1930-34), and, moreover, the State could maintain the inflow of apprentices in order that there would be no shortage of tradesmen when business recovered. Further the State would see to it that the training of apprentices was continued, through the use of technical or trade schools and perhaps by engaging to some extent in productive work. (3) Reluctance to engage Apprentices. —We were shown that some employers do not undertake the training of apprentices at all. They draw their supply of skilled men from those who have been trained by others, and contribute nothing to the cost of training. It was suggested that, if boys were apprenticed to industry—that is, to an association of on all of whom a compulsory levy would be made —then not only would there be a fairer division of costs, but there would be a more adequate supply of apprentices. The advocates of apprenticeship to the State strongly claimed that the stability of such an industry as building would be greatly increased if there were the long-term planning that is possible only if the State is actively involved. We do not propose to adopt in full any of the suggestions made to us about apprenticeship to industry or to the State, but we have the following suggestions and recommendations to make which are designed to meet the difficulties outlined above :— (1) There is provision in the Apprentices Act, 1923 (section 5 (4) (d) ), for transfer of an apprentice from one employer to another "willing and able to undertake the obligations of the original employer." It should be made clear in the Act that the power may be used to ensure that an apprentice receives an adequate breadth of training. A full use of this power by revitalized Apprenticeship Committees or by the Court of Arbitration would, we believe, solve the problem of apprentices who are receiving an inadequate training because of the specialized nature of the work done by the firms who employ them. Such transfers may at times bring the proportion of apprentices to journeymen employed in a business above that permitted by the relevant apprenticeship order, and we recommend that the Act should allow for such excess when the Apprenticeship Committee approves,
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"We should also point out that under section ]0 of the present Act joint contracts are possible, so that an employer who can give only partial training may be joined with another who is able to complete that training. Committees in the past have rarely been able to arrange such contracts. Nevertheless, so far as training is concerned, some of the advantages of the proposal for apprenticeship to industry could be achieved by a fuller use of section 10. There is no limit to the number of employers in any given locality who may enter into a joint contract to train an apprentice. We also recommend an extension of the powers in section 5 (4) (a) of the Act to cover joint contracts. Further, some complaints of limited training have come from apprentices who were, in fact, expecting too much from their employers. The apprentices and their parents had not informed themselves of the nature of the work " as carried on by the employer " ; they are not to be blamed for their ignorance, for it was no one's business to enlighten them. The general practice of treating entrance upon apprenticeship as merely a matter of collecting the necessary signatures on the indenture is symptomatic of the attitude of indifference regarding the nature of apprenticeship that has been prevalent amongst many parents, apprentices, workers' unions, and employers. We therefore recommend that the powers of transfer of apprentices and the provision for joint contracts should be fully used in cases where there is evidence of limited or inadequate training. When in these or other circumstances it is impossible to find a " willing " employer, then the apprentice should be transferred on the recommendation of the Apprenticeship Committee, but only with the approval of the Court of Arbitration and on the application of the Commissioner of Apprenticeship, to one or other of the Government Departments which train apprentices or have the power to take apprentices under the Master and Apprentice Act, 1908. We would draw attention to the fact that the principle of transferring apprentices to whom the Act of 1923 applies to Government Departments is already recognized in subsections (3), (4), and (5) of section 52 of the Statutes Amendment Act, 1941. (Very few of the " apprentice " trades arc not practised in one or other of the Departments.) As these transfers to Departments may at times bring the numbers of their apprentices above " establishment," provision should be made in the estimates of the Labour Department each year to meet the additional costs that the transfers may cause to the other Departments concerned. (2) Not only does the proposal above meet the difficulty of finding a " willing " employer when transfer is necessary, but it also provides a means of coping with the difficulties caused by any ceoession in business and the consequent effects on apprenticeship in the skilled trades, difficulties the solution of which must become a problem primarily for the State. In addition, it places on -Government Departments further responsibility for training apprentices. Many of them employ workers drawn from the ranks of tradesmen trained by private employers. For example, large numbers of artisans are employed on public works., but the number of apprentices trained by the Works Department is relatively small. It is not to be expected, however, that the transfer of apprentices to Government Departments will provide a complete cure for the difficulties which will arise should we experience a repetition of the conditions of the early " thirties." The suggestion may be adequate to ensure the completion of the training of a substantial proportion of the apprentices whose employers encounter financial difficulties, but it is not likely to provide a remedy for a failure to take on adequate apprentices in industry to ensure a satisfactory supply of tradesmen in later years. It is important that the number of young men entering the manual trades should not be allowed to decline, for a shortage of skilled men when business revives must be guarded against. The figures for apprentices given in the table in the Appendix show that the total numbers declined seriously from 1929 to 1935, and that the old level was not reached till 1940. All other considerations apart, the effect of this decline was that over six thousand potential tradesmen who would have been trained under normal conditions were not trained in that period. Is it to be wondered at that to-day New Zealand finds itself short of its requirements ? To ensure that an adequate number of tradesmen is always available, some kind of planning is obviously necessary. We have already suggested that the Dominion Apprenticeship Committees (with the assistance of information from the Organization for National Development concerning the requirements of industry) should normally see to it that a sufficient supply of apprentices is engaged, but if private enterprise fails to provide training for the requisite number, then the State, in the national interest, should step in to maintain the supply. If there are adequate national plans for various industries, then a deficiency in numbers can be foreseen, and the State should organize trade schools, administered either as extensions of the existing technical schools or as separate institutions. Alternatively, arrangements could be made with the proprietors of large factories and workshops to train apprentices in the same way as servicemen are at present being trained in General Motors and Ford factories. Obviously, when economic conditions improve, the facilities for making transfers could operate in the opposite direction to bring partly trained apprentices back into industry for the completion of their training. (3) One power of the Court of Arbitration, that of requiring " any employer to employ .... such number of apprentices as the Court may consider necessary to ensure an adequate supply of journeymen in the interests of the industry " (section 5 (4) (a) ), has not, to our knowledge, ever been exercised. Nevertheless, we do not think it should be repealed. Some of our witnesses urged that this power, or similar powers, of compulsion should be used to ensure that all employers capable of teaching apprentices should engage them. On practical grounds alone we cannot agree with this suggestion that compulsory powers should be used, except perhaps in a few special cases. The introduction of compulsion into the relationship of master and apprentice, we are sure, would not be generally in the best interests of the apprentice. We are satisfied that the needs of industry for skilled men can be met by other means. Only in a limited number of trades is there a lack of apprentices offering, and in some branches of industry the number of applicants is in excess of the requirements of the employers. (One employer who had been short of apprentices told the Commission that his difficulties were solved by a little colourful advertising). We think that the Dominion Committee for each industry, having estimated from time to time the numbers of apprentices necessary to maintain an adequate skilled labour force, should, in the event of insufficient applications, undertake judicious propaganda in the press, over the radio, and through other methods of advertisement, Much
