PAINTING TRADE.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20172, 26 February 1931, Page 4

PAINTING TRADE.

RESTRICTIONS AND APPRENTICESHIP. PROBLEMS IN AUSTRALIA. Two matters are just now presenting paramount interest to the painting and decorating industry in Australia (reports the "New Zealand Decorator's" correspondent). The first is the trouble recently experienced in regard to ready mixed points and bound up with it, white lead restrictions, and the second is apprenticeship. Recently there have been complaints concerning the failure of certain ready-mixed paints. This, of course, has cast a shadow over the , whole ready-mixed paint business, despite the fact that in any country where there is no legislation to , regulate ready-mixed pamts air sorts of substitutes for lead are used to the detriment of the paint. Naturally, master Eainters and decorators' associations ave sought to clear the matter up, and the consensus of opinion appears to trace the trouble to the substi-. tutes for white lead. In the opinion, for instance, of Mr J. Charlton (president of the Master /Painters' and Decorators' Association or\_ Queensland), after twenty-five experience, for outside use there is no other pigment that will give the same biuty as lead. Zinc and titanium in [ balanced quantities is the next best substitute, says Mr Charlton. The question of apprenticeship in the building trade not only affects boys apprenticed as painters and decorators, but all building trade apprentices, simply because of the general slackness of trade. , The position has arisen where employers are being compelled to seek the permission of the Arbitration Courts to stand their boys down. Whilst this action, may, give relief to th® employer, it does not get over the difficulty of throwing a boy into idleness just at a time when he should be fully occupied. So / serious hns this question become that the Master Builders' Federation of _ Australia at its rocent conference discussed the matter, but unfortunately was unable to put forward any constructive scheme to overcome the troubles. TM'' idleness of boys was deployed, bnt .no way out of the difficulty could'' b®' found except bv attendance at technical colleges or trade' classes- during their unemployment _ This' to' WW#' extent is the'rule "in. Queensland, where the Act is administered by ' mitteea representing#}® employees in th® ramus tra4f9, .auo eac h .. Jorm<irly ' ork«d micter its -