WASTED OPPORTUNITY.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVII, Issue 159, 11 December 1914, Page 4

WASTED OPPORTUNITY.

■ AND HOW -TO PREVENT IT. ir 7 'L j :• "Wasted Trade Opportunities andCareens" wfts ,J;lie title of an interesting and instructive' paper . read by iMr- L. T. Watkin at the meeting of the Industrial Association on Tuesday. It must be admitted asi a standing facil, said l Mr YViatkin, that many young men wlto* were growing to manhood must ulti-' ina,tely swell the ranks of the unskilled workers anil the unemployed, owing to their lack of trade, or business education. In a; young, robust and growing country sucli. t as JTew Zealand, ith its trade and industries expanding yearly, it Was remarkable that practically no ihduswtry at th« present time m educating the necessary percentage of boy 3 to carry on liha future work of such special industry or trade; This was a matter so s-erioua for the future prosperity of the country that it. called for the immediate attenMpn of the people and the politicians." Jfore especially wis this position to be"'deplored when in every trade could be seen employers of labour, successful; business ineji, only a few year since were workmen, and who, before the eyes of their fellows, had risen by their own endeavour to the .positions they at present hold. As employers, it wins Accessary for the Members of the association to strengthen their supply of skilled labour, and the best way to do this was the oldest way —teach the youngster .{Hid make h.ima nrsfrplass workman. This was a .profitable way, and he became an asset to industry. The speaker quoted figures! showing that factories "nad increased * machinery had factory output had increased, wages liad increased, and yet there was a decided decrease in the number of r.ialo workpeople. "We will never have done our duty to our boys," said Mr Watkin, ''until it becomes compulsory that eveij-one should be scientifically trained for a useful life; such a training is undertaken appears to me to bo equally as touch a matter tor fccati! interoat as the of our youth. I believe that eTOh the present awful war were worth while if. the declaration of peace only stalled that henceforth every male must compulsorily be scientifically trained in Ms youth for a commercial, professional, or industrialpursuit. '