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might also be done through the personal relationships that we hope to see built up by local Apprenticeship Committees with the employers in their respective districts, and we look to the proposed Deputy Commissioners of Apprenticeship to assist in the establishment of these relationships. Only when all efforts of industry, voluntary and otherwise, have failed should the State undertake the direct responsibility for the employment and training of all apprentices. PREVOCATIONAL EDUCATION OF APPRENTICES The level of education reached by recent apprentices in most trades is not a great deal beyond that of the primary school. In mechanical and in electric engineering the majority of apprentices have had two years or more of post-primary schooling, but in all other trades it is only a small minority who have reached that stage. Now that the school leaving age is fifteen, it can be expected that in future nearly all apprentices will have had at least one year's post-primary education, and that many will have had at least two years. In current apprenticeship orders in the electrical trades there is already in force a requirement of two years' post-primary education, with passes— i.e., at least 40 per cent, of the possible marks— in school examinations in English, mathematics, and drawing, before an apprenticeship may be entered into. We recommend in general that in trades in which theoretical knowledge is important the Apprenticeship Committees should see to it that only boys known to have the capacity to acquire that knowledge be admitted to apprenticeship. In the great majority of cases the record of school work during two years or more of post-primary education would be an adequate measure of that capacity. Some of the complaints we heard about the unsatisfactory education of boys in trades arose, we think, from faulty selection of apprentices. Employers should choose an apprentice carefully, having regard to his suitability for the particular trade concerned, and using the judgment of those who have known the applicant in the past as well as their own in making decisions. They will find, for example, that headmasters of schools, careers teachers, and vocational guidance officers can supply them with useful reports based on knowledge of boys' school careers ; and we suggest that the services of such people should be freely used. Vocational guidance officers and teachers have a responsibility which they already recognize, to make known to boys the opportunities offering in various trades. Kept fully informed of the needs of industry, they should be able to help greatly in finding suitable candidates from whom the employer may select his apprentices. The acceptance by employers of these services carries with it a duty to lay down clearly the qualities necessary in the various trades, in order that guidance officers may have clear notions of the sort of boy that is likely to succeed. Such " occupational analyses " might well bo made by the Apprenticeship Committees, with the aid of the Industrial Psychology Division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. There are two matters we wish to raise in regard to vocational guidance in schools. In the first place, it was stated by witnesses that the practice of the crafts of woodwork and metalwork in the post-primary schools has a directive influence on many who become apprenticed to the trades of cabinetmaking and fitting and turning. Extending the experience of boys to a wider range of crafts may tend to divert the present preferences for these trades to allied branches in which apprentices are required. This is an educational problem capable of solution in a variety of ways—for example, by a wider range of craft practice, by means of visual aids such as films or posters, or by visits to industrial concerns —and we therefore recommend that the Dominion Apprenticeship Committees co-operate with the Education Department to provide or extend such educational activities. The second point has some bearing on the first. In order to give a more reasonable basis for choice of careers of all kinds, we suggest that in the programme of work in the social studies, which, we are told, will in future be an important part of the general education of all children, there should be included reference to possible careers ; for our purposes a broad general knowledge of the conditions of apprenticeship should bo included. Support for our view is to be found in. the report of a Committee set up by the Minister of Education in November, 1942 (The Post-primary School Curriculum) ; under " Social Studies " the Committee says : " This should include what is sometimes called ' vocational civics ' — i.e., it should help to introduce the pupil to the world of work, assist him to make a wise choice of vocation, and give him a sympathetic understanding of types of work other than his own. We recommend that a system of bursaries should be inaugurated to help pupils who live in country districts not served by a technical school and who are desirous of further study in technical subjects above the level of School Certificate. The object of these bursaries would be to enable such pupils to attend approved technical schools for definite courses of study in technological subjects. INDUSTRY AND THE TECHNICAL SCHOOLS We have found that there is a good deal of misunderstanding amongst employers of the nature and purposes of the technical schools and of the work that they are trying to do. That misunderstanding, amongst other things, has frequently led to a regrettable lack of co-operation between industry and the schools in the matter of the education of apprentices. We therefore suggest to the boards of managers of the technical schools that they should publicize the work of their schools, in order to make the public, and in particular the leaders of industry, more aware of what the schools are doing. The practice of inviting Apprenticeship Committees and representative bodies of employers and workers jto visit the schools should be considerably extended, and employers might well reciprocate by inviting the school boards and their staffs to visit factories. In each school the development and full use of Advisory Committees in particular trades should be encouraged. Each Advisory Committee should consist of technically trained and experienced men able to advise the boards of managers of the schools upon courses of instruction and upon selection of specialist staff and equipment required for each trade. In some cases the local Apprenticeship Committee would be an appropriate Advisory Committee, but in any case at least two representatives, one employer and one employee, from that Committee should be invited to assist. Apart from the suggestion that every possible informal means should be used to increase! co-operation between industry and the schools, we would point out that we have already recommended that every Apprenticeship Committee, Dominion and local, should include a representative of vocational education.
