TRADESMEN SUPPLY POSITION

Rotorua Morning Post, Issue 5280, 17 December 1946, Page 3

TRADESMEN SUPPLY POSITION

EPFECT OF REHAHILITATION SCHEMIi ON INDDSTRY. j ~ ' j Statistics had proved that had it | not been for rehabilitation training ] centres, the supply position of trainees ] for the building industry would have ] been hopeless, ,said Mr. .S. W. Gaspar ' at the quarterly meeting of the National Rehabilitation Council held in Wellington. There was, he said, an estimated shortage of 7840 carpenters j in the industry, while normal replacei ments necessary amounted to 1204 apprentices a year. As it was, only 300 apprentices a year were coming forward, l ! 'In the plastering' trade, 'there was an annual requirement of 125 apprentices, whereas only 2'2 came forward a year. For brieklayirtg, only seven apprentices a year were coming. forward instead of the 55 ordinarily needed. Ex-service trainees at present being taught at centres numbered 1702 i for carpentry, 105 for bricklaying, 99 for plastering, 195 for painting and 12 for joinery, a total of 2113. The standard of work being done was high and contractors to wbom trainees hacl gone after completing their training period were satisfied. Mr. T. R. Lees (Palmerston North) asked whether consideratjon mig'ht be g'iven to extending* the B elass (subsidised) training scheme to those places where there were A class centres. He agreed that the work being- done by the trainees was excellent, but he also thought it was very slow. If more men could be brought in rnder the B class scheme it would have a material etfect "on the labour position and would ultimately speed up housing construction. Materials Limiting' Factcr,

Pointing out that the limiting factor was^ the supply of materials, the Director of Rehabilitation said tbat althoug'h there wotild be no administractive diffieulty in setting np double he number of training centres, it would mean doubling the amount of building materials. That would in turn reflect on the amount which could bc made available to private builders, many of whom were employing exservicemen under the B scheme. Thus any endeavour to increase substantially the number of men trained, either by the A scheme or the B scheme, might lead to diffieulty in lieeping them fully employed. He was sure the fullest use was being made of all available' material. The . board was in 'constant touch with the Housing and Forestry I)epartments to insure that trainees were getting as much available mate-L-ials as jiossible, said- Mr. Gaspar. Materials for bricklaying and plastering were in much the same supply position as vvas timber for carpenti'y. fhe • board had also to keep the proportions of tradesmen in the industry is correct as possible. The training :-entre in Palmerston North could, :or one, easily be doubled in size if naterials were available to keep that lumber of trainees going. When the naterials were available, then that vould be done. .

■ Thoroughness First Objeclive. ( ' There was no question, he thought, j as to the A scheme being bettcr. Ha , instanced the case of a builder who j had sent his son to one of the rehabili- ; tation training centres." On being askj ed the reason, the trainee -had replied that he considered that he could obtai)i better training, particularly in | theoretical work, at the centre tban i under his father. J : As regards«downess in training, he j considered that thoroughness was the : first and main objective. There was no | attempt in the first 12 months to drive ! a man, althoug'h in the extension period trainees were taught to work with speed e'nd effkiency, He had recently visited all the training centres and had been assured by the trainees themselves of their satisfaetion, as well as with all other aspeets of their rehabilitation. Mr. A. H. O'Keefe said he also had visited all the training centres and he was satisfied with the A scheme from the training point of view. Valuable time was not wasted, but sure methods in training were in the interests of all ex-servicemen and would pay dividends in bettcr houses being built.