THE BASIC WAGE

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 124, 27 May 1937, Page 10

THE BASIC WAGE

DIFFICULT PROBLEM

THE SCHOOL AGE

The problem o? boy employment and the consequences of the basic wage on the engagement of youths was the subject of a report to the council, of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce last night by.-a special, committee which had been set up by the chamber under the chairmanship of Mr. R. H. Nimmo. The contentions in the report, which was unanimously adopted by the council, have been the subject of representation to the Government, and it was decided to hear the viewpoint of the Ministers concerned before proceeding any further with the problem.

"There is evidence of the serious depleting of our schools of pupils over sixteen years of age, because under present conditions it is becoming increasingly difficult for youths who have passed the age of seventeen years to' get into a life-time vocation outside the Civil Service," said the report. "With the general improved conditions, the number of positions offering, and the lure of high wages, there is' a tendency for children to be allowed prematurely to enter the field of industry. The raising of the school-leaving age to fifteen years would accentuate the difficulty with regard to post-primary educated boys, For, soon after, leaving secondary school, they would find themselves faced'with the barrier of the basic wage Interference with the educational development 'of the brightest youths in this country must ultimately have the effect of lowering the general intellectual standard, a condition which all would deplore. "There is also the present problem of boys who a year or two ago entered dead-end vocationless employment, which at that time was the only employment they could find. With the return of better times they now desire to enter something offering a lfe work, but find themselves debarred from doing so by the fact that the employer is obliged to, pay the minimum prescribed, and/or take into consideration the boys' previous years of employment, even although such employment may have been unsatisfactory .nd may not have provided, the boy with any\ experience or qualification which would justify his receiving the higher wage. ' , THE BIRTH-RATE. "The bpdies whose only concern in this matter is the welfare of the Dominion's youth.suggest that on investigation it may be found that part of the difficulty is in the application of the basic wage in the twenty-first year without reference to the previous experience of the worker concerned. Doubtless, one consideration in basing the minimum on one adult worker with three dependants (despite the statistics of married persons in New Zealand which it is stated reveal that even between the later ages of 25 to 30 years there is an average of only 1.06 children per married male worker) was to encourage the birth-rate. It will be readily seen; however,- that under present conditions marriage itself will be quite out of the question for the large number of young men V/ho are being deprived entry, to remunerative employment. "In order to meet the situation it may be considered expedient to retard the application of the basic wage to the twenty-tWrd year or zhernativeJy after four years' employment." The report says it is felt very strongly in some quarters that the present apprenticeship laws of the Dominion and their application do not encourage tKe entry into industry of the large number of youths who desire to.qualify as journeymen. The present trend of industry towards a reduction in apprentices is fraught with grave consequences for the arts and crafts and the skilled trades of the Dominion.,,. .'■■'' A TRAINING SCHEME. It is suggested that consideration ■should be given to the inauguration of a trainee scheme under which special contracts similar to apprenticeships might be approved b;- the Minister and* in addition legislation introduced to , ensure that each specified industry is permitted to take its quota of trainees. With proper safeguards it may be deemed expedient to absorb in this scheme young men in their twenties, who are at present on.^sustenance. In certain specified cases the sustenance amount could be used to supplement their pay as trainees, thus making the scheme more attractive to employers who otherwise would prefer to engage younger» men or boys. The report suggests that consideration might be given to the advisability of setting up a separate tribunal in each of the four main centres-to/deal with apprenticeship and.related problems. This tribunal, with an independent chairman and permanent secretary from the Labour Department, should take the place of the Apprenticeship Committee. This tribunal j should also deal with +he trainee scheme, and it also could deal with the vexed question of under-rate workers' permits concerning the issue of which, in the meantime, there is need for a greater -flexibility.