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Evidence submitted to us showed that the technical schools find it very difficult to get a sufficient number of well-qualified instructors in trade subjects. It appears that the Education Department is at present unable to offer salaries that will attract suitable men from industry. Some means of overcoming this difficulty must be found, and we recommend that when salary scales affecting technical teachers are drawn up, due regard be paid to the remuneration of similarly qualified persons in industry. Industry has a part to play in helping the schools to find suitable instructors. We recognize that often the man who would be a good technical teacher is invaluable in an industrial organization, but in the long-run industry will benefit by his transfer to a post where he is teaching apprentices and potential apprentices. We have evidence that teachers of technical subjects lose touch with industrial developments, and we recommend that Dominion Apprenticeship Committees explore with the Education Department means by which teaching power may be made most effective. The adequacy of the equipment in technical schools was unfavourably criticized by several witnesses. The Education Department has been generous in its supply of certain types of equipment, but for some kinds of specialized trade instruction there is apparently a lack of up-to-date demonstration and other material. Practical help to the technical schools in this respect has already been generously given by both the motor trade and the printing trade, and we suggest that other industries might likewise co-operate with the technical schools in giving or lending specialized equipment for trade classes. With competent instructors, adequate equipment, and suitable accommodation —all have at times been lacking in the past —the technical schools could co-operate to the full with industry in the all-round training of apprentices. Moreover, the abler and more ambitious young men should have every opportunity to qualify for executive posts by continuing their education beyond the journeyman stage. We consider the State might help such young men by giving them bursaries for further specialized training in the same way as it now grants bursaries to entrants to certain professions. The State should be just as interested in the potential foreman or shop-manager as it is in the potential professional man. THE EDUCATION OF APPRENTICES There are many branches of industry in which practical experience needs to bo founded on an understanding of the principles underlying practice. Some theoretical training is therefore necessary for many apprentices if they are later to become competent skilled workmen. Both their practical training and their theoretical training we regard as part of their continued education. The everyday experience to be gained in a workshop under the guidance of skilled tradesmen is, for an apprentice, the important part of that educational process. Practical experience will be insufficient, however, if there be not a close relation between it and continued schooling in technical classes. Those classes should be a development of the full-time schooling the apprentice has received before he begins work. It was clear from the evidence submitted to us that technical training is accepted as necessary in most trades, yet the small percentage of apprentices who attend evening classes during their apprenticeship is astonishing. There were also many expressions of dissatisfaction with the adequacy of the training given under the present arrangement of evening classes. It seems to us that a measure of compulsion is necessary to ensure essential technical training, but we are unable to recommend compulsory evening classes. A. possible solution of the difficulty is to require attendance at technical classes within the usual hours of employment —that is, " daylight" training. The Commission is in favour of the adoption of daylight training for apprentices, and it believes that the practice should be introduced immediately in those trades for which technical schools are already adequately equipped. It recommends that each Dominion Apprenticeship Committee consider as soon as possible (1) whether or not daylight training is necessary in. its trade ; (2) the method of introducing it ; and (3) what time must elapse before the necessary arrangements can be made with the education authorities. As was indicated earlier, the question of compulsory attendance at technical classes is a matter for inclusion in apprenticeship orders. Section 5 (1) of the present Act should be amended to make it clear that such provisiotis may be included in apprenticeship orders. The subject of daylight training has been discussed frequently in the past. Indeed, the Legislature took steps in 1918 to make such training possible by amending the Education Act, 1914. Section 124 of that Act gave power to make regulations requiring attendance of any young person at technical classes, and the War Legislation and Statute Law Amendment Act, 1918, added the words " for one half-day during the daytime and one evening in any one week," together with the following proviso : "' Provided also that the regulations requiring part-time attendance during the day shall apply only to such trades, businesses, occupations, or callings, or any part or parts thereof, and only within such districts, as may be prescribed." No regulations appear to have been made under this section of the Act. Daylight training was discussed in 1923 at the Conference on the draft Bill referred to earlier. We think it advisable to summarize the evidence put before us, and to comment briefly on some points in that evidence. The arguments brought forward, maiuly by trade-union representatives and by teachers, in favour of the practice were : (1) technical training, as distinct from practical training, is necessary to make sure that apprentices become competent tradesmen; (2) to have such competent workers is to the employer's advantage ; (3) a boy at evening classes after a day's work is tired and unable to profit fully by the instruction he is given ; (4) daylight training is a practice in many other countries. On the other hand, employers' representatives, with a few exceptions, strongly opposed the introduction of the practice. Their arguments were : (1) in some trades— e.g., plastering —there is so little necessary theory that there is no point in having classes at all; (2) in most trades there are a good many men to whom theory is of no value, as they perform relatively routine tasks under the direction of foremen —in other words, attendance at technical classes does not increase the competence of the majority of the men ; (3) if some boys do increase their competence by taking classes in theory, then it is to their own profit and not to the employer's —they are seeking their own advancement; (4) things should not be made too " easy " for boys—study in their own time helps to develop character ; (5) whatever overseas practices may be, New Zealand tradesmen can compote on equal terms with skilled workers from other countries, including those in which daylight training is carried on ; (6) the normal five-year term of apprenticeship is now, in actual working-hours, less than it was twenty years ago, and it is necessary for a boy to spend the whole of this time in the workshop to gain the requisite practical experience to make him a tradesman.
