The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1915. INDUSTRIAL EFFICIENCY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2357, 13 January 1915, Page 4

The Dominion. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 1915. INDUSTRIAL EFFICIENCY

> The problem of promoting the freest possible expansion of trade and industries has perhaps not yet received in this country all the attention it deserves. ' Everyone admits, of course, that the strength, even _ the military strength, of the Empire depends largely upon the degree of commercial and industrial prosperity which it can maintain and that, its material welfare in future years, after the war is over, will depend to a great extent upon its outpacing Germany and other nations in the race for commercial supremacy, but' it is necessary that these broad facts should bo not only recognised and admitted, but acted upon and carried into practical effect. In Great Britain efforts are being made to establish new industries and to strengthen those that already exist, and a similar policy should be pursued in every part of the Empire. New Zealand is a small country and many of its industries are at_ an early stage in their career, but it is very much interested in this question'and will do itself less than justice if- its people fail to show the same alert disposition as is manifested v - by the Mother Country to meet, and as far as possible profit by, the new conditions created by the war. To a great extent the question of commercial and industrial expansion resolves itself into detail problems demanding individual treatment, but there is need'also for a systematic survey of the position as a whole in order that weaknesses may be remedied and new enterprises opened up. Many people think it unfortunate that ■ this country does not yot possess a Board of Trade, and a proposal to set up such a body has been mooted and is favourably regarded by the Government. It would no doubt be able to lay before the country an orderly statement of the present position which would be very helpful to future progress and' development. There is not the same opening here for now industrial and commercial enterprises as there is in the Mother Country, but openings for improvement and expansion will naturally be found when the problem is approached with method and determination. The war should in no way hinder efforts of this kind, but on the contrary Bhould stimulate them, for the improvement of industry and the extension of commerce are necessary not only to maintain and support the military strength of the nation during the war, but to repair the destruction caused by the war when the fighting is over. As things stand at the moment the lack of some such body as a Board of Trade'must be reckoned a serious defect in our national organisation which should be made good. Meantime, anything in the nature of constructive criticism making for improved efficiency in trade or, industry should bo welcomed, and in this connection mention may be made of an address on the subject of apprenticeship and kindred matters, delivered before the local Industrial Association tho other evening by Mr. L. T. Watkins. It is unnecessary, to traverse the whole of the address, which was fully reported in The Dominion yestarday, but the broad position disclosed is that during recent years there has been a considerable decrease in the number of workers engaged in skilled trades in this country. At a time when the importance of commercial and industrial efficiency is so clearly recognised this fact should give rise to sorious reflection. Such a state of affairs in a country offering so many advantages and opportunities of advancement to tho skilled tradesman argues a- lack of foresight and a degree of intcria on tho part of tho population which cannot bo too soon broken down. Much has been dono by fcho extension of technical education and in other ways to cncourago tho youth of the community to enter upon a working career in some highor capacity than that of unskilled labourers, but evidently a great deal yet remains to be done, i That tho task must be faced with de-

cision iB obvious for no country can hope to build up its commercial and industrial prosperity while the number of its skilled workers shows _ a tendency to decline,. and that of its unskilled labourers, as a necessary consequence, to increase. The subject deserves all the attention that can be given to it and an effort to increase tho ratio of skilled to unskilled workers should command the support of every section of the population once the facts are fully made known and understood. Apart from the general.improvement in efficiency which would rtsult from an increase in the proportion of skilled workers the gam to the individuals concerned is not to' be denied. The first thing necessary_ is that a systematic investigation should be conducted so that the facts of the position may be fully made' known. In the absence of full information it is impossible to dogmatise on the subject, but it seems olear enough that there is an unfortunate tendency on the part of boys and youths in this country to take up unskilled labour rather than face a period of apprenticeship. This is an extremely short-sighted course since those who take it exclude themselves from many avenues of advancement which are open to the trained and capable tradesman. It has been the polioy of trade unions up to the present time to strictly limit the number of apprentices in most tradeß from a fear that otherwise those occupations might be flooded with boylabour. As things are now tending this fear seems to have very little foundation in fact. It should be re : membered that the figures showing a decline in the number of skilled tradesmen do not cover fully the decline in apprenticeship, for year byyear numbers of tradesmen arrive in this country as immigrants. Such a condition of things can be no more pleasing to New Zealand tradeß unionists than it is to employers of labour and all who wish to see the industries of the country develop and progress, and unionists should be able to heartily co-operate dn the task of bringing about reform. Howovor, as we havo said, the first thing necessary is a full and detailed investigation of tho facts. These definitely established unsparing efforts should be made to impress upon boys and their parents the advantages of selecting a skilled occupation, even at some present sacrifice, rather than the limited career of an unskilled labourer. The pressure of the war is bound to emphasise the value of industrial training and efficiency for there can be no doubt that the partial neglect of these factors in the past has been to Borne extent attributable to the comparatively easy conditions which have nearly always existed in this country. _ \Ve are learning now by hard experience that a nation is strong only by virtue of an active and enterprising spirit in its population, and it isof course largely in tho normal activities of every day that th}s spirit must find expression. We cannot afford as a country to' see an increasing proportion of our population drifting into the ranks of unskilled labour, and it is a national duty to check and correct the existing tendenoy m that direction.