H.—ll A.

8

Proposal 12 : That record-cards showing the attendance, conduct, diligence, &c., of every apprentice throughout his career be kept by the Technical School Committees, and that the Apprenticeship Committees and others interested have access to these records at suitable times. Mr. A. F. Sandford, in moving the adoption of the remit, stated that the Technical School Board already had all this knowledge at their finger-ends, and considered it would be a big help) to the Apprenticeship Committees if they had that data before them at each meeting, so that they could follow intelligently the progress of each boy. The motion was carried unanimously. Proposal 13 : That, in view of the prohibitive expense of equipment for the instruction of apprentices in the printing trade, and the impossibility of establishing classes in all towns, the Taranaki Printing Trades Apprenticeship Committee suggests — (a) That one or more thoroughly equipped colleges for complete instruction in the printing trade be established, with competent lecturers and instructors : (b) That this college conduct correspondence instruction in each branch of the trade for all the apprentices in the industry : (c) That an annual instruction class for all apprentices be held at the college, when apprentices in each branch will attend a course of lectures and demonstrations : (d) That to provide the expense of the establishment and conduct of this college the Master Printers' Federation, the Paper Trades' Association, printing supply houses, and Printing Trades Employees' Union be asked to assist the Government. Mr. G. Fleming moved the adoption of the remit, explaining that some members of the committee had come to the conclusion that there were so few apprentices in New Plymouth that there was no chance at all of any of the boys getting any technical instruction worth talking about. Could not some body be set up whereby that instruction could be given ? Mr. J. W. Roberts pointed out that at the present time they were competing, and competing successfully, against imported printing, but in order to safeguard the industry they must have sufficient technical instruction for their boys to meet the increasing technical knowledge that was going on outside. It would be almost impossible to establish enough equipment in any technical college to carry out all parts of the trade, and the only way they could meet the position was by establishing a central college or engaging some central printing-works. The Chairman ruled that the remit was covered by the resolutions already passed dealing with the training of apprentices, correspondence classes, and the central examination for all trades, and it did not seem to him to be necessary to pass it again as regarded one particular trade. If the committee in New Plymouth liked to send a request to the Government, the Conference had already asked the Government by a resolution to give effect to it. • Proposal 14 : That on the representation of any Apprenticeship Committees in a trade the Minister may order that every apprentice in that trade shall undergo an examination upon the completion of his term of apprenticeship ; that if the candidate passes the examination he shall be granted a certificate entitling him to the words "Certificated " (stating trade) after his name ; that no other person shall be entitled to use those words. Mr. R. Cairns said that he thought it advisable, on behalf of the boys, that something should be done in the direction of giving them a certificate —it would be an incentive for the apprentices to work. It had come now to the time when they considered they had to protect the crafts, and they thought that was the only reasonable way in which they could arrive at that position. Mr. A. Rice said that the motor industry was one in which the utmost skill was necessary in order to give the best results. There were a lot of incompetent men working at the trade at the present time, who were not fit to carry out the work' that they were called upon to do, with the resultthat not only did it mean trouble for the motor-vehicle, but the public were in danger even of death. He thought under those circumstances that it was necessary, in trades such as that, to have a certificated man who would carry the brand of competency wherever he went. Mr. G. Fleming, though not against the idea of granting certificates to apprentices, pointed out that if they passed the motion it was going to make a close corporation as far as employees were concerned, in that only those men who had managed to get the New Zealand certificate were going to be considered certificated journeymen. That he was satisfied would be detrimental. The Chairman remarked that they had already carried a resolution agreeing to a standard examination. Mr. W. H. Winsor said that he liked the idea, but not just immediately a boy had got out of his time—that was too soon for him to be registered or certificated. If it were some years after, say five years, when he had had his chance to get experience with other men who had served their time, that would be all right, but otherwise he was afraid it would lose half its value. The Chairman said that the Apprenticeship Act had been operating for four years, and they were now attempting to improve that Act, to make the apprentices more competent, and it seemed to him a necessary corollary to that Act that there should be some certificate, some advantage given to the boy who had gone through his period of apprenticeship, over another boy who worked in the same trade but who had not gone through that period of apprenticeship. They had boys in the building trades going through their period of apprenticeship and coming out of it proficient tradesmen, working alongside men who had not known a day's apprenticeship, and drawing equal pay. It