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With tho argument that technical classes improve the competence of workmen we agree. In a few trades, however, it is clear that only a Very little theory is actually possible. Even for the boys who will become routine workers there is some justification for instruction in basic principles. For example, although a fitter may never bo required to make a, drawing of a part of a machine, lie will often need to work from a blue-print. HLs understanding of that print will be sharpened if he has actually had, at some stage in learning his trade, to make drawings. Further, it is impossible to say which boys of a group beginning in a trade will be the routine workers and which will be leading hands and foremen. All should therefore begin a course in theory which, taken in conjunction with their shop work, will help to sift out the potential executives. It is obvious that it is to the advantage of both boy and employer that the boy should have a training in theory as well as in practice. We think, however, that in the long-run the community also benefits. We agree with those who advocate daylight training that study in evening classes is arduous, but we would expect daylight classes to provide for part only of the requirements of ambitious boys. All boys in a trade for which an Apprenticeship Committee decides that technical classes are necessary should be compelled to attend daylight classes, on the penalty of loss of wages for non-attendance, unsatisfactory work, or misbehaviour. There should still be evening (or Saturday morning) classes for those who wish to follow their studies further or for those who desire to obtain some knowledge of matters likely to be useful to them in other ways -e.g.; a study of book-keeping would be valuable to a boy who hopes to set up in business for himself. Overseas practice should be a useful guide to those concerned with the institution of daylight training ; it should be remembered that if New Zealand industries are to keep abreast of developments elsewhere they will need to adopt practices that have proved profitable in other countries. Individual employers have already in a few cases introduced classes of instruction for their apprentices within working-hours, and their experience should be valuable to other employers in the same or in other industries. We are of the opinion that, to the extent that industries come to adopt daylight training, the larger technical schools will have to change their character. The vocational,courses will become of greater importance than at present, and the prevooational junior courses of relatively less importance. It will probably be necessary to make room for apprentices during the daytime by transferring some of the junior pupils to other schools. It will certainly be necessary, if these changes occur, to strengthen staffs and increase the amount of equipment for advanced work. We consider that such probable changes in function should be borne in mind in the immediate future in the administration of the larger technical schools. We have on occasions been urged to recommend that continuation classes in daylight for all " young persons " —as provided for in the new English Education Act —should be instituted in New Zealand. As the proposal affects all young people and not just those entering the manual trades, we are of the opinion that it is outside the scope of our order of reference. ENTERING ON AN APPRENTICESHIP There is no doubt that the great majority of boys begin their formal apprenticeship in a most casual manner. There is something to be said for treating that entry as an event worthy of notice, and we suggest that the signing of indentures should be made the occasion of a meeting of all parties. The Deputy Commissioners of Apprenticeship could make use of the occasion to impress on the boy and his employer tho duties they have undertaken, and to supply to apprentices and their parents a leaflet giving information about the mutual obligations of the parties to the contract, technical classes, tho Apprenticeship Committee, and the major points of the relevant apprenticeship order. RESPONSIBILITY FOR TRAINING One of the strengths of apprenticeship in tho past was the close personal link between master and apprentice. With the development of limited-liability companies that link has been broken, to be replaced, as a rule, by a series of casual, almost accidental, ties between apprentices and journeymen. A company binds itself to teach the apprentice a trade, but the teaching is usually done by the foreman and workmen, who are, like the apprentice, employees of the company. We believe that responsibility for training apprentices should be more closely defined, and we therefore recommend that in every contract the title (" works-manager ", " foreman ", &c.) of the person who will undertake or supervise the actual training should be given, together with a definition of the scope of his responsibility, fart of that definition should be a brief schedule of the operations and skills to be taught to the apprentice ; those operations would constitute the trade or branch of a trade as defined by the Dominion Committee. In those trades in which apprentices are required to use machines, the schedule should include tuition in the safest methods of operation. It should be made clear that the foreman, or whoever it may be, does not incur any personal liability under the contract of apprenticeship. Provision should also be made in the contract for temporary transfer of an apprentice to another employer if it is found necessary to ensure adequate instruction in any of the operations covered by the schedule of training. One effect of this definition of responsibility should be that some fairly systematic arrangement of the apprentice's time will be made, so that he is given a reasonable period in which to learn each of the operations provided for in the schedule of training. Certain employers already follow some such routine, flexible enough to allow of changes to meet the requirements of their businesses. A corollary to the proposal that training should be systematized is that apprentices should be required to keep brief records of the work they do. Apart from its usefulness as a means of cheeking the amount of training given, the arrangement, we think, would have a positive effect on the apprentices themselves, in that they would thereby share in the responsibility for the observance of the prescribed routine.
