TRAINING THE BOYS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3100, 2 June 1917, Page 5

TRAINING THE BOYS

TKADKS COUNCIL'S VIEWS. Tlio Wellington Trades and Labour Council has issued a 'statement setting forth its views in regard to apprenticeship and the dilution of labour. It makes particular refereuco to proposals for the employment of youths and boys in tho skilled trades. "In the first place," states the council, "it is essential that proper provision should be inado for teaching apprentices their trade, and in this respect the Trades Council stands fully for efficiency, • «:s without proper moans of education it is impossible to secure- properly-quali-fied tradesmen. Tho Arbitration Court has had abundant opportunities of securing evidence from both workers and employers on the question of apprenticeship, but employers would seem to bo imbued with the desire to have unlimited opportunities of employing boy labour. In one recent case in Wellington it happened that an employer had throe apprentices working ami no journeymen at all, and it would be interesting to know how, under tuck conditions; an apprentice is to secure that knowledge of the trado which is to make him a competent journeyman. This scheme would certainly not appear suitable for sccurr ing efficiency judging from past rulings of tho Arbitration Court and from opinions generally held by tradesmen themselves. Ono of the troubles which would certainly arise from tho adoption of free employment of boys /would bo that, as any trado becamo overstocked with labour which had been indifferently trained to any particular trade, the tendency would be for wages to decline, and this would render the situation worse than it has been in. tho past, as it is cortain thorp would be no inducement for the parents to apprentice their sona to a- trade when, by sending them to unskilled labour, they would reap ail immediate advantage in higher wages, and the prospects would bo almost," if not quite, equally as good as tho boys grow to man's estate. "We are of opinion that no material progress can be made by 'the nation unless tho foundations of its structure are built on a solid baso and not on sand. Much , is now being said in favour of education; but education requires proper application or it loses its virtue. We' havo largo numbers of semi-literato children turned out of our schools when they are from ,12 to U years of ago without definite purpose as to the future. Tho parent then allows the child to drift into some work for which tho child may have little aptitude, being actuated very often by tho consideration of immediate monetary advantage rather than the future of the child." The council suggests compulsory attendance at night continuation schools as a remedy for tho tendency of boys to get into "blind'alley" occupations. The council considers that as employers havo failed to train their apprentices properly technical training in the daytime, should be niadq a compulsory part of indentured apprenticeship. Best results were not obtained by technical teaching after a full day's work, nor was it fair to tho boys that they should be required to put in'this extra time. The council suggests that in a working week of J5 hours 30 hours should be at the service of tho employer and 15 horn's reserved for technical training. Along with this school teachers should be required to watch for the bent of a boy's genius and advise parents as to the calling for which lie would bo most fitted. Only oii such a foundation could an efficient organisation of lifo'and resources bo built rip.