"Taranaki Central Press” THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1937. THE BASIC WAGE AND THE SCHOOLS

Taranaki Central Press, Volume IV, Issue 449, 3 June 1937, Page 4

"Taranaki Central Press” THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 1937. THE BASIC WAGE AND THE SCHOOLS

Asked by the Director of Education to substantiate his statement that many employers will not give work to boys over 1 7 because of the basic wage, the headmaster of Wellington College, Mr W. A. Armour, has produced figures which certainly support his contention, even though they may not prove it. Mr Armour states that in 1932, 51 boys under 17 and 74 over 1 7 left Wellington College, whereas in 1936 172 boys under I 7 and 47 over 1 7 left the college. Such figures do not cover a wide enough area to be conclusive; it would be necessary, before generalising from them, to have similar figures from all secondary schools and to compare the present situation with that which existed before the depression. Moreover, there is possibly some room for argument over the extent to which other factors besides the basic wage affect school leavings. Mr Armour’s figures show that the relative increase in the number of boys under 1 7 leaving Wellington College began more than a year before the basic wage became effective. It will not be denied, however, that the basic wage is exert' ing considerable influence on school leavings and that the whole question requires to be minutely and dispassionately examined. Fortunately the Minister for Education, Hon. P. Fraser, seems disposed to face realities. In his address to the annual conference of the New Zealand Educational Institute in Wellington he admitted frankly that he was disturbed by the rate at which children were entering industry prematurely and by the possibility that the basic wage was stimulating the demand for boy labour and at the same time making it difficult for youths to enter industry at or near the age of 2 I. It is important to note that merely to raise the school leaving age by a year, as the Government proposes to do, will not greatly improve the situation. If the statements made by the headmaster of Wellington College are substantiated by a wider investigation, some modification of the basic wage will be essential. And once the basic wage is modified on the lines suggested by Mr Fraser it becomes questionable whether it is worth maintaining.