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EXAMINATIONS FOR APPRENTICES There is-already provision in the Apprentices Act for the Court of Arbitration or for ;in Apprenticeship Committee (if the power is delegated to it) to order any apprentice or apprentices to submit to such examination as the Court may prescribe. Various proposals were made to us that all apprentices should submit to examination tests both during their period of training and at its close. We strongly recommend that Dominion Apprenticeship Committees should consider the institution of a trade test for all apprentices during the final six months of their term. We also recommend that the Act should be amended to provide for the compulsory issue by Apprenticeship Committees of a certificate to each apprentice on the completion of his apprenticeship indicating that he has served liis time in his trade. The certificate should include a copy of the schedule of operations and skills that his employer has taught him, and should record also the amount of theoretical training received in technical classes. If Dominion Committees decide to introduce trade tests, then certificates should be endorsed with the results of such tests. We are of the opinion that such certificates would be of considerable value to both journeyman and employer, and would increase in value as the system of apprenticeship improved, and with the development of public recognition. It would be a function of the Apprenticeship Committees and their officers to encourage such development. We recommend, also, that the Education Department's Technological Examinations should be revised and more extensively used. The Dominion Apprenticeship Committees should have two duties in regard to these examinations. First, they should advise the Department on any changes necessary in the syllabuses ; and second, they should publicize them amongst apprentices and employers. The examinations should serve as a means of sorting out the more able and ambitious apprentices, who are the potential foremen and executives of the future. MINIMUM WAGES, PROPORTION OF APPRENTICES TO JOURNEYMEN, CONDITIONS RELATING TO THE WORKING OF OVERTIME, AND TERM OF APPRENTICESHIP We are of the opinion that, in geueral, these matters should not be dealt with in any amending legislation, but should be left for determination in the case of each trade by the Court of Arbitration, as is the practice under the present Act, with the difference, of course, that in future we propose that Dominion Apprenticeship Orders should be marie on the application of Dominion Apprenticeship Committees. Wages. It is not surprising that we have heard a great volume of evidence on the question of wages, for many apprenticeship orders are eighteen or nineteen years old. If Dominion apprenticeship orders are to be made in the immediate future, there will necessarily be a review of the provisions of all existing apprenticeship orders, including wage-rates. Many witnesses have also submitted that any changes in the minimum wages and conditions of employment of apprentices should be made applicable to existing contracts. We are in favour of this proposal, and the Act should be amended accordingly;. We recommend that in. future the scales of wages in apprenticeship orders should be laid down as percentages of the ruling minimum rates for journeymen applying for the time being in the industry concerned. The practice is frequently followed abroad, and we consider the way should be made clear for its adoption in New Zealand. It was shown to us that some apprentices whose work necessitates their boarding away from home find it difficult to make ends meet, and several cases of serious hardship came to our notice. We consider it is impracticable to make employers responsible for the payment of boarding-allowance in addition to wages, for employers would then tend to choose boys who could live at home, and country boys would be debarred from nearly all apprenticeships. We suggest that the State; should inaugurate a system of boarding-allowance to cover special cases of hardship where it is necessary for apprentices to live away from home to learn their trades. We think that the payment of a tool allowance to an apprentice by his employer, or the provision of a basic kit of tools, should be favourably considered by Dominion Committees when they are drafting apprenticeship orders. Overtime and Shift-work. — We are strongly of the opinion that shift-work should be prohibited in the case of apprentices under eighteen years of age, and that overtime for boys under that age should be strictly limited. If any overtime work is done, the actual time, so occupied should be counted towards the total time required to be served under tile apprenticeship contract. Term of Apprenticeship. — We suggest that Dominion Apprenticeship Committees should consider the introduction of a system by which the term of an apprenticeship is specified in workinghours rather than in calendar years as at present. It is a common practice in Canada and the United States, for example, to specify a term of apprenticeship as ten thousand hours, instead of five years. When Dominion apprenticeship orders are being considered, the term of apprenticeship for each industry should be reviewed in the light of present industrial practice. We think that the Apprentices Act should be amended to allow of the shortening of the term of apprenticeship on account of special educational qualifications. Dominion Committees could then consider proposals under which the period occupied in full-time attendance at approved courses in a technical school might be credited in part at the beginning of an apprenticeship. OTHER MATTERS Specialized Trade Training in the Armed Forces. — We arc aware that some people hold the view that training of tradesmen in the future should follow the system of intensive, short-term training which has been operated with success by the Armed Forces. We heard witnesses from the Services, and in addition we spent some time at the Trades Wing of Army School, Trentham. The witnesses made it perfectly clear that the Army and the Air Force did not claim to turn out all-round tradesmen under their system. However, we found much to admire in the methods of instruction
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used which might well be emulated in technical and trade classes. We, also commend the attitude of the motor industry in giving some recognition to discharged members of the Aimed Forces who have gone through the courses. Manual Trades v. " White Collar " Occupations. — ln England it has been said that the provision of technical education is inadequate and defective, primarily because the country undervalues the man who works with his hands and regards him as socially inferior to the " white collar " office or professional worker, and that this social attitude extends to executives who are recruited from among craftsmen. It has also been suggested to us that in New Zealand the insufficiency of apprentices in some trades is due to a social bias in our educational system in favour of the " white collar " worker. On these points the members of the Commission questioned a number of witnesses who, from their special knowledge and experience, should be qualified to express an opinion. From the replies given to us we must conclude that neither statement is in general applicable to present-day conditions in this country. At the same time, we are conscious that the social attitude of some sections of our people towards the craftsman does not accord with the accepted sense of values of a modern, democratic community. Improved methods of training tradesmen and the fostering amongst our young people in the course of their general education of an appreciation of the dignity and pride of craftsmanship should help to correct the position. There are few cultivated attributes that develop self-respect and command the respect of worthy citizens more than high-class craftsmanship. We do think that the unpopularity, which is giving employers concern, of some very necessary trades such as boilermaking and moulding is partly due to adolescent susceptibility in regard to working-clothes and cleanliness, particularly when returning home after the day's work. No doubt the apprentices feel that " the apparel oft proclaims the man." We think something could be done to help the position by the more general provision of such amenities as hot showers, personal lockers for street clothing, and satisfactory facilities for changing. Correspondence Courses for Country Apprentices. —We strongly recommend extension of correspondence courses in technical education for the benefit of country apprentices. Remuneration and Expenses of Members of Apprenticeship Committees. — We recommend that the members of .Dominion Apprenticeship Committees should be paid the usual daily fees prescribed by regulation for the members of similar organizations appointed by the State, and that, in addition, they should be reimbursed in respect of their travelling-expenses. The members of local Apprenticeship Committees should receive their out-of-pocket expenses. Apprenticeship for Maoris. —Everything proposed or discussed in this report should be taken as applying to members of the Maori race as well as to pakehas. We are aware that circumstances are frequently different for Maoris, but we are not in. the position, on the evidence before us, to recommend whether any special provision to meet those circumstances should be made. Apprenticeship for Females. —With the greater infiltration of females into industry, the present general exclusion of females from the scope of the Act (section 3 (2) (a) ) should be removed. It should be left to the Court of Arbitration to determine whether certain female workers in various industries are apprentices within the meaning of the Act. Section 17, Apprentices Act, 1923. —Section 17 prescribes that no provision relating to apprentices shall be made in any award or industrial agreement. In many apprenticeship orders clauses of the following character have been inserted : — " The hours worked by an apprentice shall, subject to the provisions of any statute, be those normally worked by journeymen in accordance with the provisions of the award or industrial agreement relating to the employment of journeymen for the time being in force in the district. The conditions of the award or industrial agreement referred to in the foregoing, in so far as they relate to the method and time of payment of wages, holidays (except in regard to deductions for holidays), travelling-time, suburban work, country work, meal-money, and other matters relating generally to the employment and not in conflict with this order, shall be applicable to apprentices." It has been argued that this practice offends against section 17. We see no serious objection to the practice, and, although the Court of Arbitration has ruled against the argument referred to, we consider that section 17 should be amended to make the position perfectly clear. Section 15, Apprentices Amendment Act, 1930. —We suggest that the words " and also on the Committee, or the Deputy Commissioner, as the case may be," should be added at the end of subsection (6) of section 15 of the Apprentices Amendment Act, 1930. We consider the Committee or the Deputy Commissioner is entitled to be notified of the lodging of an appeal under the section. Section 18, Apprentices Amendment Act, 1930. —We recommend the addition of the words " and amendments thereto " to the first sentence of section 18 of the Apprentices Amendment Act, 1930. The words proposed to be added are self-explanatory. Adult Apprentices. —We think that the Apprentices Act should make provision for special contracts for adult apprentices. The procedure we recommend, after considering the evidence we heard, should be that local Apprenticeship Committees should send each proposed contract for an adult apprentice — i.e., one over eighteen years of age —together with their recommendations, through the Commissioner of Apprenticeship to the Court of Arbitration for approval. Where necessary, the Court or its delegate could hear the parties concerned. Interpretation of Orders. —We recommend that the Apprentices Act should include a provision giving power to the Court of Arbitration to interpret apprenticeship orders upon tin; application of any party directly interested, or of the Commissioner of Apprenticeship, or of any industrial union of employers or workers connected with the industry covered by the apprenticeship order concerned. Application of Act. —We recommend that section 3 (1) (a) of the Apprentices Act, 1923, be amended by the deletion of the words " engaged in any such industry." Repeals. —We recommend that sections 3 (4), 18, and 20 of the Apprentices Act, 1923, and section i of the Apprentices Amendment Act, 1925, should be repealed, as they are no longer operative.
