UNREGISTERED PLUMBERS.

Taranaki Daily News, 13 April 1922, Page 6

UNREGISTERED PLUMBERS.

LOW QUALITY WORK. TECHNICAL CLASSES. CONFERENCE WITH PLUMBERS. Owing to the smell number of attendants at the plumbing classes at the New Plymouth Technical College and the [ danger of these classes coming to an “end. an important conference was held on Monday between members of the College Advisory Board and the following master plumbers:—A. K. and H. Smart, A. Twine, G. Magnusson and J. P. Casey. The chairman (Mr. G. H. Dolby) said the meeting had been called to see whether they could not find a reason for the very small numbers attending the plumbing class and if possible remove the cause. The Advisory Board was ready to accept any practical sugges-

tions with this object in view. The director (Mr. A. L. Moore) said • that during the last two years an endeavor had been made to reinstate the plumbing class, which had lapsed during the war, but the numbers had rapidly dwindled. There was a lack of incentive for apprentices to put in the > amount of study necessary to pass the examination necessary to become registered plumbers. If the by-law was not strictly enforced the apprentices saw no advantage to be gained by attending the classes. Mr. J. S. Connett said he thought, the present conference would help to build up harmony and sympathy between the school and’the employers. LACK OF STRICT INSPECTION. Mr. Magnusson said the whole trouble | lay with the sanitary inspector of the ; borough, and the failure to enforce the ; by-laws relating to the employment of ; registered plumbers on sanitary work. In other towns an unregistered plumber i attempting to do sanitary work would i be sent off the job. ‘ Unregistered men got as much work and wages as regis- ( tered men and consequently had no incentive to attend classes to fit themselves for registration. Mr. Twine also considered that the ■ whole supervision was not strict ; enough. He had known of electric ■ wiremen doing plumbers’ work. Mr. Casey urged the strict enforce- I ment of the borough by-laws. It ■ would not mean hardship to the pres- r ent unregistered men, because the Bor- . ough Council could grant a provisional license, providing the men attended the necessary classes and sat for the next examination.

der present conditions for anyone to buy materials and carry out their own work. The borough inspector had Jar too many duties to carry out efficiently to attend to the supervision of sanitary and drainage work. The director said the Borough Council had intimated that the by-law referring to the employment of registered plumbers only on sanitary work would be strictly enforced. Mr. Magnusson stated that Dannevirke. a very much .smaller town, had a full-time inspector engaged. Mr. Casey said that in Wellington 22 inspectors were employed each with a separate block. > After further discussion the following motion by Mr. Magnusson was carried: “That the Borough Council be requested to appoint ft properly qualified plumbing and drain age inspector who shall devote his whole ’ time to the work. The opinion of rhe master plumbers is that the development of New Plymouth now warrants this step.” A further motion was carried as follows: “Tliat in order that no hardship should be caused, all unregistered plumbers who join and attend regularly a technical class for plumbing be granted a provisional license for a reasonable term until they obtain their registration. Failure to enroll or attend the classes regularly shall cause the license to be endorsed and if persisted in the license cancelled.”