LIMITATION OF APPRENTICES.

Taranaki Daily News, 20 May 1918, Page 5

LIMITATION OF APPRENTICES.

AN IMPORTANT FINDING * Wellington, May 16. ,1 Recently the Arbitration Court was 'i constituted a commission to deal with an application from the employer* in the boot industry in Dunedin, to susi ) pond the award governing the mcnt of apprentices, in view of the pre-,' sent industrial uncertainly and the (liffi- "■ culty experienced in securing workers. ; The application was vigorously opposed. ' by the Union, the the Commission has i decided against the application. In giv- J ing its reasons for the opinion that the i suggested alteration is no*, neecssary or \ desirable, the Commission makes seve- • ral remarks which are of the greatest | interest to all industrial concerns. It finds that it is not reasonable that in-;i order to meet a pressure which may be )] temporary, that an unlimited number of \ lads should be taken on, with the re- • suit that when conditions become nor«i " inal these lads, after having served thetf-j terms of apprenticeship, may find Httfoor no demand for their services. It " would also be unfair to the lads then* selves, as if their numbers were unlijnit- ' ed it is difficult to see how they could receive the teaching and experience B6- ' cessary to make them efficient journeymen. It would also be unfair to those skilled workers in the industry who' have enlisted, as they might find on < their return that they could not pro-. cure employment, owing to the obligations entered into by the employers ; J with a large number of lads. The Osm-..'; mission added that although it appear- i ed that, some employers were hampered 1 by the restriction in the number of many employers had not availed them- « selves of the right to take apprenticed to the full extent permitted. .J?