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Clarification of Powers of Court of Arbitration. —We recommend that the words " in an Apprenticeship Order or otherwise " be adderl after the word " power " in section 5 (4) of the Apprentices Act, 1923. The Master and Apprentice Act, 1908. With the exception of one suggestion, that the whole Act should lie repealed, no submission or evidence whatsoever was tendered to the Commission concerning the Master and Apprentice Act, 1908, or its amendments of 1920 and 1924. We have neither encountered any apprentice coming within the scope of Part I of the original Act nor learned of the existence of any such apprentice. Several of the sections of Part 1 are clearly obsolete and Unacceptable according to present-day standards. With regard to Part TT of the original Act and to the Master and Apprentice Amendment Act, 1920, we have no comments or recommendations to make. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS The following is a summary of our principal recommendations : — (1) Apprenticeship as the main method of educating and training recruits in the skilled trades should continue. (2) There should be appointed for the Dominion a Commissioner of Apprenticeship, attached to the Labour Department, and devoting his whole, time to apprenticeship matters. He, should be Chairman and executive officer of the Dominion Apprenticeship Committees recommended below. (3) in at least the four main cities there should be full-time Deputy Commissioners of Apprenticeship, who should be Chairmen and executive officers of local Apprenticeship Committees. (4) The Apprentices Act, 1923, should be amended to provide for Dominion apprenticeship orders, and such orders only. (5) Dominion Apprenticeship Committees for each industry or group of allied trades should be set up. (6) The system of local Apprenticeship Committees should be retained, (7) The membership of both Dominion and local Apprenticeship Committees should include representatives of technical education. (8) It should be made a breach of the Act to employ any person as an apprentice without the prior consent in writing of the appropriate local Committee. (9) The powers of transfer of apprentices and the provision for joint contracts in the present Act should be fully used where there is evidence of limited or inadequate training. The power of transfer in the Act should be extended for this purpose. (10) When it is impossible to find a " willing " employer lor such transfer, then the apprentice should be transferred on the recommendation of the Apprenticeship Committee, but only with the approval of the Court of Arbitration and on the application of the Commissioner of Apprenticeship, to one or other of the Government Departments which train apprentices or have the power to take apprentices under the Master and Apprentice Act, 1908. (11) Provision should be made in the estimates of the Labour Department each year to meet any additional costs that the transfers may cause to the other Departments concerned. (12) In trades in which theoretical knowledge is important, Apprenticeship Committees should see to it that only boys known to have the capacity to acquire that knowledge be admitted to apprenticeship. (13) The Dominion Apprenticeship Committees should co-operate with the Education Department to provide or extend educational activities that will widen the experience of boys in crafts. (14) In the programme of work for " social studies " in schools there should be incorporated reference to possible careers, including a broad general knowledge of the conditions of apprenticeship. (15) A. system of bursaries should be inaugurated to help pupils who live in country districts not served by a technical school and who are desirous of further study in technical subjects above the level of the School Certificate. (16) Boards of managers of technical schools should publicize the work of their schools. (17) In technical schools the development and full use of Advisory Committees from industry should be encouraged. (18) When salary scales affecting technical teachers are being drawn up, due regard should lie paid to the remuneration of similarly qualified persons in industry. (19) The State should help able and ambitious young men by giving them bursaries for further specialized training beyond the journeyman stage. (20) Each Dominion Apprenticeship Committee should consider as soon as possible (a) whether or not daylight training is necessary in its trade ; (6) the method of introducing it; and (c) what time must elapse before the necessary arrangements can be made with the education authorities. (21) The signing of indentures should be made the occasion of a meeting of all parties. (22) In every contract of apprenticeship the title of the person who will undertake or supervise the actual training of the apprentice should be given, together with a definition of the scope of his responsibility. (23) The contract of apprenticeship should contain a brief schedule of the operations and skills to be taught to the apprentice. (24) Dominion Apprenticeship Committees should consider the institution of a trade test for all apprentices during the final six months of their term. (25) The Apprentices Act should be amended to provide for the compulsory issue by Apprentices! Ip Committees of a certificate to each apprentice on the completion of his apprenticeship indicating that he has served his time in his trade. (26) The Education Department's Technological Examinations should be revised and more extensively used. (27) Any future changes in minimum wages and conditions of employment of apprentices should be made applicable to existing contracts. (28) In future, scales of wages in apprenticeship orders should be laid down as percentages of the ruling minimum rates for journeymen applying for the time being in the industry concerned. (29) The State should, inaugurate a system of boarding-allowances to cover special cases of hardship where it is necessary for apprentices to live away from home to learn their trades,
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(30) Shift-work should bo prohibited in the case of apprentices under eighteen years of age, and overtime for boys under that age should be strictly limited. If any overtime work is done, the actual time so occupied should be counted towards the total time required to be served under the apprenticeship contract. (31) Dominion Apprenticeship Committees should consider the introduction of a system by which the term of apprenticeship is specified in working-hours rather than in calendar years as at present. (32) When Dominion apprenticeship orders are Ifeing considered, the term of apprenticeship for- each industry should be reviewed in the light of present industrial practice. (33) The Apprentices Act should be amended to allow of the shortening of the term of apprenticeship on account of special educational qualifications. (34) There should be an extension of correspondence courses in technical education for the benefit of country apprentices. (35) Members of Dominion Apprenticeship Committees should be paid fees on the usual scale for such organizations and be reimbursed for their travelling-expenses. Members of local Apprenticeship Committees should receive out-of-pocket expenses. . (36) The present general exclusion of females from the scope of the Apprentices Act should be removed. CONCLUSION A verbatim record of the evidence heard by the Commission was taken and a copy thereof is presented with this report. The Commission wishes to express its appreciation of the valuable assistance rendered by Mr. H. C. McQueen, Eesearch Officer attached to it, and of the efficient services of the Secretary, Mr. R. D. Lumsden. It is also desired to acknowledge the excellent work of the stenographers who reported the proceedings of the Commission, and particularly we would mention Miss 0. B. Clist, Miss E. N. Thorn, and Miss I. L. Harrison. Special thanks are due to the Federal Authorities and departmental officials of the United States and Canada, who gave very valuable help to Mr. E. B. Taylor, a member of the Commission, in the course of his inquiries into apprenticeship systems in those countries. All the foregoing matters and recommendations we humbly submit for Your Excellency's gracious con sid erati on. Dated at Wellington, this 9th day of November, 1944. A. Tyndall, Chairman. C. E. Beeby. I<\ I). COENWELL. C. R. KllMONl). H. G. Fowxeb. Alfbed Gilbeet. Henry E. Monton. W. J. Mountjoy, P. C. Rbnyaed. 11. RIDLING. R. Stanley. E. B. Tayloe.
