EXPERIENCE AND EFFICIENCY OVERLOOKED BY AWARDS.

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 3, Issue 690, 16 November 1933, Page 7

EXPERIENCE AND EFFICIENCY OVERLOOKED BY AWARDS.

COMMITTBE'S REPORT. Wellington, Friday. "One of the most serious obstacles to the employment of youths who have passed the age of 16 years is found in the aWard rate for wage payments govsrning Certain types of industry," says the report of a specia'l committee set up by the conference of the New Zealand Technical School Teachers' Association. "In the apprenticeship awards there are no ■ serious difficulties so far as wage payments are coneerned in the following trades Bricklayers, carpenters, joiners, clothing trade, coach and body builders, electrieal workers, furniture trade, hairdressing, motor engineering, painters, decorators, plasterers, plumbers, printers, saddlers, tailors, and tinsmiths, but in the cases of shop assistants, junior " storemen, packers, porters, messengers, grocers'

assistants, and apprentices in certain districts, where trade combines have arranged wage rates on an age basis, the position is serious. Under these awards, although some allowance is made for experience, payment is made in the main according to age. "For example, a boy of 18 years of age seeking employment as a shop assistant musit be paid £1 per week, whereas a boy of 15 is paid 12s 6d. The boy of 18 is generally quite willing to accept 12s 6d, but the award forbids it. In the latest agreement drawn up by the Wellington engineering trades, a boy of 18 is to be paid £1 2s 6d, whereas the lad of 15 dr,aws 15s a week. It will he seen, then, that unless some temporary relief can he obtained from the rigidity of these awards, the chances of employing boys 17 years and over are extremely remote. Furthermore, if this state of aifairs is allowed to continue, many boys of the future will indirectly be deprived of the advantages of a complete secondary education. Four years ago, an employer was quite willing to pay a senior boy the ward rates and reap the benefit of his maturity, culture, and general education, hut to-day he is tempted not to do so by the inducement to employ younger lads at a lower cost. "Wlhile a system of wages payments according to age may have heen necessary in the past, :t seems that the time has now come when it is not so desirable. Efficiency is the factor that should count in the Ung run."