BOYS ON THE LAND

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 677, 31 May 1929, Page 18

BOYS ON THE LAND

SCOTTISH APPLICATION REFUSED REPLY FROM AUCKLAND Having received a request from the Inverness Chamber of Commerce, Scotland, that it should try to place in employment in the Dominion boys on the point of leaving the Inverness Royal Academy, the Auckland Chamber of Commerce has replied regretting that it can do nothing in this direction.

JN his letter, the secretary of the

Auckland Chamber (Mr. E. P. Neale) states: Within the last few years the percentage of New Zealand boys between 15 and 20 years of ago to the total population has risen from 4.4 to 4.7. The effect is, however, that we have 4,000 more boys in New Zealand seeking work at these ages than is normal, and you can understand that we are at our wits’ end to know how to place our own lads.

The position should right itself in the course of the next two or three years, when the effects of the low birth-rates of the war period manifest themselves in fewer boys leaving school. In the meantime, however, our own. difficulties are so acute that we regret we cannot take any action in the matter.

Efforts to assist New Zealand Doys to employment on the land have been made by Mr. J. S. Fletcher, M.P., who recently asked for details of the Taranaki Chamber of Commerce scheme for absorbing boys. Tbe Immigration Committee of the Taranaki Chamber has decided to advertise requesting local farmers who wish to train New Zealand boys to forward their names. So far Mr. Fletcher has received no information regarding applications, but hopes to have something definite next week. In a reply to the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, which advocated preference being given to New Zealand boys on the land, the Taranaki Chamber stated that the New Zealand boy seemd to show no inclination to go on the land, and the English boy, being not quite so independent in spirit, was more easily handled.