ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 25 June 1941, Page 6

ELECTRICAL INDUSTRY

SHORTAGE OF WORKERS INCREASED PROPORTION OF APPRENTICES. REFUSED BY ARBITRATION COURT. (Bv Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON. This Day. Applications from employers’ organisations for amendments to the Electrical Workers' Apprenticeship orders in the Northern, Wellington and Canterbury districts, to permit of an increase in the proportion of apprentices to journeymen, have been declined by the Arbitration Court. Mr Justice Tyndall, in his judgment, said the evidence called for the employers established beyond any doubt that there was a serious shortage of journeymen. It also appeared to be a fact that certain local authorities had a very low proportion of apprentices, because of the fact that much of the work on which their journeymen were engaged was of a specialised nature and unsuitable for the training of apprentices. Nevertheless the Court was satisfied that the difficulties were to a major extent due to war conditions, and the members of the Court felt that it was not their function to give consideration to amendments designed primarily to overcome difficulties created by the war in connection with the maintenance of services essential to the life of the community. Special jurisdiction had been given to another authority under the Labour Legisla-1 tion Emergency Regulations. I