The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, MAY 5, 1927. APPRENTICESHIP ACT.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 May 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. THURSDAY, MAY 5, 1927. APPRENTICESHIP ACT.

The policy of the Arbitration Court towards the Apprenticeship Act was outlined by his Honour .Mr Justice Fraser, at Auckland last week. “We know that the question of the district proportion has caused a good deal of heartburning, but it must be reiuemI re red that the Act requires that the Court in all cases shall fix the district- proportion,” he pointed out. “We stress this point because it is not generally understood that, in possibly Do cases out of 10.), the district proportion has been agreed to by the apprenticeship committees, which consist of an equal number of employers and workers. The committee must be reasonable and must take the view that the conclusions of the committee are correct.” Continuing, he said that tnut was why the Court was loath to depart from the view so expressed. On the general subject of appeals, it was difficult for an appeal to succeed, for it would probably be against the decision of the district registrar, who had refused to register on the ground that the district proportion was full'. All appeal of this nature could only be sucessful if it was shown that there was a mistake in the figures. The “Apprenticeship Act has been the subject of a great deal of thought by the Minister of Labour,’’ went on his Honor, “and I am quite sure that, if any part of That Act is found to he unworkable it will receive his fullest attention. If he is satisfied that there is good ground for amendment. I am satisfied lie will have the matter brought before Parliament. That may be the solution of the difficulties that

have arisen in respect to the district proportion clause. \Ve have no wish to restrict any hoy from going into any trade, if he lias reasonable opportunity of obtaining 'employment when lie becomes a journeyman. It would lie a poor thing, however, for this country if we turned out lon

times as many e!o"i ricians as wore required, and then lotird that we had a shortage of baker-, carpenters, cte. and Intel to import tie on. We have endeavoured all through to get the views of men experienced in the various trails before we have come to any conclusions in regard to district proportion.” The new system of obtaining return-, however, were tool-proof, and it was almost impossible for any

error to creep into them. The policy of the Act had sometimes been the subject of somewhat stringent comment. Therefore, they desired to clear up the matter. Two extreme views held, which were not adopted by the Act. were: (I) That a hoy should he allowed to become apprenticed to any trade at all, irrespective of overcrowding: (2) that trades were the special private property of the men employed in them as journeymen, that the numbers of journeymen should lie limited to provide full work for them, whether competent or incompetent. ‘‘What we have tried to do is so arrange the dis-

trici proportion in each trade as to allow a sufficient number of hoys to come on, also to allow of reasonable expansion of the trade, and to make pmvison for wastages or removals from the district. The Court also endeavoured to provide that there shall he a small surplus of journeymen. We endeavour to see that the trade is always eapble of having suiKeient boys

coming on to meet the requirements of the trade for the future. On the other hand, we know that certain trades are exceedingly popular, and we realise that if we allow boys to enter them indiscriminately, that we would starve other trades. We, therefore, try to prevent hoys from being diverted into trades where there is not plenty of work and good money. Our policy tends to equalise the position. if a hoy wanted to acquire a skilled trade, he proceeded, the Court tried to induce him to take up an occupation that was not overcrowded.

“This is what the Court T trying to do, and it is what we understand is the policy of the Act also. Wo have nothing whatever to do with the political side of the Act. We have merely to administer it as we find it.”