WAGES OF APPRENTICES.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 561, 16 July 1909, Page 9

WAGES OF APPRENTICES.

Strong exception is taken by Mr. Moriarty secretary of the Furniture Trades Workers' Union,, to the remarks made by several employers, during a discussion at the recent meeting of the Industrial Association, with reference to tbe proposal of the Hon. J. A. Millar (Minister for Labour) that apprentices should be paid on a sliding scale according to their years of apprenticeship, Referring to the matter yesterday, Mr. Moriarty told a Dominion reporter thai he wished in particular to .deny a statement ] by Mr. S. S. Williams that "the journeymen want to sweep the boys away altogether, and keep the nork in their own hands " To show. .how':, unjustified -was.; the he would;.;lik'e'''^tb'.Vbutlitie;ythe'.-'position / :pf ; prentices -"under':'; theii■/award;'/'.'.Taking" the case, of -a shiall shop;:■ he;said that a cabinet-, maker,.wholsterer,:and polisher were re-. :quisite^/itJhder^tbe/award the 'employer was' allowed .to. keep, one apprenticei- to each /of .those men:: //The/employer' could also take on an'; apprentice/to/ each .Of /'the'.-.other, appren- ■ tices. after /the lattqr 'had/served /four/years, r /That '/.was.-tb. say: it /possible/for 'a' small employer /.to/, have,■ in..those circumstances,six'hoys'to his three men. /Did that look as if;.the./ workers./wished■•.to.-; sweep "away."the ..boys ?; : '/He, ; might; also'. ;point' out 'that, the award 'provided -.that,;'if,; owing, to 'any. fore-, seen cause,- an : employer ; was unable to'fulfil-his/.obligation-td^.teach';■ his : apprenticesj';it should' be'lawf ul-for -the apprentices,, to complete.'their 'termwith anotheremployer. -.. ; :;./Speak'ing';iipon,the question of /apprentices' wages; Mr.'-.Mbriaiiy stated that; under their award, three months'. trial oh. probatiph;was allowed.:lf.ah'.employer'/(even:'during;'the course of the following twelve months)found ''that; a' boy .'-was- "brainless," ■ and /not likely, .to/make a-tradesman,, he. was .failing: in his/ duty to; the boy's parents if he did not ac : . quaint /them- with - the- fact: /He - entirely agreed: with the .Hdh.':;J;'- A; 'Millar that"an■; entirely: /.different-' system' of wages for apprentices ..was, Required. . :In the first place,. ■after.', three; months' ■'■' trial, apprentices had* ,to'/find, their'pwn•■'tools;' which: washo small /matter //for a': complete,setin-'their-i line .cost' "■ anything up .to. -£30.--' Under the .-award ; ai)-. . prentices;'were allowed 6s;-'por week for the .'flrat':yea;r; : ,'9s/;per-:'!Weei'.foT. the second year;'. ■135.;; per-week/for'the,, third.year; ,18s. per /week/for: the fourth - year, 1 -arid-255. per- Week for,.the. fifth .year." -.'.Those , : y wages'were'.'so low .tliaT- there. really was "no/ incentive for, an ;■employer; to teach, a lad/the/trade. If the. wages:'wero.'on' the -sliding' scale, that Mr. /.Mifla-r had suggested, it would not .pay; an employer to: keep his apprentices /on odd jobs''(M^mort\of;;'.tn'ehi'' : *dias,', instead:,of. at the/bench:/'- v/'/'/'/''/■ ■? u ; -/-'/V;./-v- ' ( Mr. Millair's proppsal.was not so terrible as .'would /-seem, Sat;.first sight., to bo tho case. ; For' their /trade : the scale' would-be, ; say," as follows: -first. year,.. 6s..'■ per .week; second year, 10s./per week; third year, 'los. per week; fourth year, 30s. per week; and the . fifth: year, / 48s. per- week; He -was firmly convinced that an apprentice in his fifth'year was worth within 20 per 'cent;./of a journeyman's Wages. "In support ,bf / that contention, he might say that numbers /of employers paid capable boys lar more than tho award rate; Ono of many instances of which he knew was that of '.' a .boy in his./ third -year who was, getting /£1 per week, whereas the award provided: for only 13s. In conclusion, .Mr.-Moriarty oxpressed'the opinion, that a change in the. present scale was only a matter, of time. .