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APPENDIX TABLE SHOWING NUMBER OF APPRENTICES EMPLOYED IN SKILLED TRADES, 1928-44
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3—H. 11b
17
(Compiled from annual reports of Department of Labour) Trade or Industry. 1928. 1929. 1930. 1931. 1932. 1933. 1934. 1935. 1936. 1937. 1938. 1939. 1940. 1941. 1942. 1943. 1944. Baking 364 373 374 371 281 219 153 106 111 213 243 271 294 296 288 278 359 Boat-building .. .. 52 45 50 41 31 19 11 8 14 22 35 46 49 45 29 26 30 Boilermaking .. .. 76 96 79 72 58 45 37 12 24 26 31 40 37 27 45 41 75 Bootmaking .. .. .. 221 201 205 216 187 145 136 152 184 202 253 259 313 325 336 381 445 Boot-repairing .. .. 72 82 89 46 30 32 19 20 19 28 30 32 32 40 34 43 53 Blacksmithing .. .. 91 51 51 31 29 25 21 16 7 17 17 19 13 13 13 11 21 Bricklaying 127 93 78 81 64 33 15 8 5 22 33 41 47 36 29 22 17 Carpentry and i oinerv .. .. 1,757 1,620 1,509 1,426 1,095 757 505 321 348 604 1,028 1,449 1,689 1,511 1,354 1,313 1,405 Clothing trades ".. .. 26 69 77 64 59 53 51 67 91 158 215 214 218 228 206 175 181 Coachbuilding .. .. 370 320 383 367 272 217 140 87 85 285 433 495 493 393 323 288 280 Coopering .. .. ..11 5 10 7 4 5 5 6 5 5 6 6 6 7 8 8 4 Curriers .. .. 1 1 1 1 1 1 Cycle-working . .. 97 83 85 44 14 11 12 14 13 24 25 23 22 5 1 1 4 Dentistry 8 17 14 22 22 30 Electrical work .. 950 767 702 630 434 329 287 241 244 381 577 720 759 733 766 804 828 Electroplating . . . . . . . . .. . . .. .". .. • ■ 1 2 4 5 Engineering 902 943 1,017 1,052 794 672 524 357 387 581 1,006 1,111 1,238 1,291 1,489 1,613 1,724 Engineering (motor) .. .. 1,122 1,272 1,315 1,172 887 861 659 514 585 668 1,188 1,351 1,504 1,355 1,250 1,181 1,240 Furniture 747 725 706 643 534 421 312 279 313 478 674 735 799 864 870 876 923 Furriers .. .. .. . . . . . . .. . . .. ■ ■ ■ • • ■ • • ■ • • • • • • • 2 1 Gardening 26 20 23 19 15 15 14 15 7 13 7 9 11 -12 11 5 9 Hairdressing 210 196 189 162 97 107 78 53 66 96 126 139 134 113 109 105 101 Hatmaking (felt) .. .. 9 5 4 2 2 2 1 12 10 10 9 Jewellery and watchmaking .. 75 66 71 54 43 36 28 26 19 25 47 57 66 79 86 94 100 Leadlight and glass working .. 52 62 59 29 24 20 16 5 4 13 19 30 30 26 20 14 12 Masonry 54 41 39 35 21 16 16 11 8 14 12 20 32 17 12 14 7 Moulding .. 122 108 129 95 97 85 62 32 29 73 93 107 112 120 109 101 111 Painting 481 449 424 407 306 195 152 97 105 168 271 325 336 347 302 256 240 Photo-engraving . 9 33 44 54 51 60 70 67 Plastering 227 213 216 198 164 106 68 40 38 62 102 138 149 134 123 96 84 Plumbing and gasfitting .. 741 770 721 679 515 391 300 239 213 299 418 498 537 511 505 480 503 Printing 723 787 756 703 643 I 596 538 487 502 556 690 743 751 654 738 791 766 Saddlery 49 51 37 38 34 33 24 17 23 33 47 41 43 37 33 34 28 Sail, tent, and cover making ■ . : 3 4 4 3 1 1 1 .. 1 2 4 8 8 8 5 3.. Signwriting .. '.. .. ! .. .. .. . . .. .. • • • - • - 1 3 Tailoring 77 51 51 27 21 16 14 10 14 19 26 43 45 30 25 17 18 Tanning .. .. .. . . .. .. .. .. .. ■. - - 4 | .. Tinsmithing 175 166 170 150 135 117 92 77 75 120 193 207 221 213 193 175 181 Tile-laying .. .. 2 2 1 Wickerworking .. .. 57 53 41 37 19 14 13 11 8 11 18 16 23 20 11 11 13 Wire-working .. .. .. .. .. .. .. •. • • ■ • ■ • • • • • • ■ • • • • • • 3 3 Total .. .. 10,227 9,943 9,826 8,901 6,910 5,594 4,303 3,329 3,552 5,231 7,916 9,251 10,083 9,570 9,421 9,364 9,878 J
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LIST OF WITNESSES
18
Name. Organization represented. Ferguson, J. .. .. .. New Zealand Federated Furniture and Related Trades' Industrial Union of Workers. Hildreth, N. N. .. .. New Zealand Plasterers and Related Trades' Industrial Union of Workers. Fox, W. A. .. .. .. Wellington Technical College Board of Managers. Jackson, J. J. .... Shields, G. .. .. .. Dominion Federation of Boot Trades' Associations (New Zealand), Inc. Armstrong, F. J. .... Park, R. J. .. Thompson, H. .. .. New Zealand Plumbers and Gasfitters' Industrial Union of Workers. Dunning, N. G. .. .. Electric-power Boards and Supply Authorities' Association of New Zealand (Inc.). McFadgen A .. \ T hi j Education Association. Oram, M. H., M.P. .. J Wilson, C. W. .. .. New Zealand Institute of Electricians (Inc.), Wellington District Branch. Swindell, H. E. .. \ North Island Electrical Trades' Industrial Union of Workers Curlew, A. .. f (Wellington Branch). Jones P E L J Y ' I Hutt Valley Master Builders ' Association (Inc.). Cederholm, W. S. .. .. New Zealand Electrical Traders' Federation. Thomson, W. S. .. .. New Zealand Master Plumbers' Federation. Tremayne, T. 0. .... Cato, L. . . .. . . Wellington Boys' Institute. Gard, R. J. . .. Kent, R. S. .. .. j> New Zealand Government Railways. Wilds, G. W. .. J Chatterton, R. G. .. Coates, J. .. I New Zealand Motor Body Builders' Industrial Association of Joll, L. .. .. f Employers. Hunt, J. E J Newton, E. B. ... .. Wellington Trades Council of the New Zealand Federation of Labour. Pallo, K. .. .. "] Wellington Engineers, Metal Workers, and Iron and Brass Founders' Cable, J. .. !> Industrial Union of Employers, and the Metal Trade Section of Burn, R. .. .. the Wellington Manufacturers' Association. Titheridge, L. E. \ g u b- 0 ommittee on Vocational Training. Martin, D. M. .. / s f Auckland Provincial Employers' Association. Auckland Master Bakers' Association. Auckland Master Builders' Association. Auckland Clothing Manufacturers' Association. Auckland Dentists' Association. Auckland Electrical Contractors' Association. Anderson, W. E. .. , Auckland Furniture Trades' Association. Auckland Ironmasters' Association. Auckland Motor Body Builders' Association. Auckland Photo Engravers' Association. Auckland Master Plumbers' Association. Auckland Master Printers' Association. Auckland Ship, Yacht, and Boat Builders' Association. [_ Auckland Employers of Tinsmiths and Sheet-metal Workers. Budge, D. .. .. .. Auckland Ironmasters' Association. Steele, J. A. .. .. .. Auckland Electrical Traders' Association (Contractors' Section). Neale, J. A. .. .. \ Northern Amalgamated Engineering, Coachbuilding, and Related Catt, L. F. .. .. J Trades' Industrial Union of Workers. Shaw, J. M. (apprentice) Jury, W. E. .. .. .. Auckland District Boilermakers, Iron-ship Workers, and Bridgebuilders' Industrial Union of Workers. Greig, W. A. ,. .. National Union of Carpenters and Joiners. Scott, A. J. "I Cox, R. E. |> (apprentices) Forsyth, G. A. W.J Robinson, D. M. .. .. Childswear Ltd., Auckland. Sanders, G.W. .. \ Elam School of Art Board of Managers. Fisher, A. J. C. .. J b
