WORK FOR BOYS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 21, 21 December 1932, Page 6

WORK FOR BOYS

investigation by committee, PROPOSED AVENUES OF EAIPLOYPKUjtuo ME nT. /tj Telegraph —Special to Standard.) (By ieiegr^ ELL f NGTONi 2 1. A number of constructive suggestions for coping with the problem or unemployment among boys are included in a lengthy report submitted to the Government by Messrs A E Ansell M.P., and Smith M.P former Minister of Labour who had been requested to undertake a complete investigation of the position. The report is to be published this week, and will, the “Standard s correspondent understands show that in spite of the black outlook for farming at the moment the committee strongly believe that openings for New Zealand youths are mainly to be found on the land. I lie principal recommendation, consequently is that in addition to organising arrangements for placing town boys with farmers under the friendly supervision of voluntary workers, the Government should provide areas of undeveloped land to be improved by boys who have already, by land experience and agricultural education, shown promise of becoming successful farmers. They would be placed on these areas, paid a sustenance wage while carrying out improvements, and be ultimately given a right to acquire a section, the committee being of the opinion that with intensive working and the application of scientific methods the allotments need not exceed 75 acres. Something has also to be done, 111 farmers who are unable to provide specialised farm training for sons of farmings who are unable to provide the opportunity under the present difficult circumstances. They could be specially trained to take up.impoitanfl “side lines” such as pig raising and certified seed production on their parents’ farms. After describing the great difficulties in maintaining the apprenticeship system, the committee stress the point that unless New Zealand youths are trained in craftsmanship they will be tire unskilled labourers of the future, and that in normal times it will be necessary to import skilled artisans. This danger should, they consider, be avoided by a further extension of vocational training in the technical schools, with a recognition of the time in the apprenticeship period. Emphasising that there is no comparable substitute for the splendid voluntary, work already being done in coping with the boy unemployment problem, the committee recommend an extension of the existing organisations, with a local executive to generally direct the work, and they make a a strong appeal to public-spirited citizens to take a hand in what they declare to be the most acute human problem with which this generation Iras been called upon to deal.