H.—llB
LIST OF WITNESSES— continued
19
Name. Organization represented. Kirk, A. A. (District Vocational Guidance Officer, Auckland) Potter, W. H. .. •. New Zealand Institute of Electricians. Mclnnarney, J. .. • • Auckland Trades Council of the New Zealand Federation of Labour. SStf** ■}<*—•« Park, G. J. .. .. ■ ■ Seddon Memorial Technical College Board of Managers. Inglis, D. C. (engineer) Warburton, E. R. .. .. New Zealand Horological Institute. Clarke, R. H. (builder) Canning, R. M. (automotive electrician) Stanton, W. T. (primary-school teacher) Clarkson, E. W. .. 1 Jacobs, B. C. .. j> New Zealand Master Printers' Industrial Association of Employers. Aldridge, E. .. .. J Hulse, H. J. .. .. \ Auckland Master Builders' Industrial Union of Employers. Savory, R. .... J r J Corfield, W. A. H. (Shipyard Manager, Naval Dockyard, Auckland) Monks, R. .. .. .. Auckland Manufacturers' Association (Inc.), Footwear Group. McChesney, H. (Senior Inspector . ... of Schools, Auckland) Lamb, S. E. (retired Professor of Engineering, Auckland University College) Luney, C. S. .. .. "1 Townshend, H. E. .. I New Zealand Federated Builders and Contractors' Industrial Hulse, H. J. .. .. f Association of Employers. Roberts, A. L. .. J McGregor, S. E. (District Registrar of Apprentices, Christchurch) Kelly, G. .. .. \ Y oun g People's Club, Christchurch. Switalla, li. .. .. J Hansen, D. E. .. Warren, A. J. R. .. [> Christchurch Technical College Board of Managers. Keir, R. A. .. .. J Clark, E. R. .. .. .. Christchurch and Greymouth Federated Furniture and Related Trades' Industrial Union of Workers. Keys, G. E. M. .. 1 Robinson, Miss C. E. .. j> New Zealand Vocational Guidance Association. Winterbourne, R. J Barrell, Mrs. H. .. .. National Council of Women, Christchurch Branch. Butland, H. F. .. ~] Brown, A. .. I New Zealand Master Painters, Decorators, and Signwriters Tonkin, P. D. .. Federation. Bell, E. J J Ainger, J. ■. ■ • Air-spray, Limited, Christchurch. Grant, A. B .. \ Canterbury Trades Council of New Zealand Federation of Labour. Langley, -b. L. .. J Bryson, G. J. Power, T. J. > (apprentices) .. Wormald, G. E.J Randle, W. I. J. Tench, A. D. .. .. New Zealand Retail Motor Trade Association (Inc.). Champion, C. Andrews, T. .. .. j> Canterbury Master Plasterers' Industrial Union of Employers. Buxton, T. G. H. J Luney, C. S. .. Graham, J. W. .. .. Canterbury Builders and Contractors' Association, and North Canterbury Timber Merchants' Association. S 1 - 1 !' G ' v n '' " \ Timaru Technical College Board of Managers. Wilson, B. C. .. J ° Hitchcock, E. .. .. Municipal Electricity Department, Christchurch. Archbold, E. .. .. Christchurch Furniture and Related Trades' Industrial Union of Employers.
H.—llB
LIST OF WITNESSES —continued
LIST OF INTERESTED PARTIES WHO MADE WRITTEN SUBMISSIONS ONLY Beer, G. 8,, Woodwork Teacher, Southland Technical College. Invercargill Electrical, General Engineering, Plumbers and Gasfitters, and Motor Trades' Apprenticeship Committees. Invercargill Electrical Trades' Apprenticeship Committee. Jenkins, T., 53 Princes Street, Dunedin. Martin, L., Warrant Engineer, H.M.N.Z.S. " Philomel." New Zealand Employers' Federation. New Zealand Federated Clothing Trades' Employees' Industrial Association of Workers. New Zealand Institute of Electricians, Canterbury Branch. New Zealand Paper Merchants' Association. Scott, H. M., Principal, Palmerston North Technical School. Shackleton, A. J., 8.E., A.M.I.E.E, Gisborne. South Canterbury Motor Engineering Apprenticeship Committee. Stewart, W. M., Principal, Technical High School, Greymouth. Sullivan, S. J., S. J. Sullivan, Limited, Wanganui. Tait, R. S., J. P., Greenhills, Southland. Thorp, G. H., M.Agr.Sc, Agricultural Master, High School, Gisborne. White, H. 8., Secretary, Native Schools Branch (N.Z.E.1.).
Approximate Cost of Taper.—Preparation, not given ; printing ((',30 copies), £35.
Authority: E. V. Paul, Government Printer, Wellington. —1945.
Price. 9d.]
20
Name. Organization represented. TT\] e ' r Canterbury Electrical Contractors'Industrial Union of Employers. Walmsley, E. B. McGregor Burrowes, G. R. .. New Zea i an( j m agter Bakers and Pastrycooks' Industrial Association Hu5e F W H - :: J ° fEm^ers. Thurston, G. T. .. .. New Zealand (except Northern Industrial District) Amalgamated Engineering and Related Trades' Industrial Union of Workers. Evans, L. F. .. ... Otago Trades Council of the New Zealand Federation of Labour. Rice, A. J. .. .. Otago and Southland Branch, Amalgamated Engineering and Related Trades' Industrial Union of Workers. Randle, L. G.\, ,. . tt i. 1 t> a Hastie, R. S. / v ' Young, E. E. F. .. .. New Zealand Institute of Electricians, Otago Branch. MacDougall, W. P. .. \ New Zea knd Technical School Teachers' Association. Davidson, J. . . /. Mclndoe (Engineering Instructor,.! Southland Technical College) Ikin, S. .. .. \ Otago Branch of the Amalgamated Society of Carpenters and Baird, W. G. .. j Joiners and Joiners'Machinists'Industrial Union of Workers. Smythe, C. ~1 / u \ Cotter, R. T .} Apprentices) .._ Ikin, S. .. .. .. Otago Bricklayers' Industrial Union of Workers. Aldridge, W. G. .. . . King Edward Technical College Board of Managers. Caradus, E. . . .. ') Kirkcaldie, S. M. .. }- Royal New Zealand Air Force. Hughes, A. A. .. J Aim, E. J. .. .. .. New Zealand Secondary Schools Association. Pack, J. A. .. .. I\. Wellington Industrial District Plasterers and Fibrous Plasterers' Johnson, F. G. .. J Industrial Union of Employers.
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COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO APPRENTICESHIP AND RELATED MATTERS (REPORT OF), Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1945 Session I, H-11b
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17,310COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO APPRENTICESHIP AND RELATED MATTERS (REPORT OF) Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1945 Session I, H-11b
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