New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-06-06

N
s All parts acts inconsistent herewith are hereby re
SIC. TO- This act shall take eH, o, Immediately.
WHAT EMPLOYERS SAY.
The first person visited an employing printer
This gentleman stated that he had been asonshcd on
reading the act recently passed. and had cut II from the
paper as curiosity, he had idea that such law
could be enforced. In the first place." said he, 81
know of no one IN our business VINO ever LOON OF
printers undertook some five years since to establish
stringent regulations with reference TO apprentices
Baker AvOrd Trow, Jenkins, and many others, intluu
ing myself signed an agreement 10 the effect that W.
would not employ each others runaway boys, ana iuo
other severe rules but the attempt was failure re
trades have been able TO accomplish this Take the u
wcavers for instance. Their boys are not regualiS m
denured; but, by an agreement among th men becn
they are able to prevent LAD o MIN employ.
ment in another before he is OF , age;
That may be done in the OF trace t,ai ifbsY
S@S fey hands If it to wG to stand
apprentices could have them fined But peri eile -. o
the only one that accCrds with the spirit OF the age ana
the constitution of the human MIND tSt me mental
ideas are based upon the suppost0n that tne ie1
qualities of ali persons nearly similar IN chdnood'
and that training VII NJ any o Teaso U why bow
should he set haphaZard at learning the pruning aue'
or anv stber handcra and kept at in spite Of HIM
self Gness he shows some fitness for the business The
education OF for trade is IN no essenal respect
diaerept from his education boOkkeeper salesman,
iaWyer doctor or preacher Although there is no law
for It, the forcing process Is sometimes %
around the botch-work performed in all those pur
suits" -. ,.... han, On ornror.
tcesOrerng their arrest and imprisonment IN jail ior
| leaving their masters" &C. -,
Much harder IN seeming than in reality. rms thlhg
has done by the Labor Union. The boy can make
up his little bundle and fly off 800 miles in day, and
snap his finger at his master The latter mas large
establishment, where he can always be found II ne IN
GRon the aw IN ANY Ty we b G n aS GG too ab
urd for notice No court can he found TO uphold such
statutes Ana no BOY ihat worm can Sdo pe E Se
knows whether he has any taste for the business II has
branches of my trade for few weeks, and he seemed
TO have aptitude for any of them, would plainly tel
him and advise him TO seek some other pursuit In
this way have gone on harmonlously don't suppose
that out of 200 boys have taken on WITHIN years
| 10 have left me when wanted them TO stay. As to
teaching boy every branch is impossible to carry out
such regulation now. This in common with all ihe
sections is inserted in the hope of embarrassing
employers and inducing them to only journey nen;
| that thus the wages of men may be increased III Is
should he taught only to make the head of PIN for In
stance but do not see how business can be carried on
| lyon think, then, that the whole programme Of in
dentre, nVe years service, compulsory work. BOARD
lodging, medical attendance imprisonment OF apprtn-
practcablei"
Most certainly and l am amazed that such intelli-
gent the leaders Of the workingnen should have
attempted such thing. 1t must have been done to ap
pease a popular demand. The relations OF employers
and employed have changed since the d9ys or te Oid
restraint of one worker by another THAI not absolutely
necessary. There are Of evil results from
peffect Of trades and thence inferior work
and the il-mannered independence Of apprentices and
young ourneymen But do You not see good results III
the fact that under the present systemor ack OF sSs
| tcm-every and boy is judged by his work! The
ndolent, shftles inexper journeyman cannot long re-
tain situation simply because he was four or ve years
apprentced to the business aud the clever, ingenious
and brisk boy who learns as much III year as Others
I'm lifetime is able TO get the fun value OF his work
the length Of time he has been engaged in the trade
In this apprenticeship like all other nman rela
WHAT woRKINGMEY SAY. .0-.
In order TO at the workinmens side Of this matter
visits were made to the foreman OF another daily paper,
the President of the Typographical Union. work
ngmans champion, and, finally, TO the President OF
leading Workingmens Society, who is well known as a
sincere intelligent earnest worker for his class and not
demagogue or 0ice-seeker He told quite different
story from that Of the employer and made strong
points in favor of the law. When asked whether
there any printed record of the discussions Of the
said there not and admitted that there in
1ntee and passed without serous discussion He said
that Apprentice law first passed New York in
1873 that was amended in 1925, and that there has been
no change since, until this year.
In reply question concerning his motives in urging
the passage OF such law, he sad have not helped
cause think they needed and be enforced. We
persons old and young also that work is everywhere
deterOrating We are determined to try at least to rem
that in England, where every apprentice must serve
years, thorough work is done, and that general
and chaos We believe that though apprentices
now indenured in the United States, all should be- and
some one organization take hold of the matter insist
obedience TO the law, and test it in the courts"
but consider for instance, the matter of each boy
being taught every branch OF his trade is that possible
1--WE claim that it is. 1t might interfere somewhat
with the operations of employers hut the present
TEN is running all branches of trade and must he |
checked We claim that the fact that the various parts
of a watch, for example, are made now by machinery,
makes it easier to teach all branches workman
than when all the parts made by tedious hand |
labor. AT all events know IL Il for our interest 10
have this thorough teaching, and We will get 1t if we
can"
There is something, certainly in that idea about
machinery. But taking these laws whole, though
they to bear equally upon capital and labor, was
that employer right with whom talked yesterday
when he said that the burden comes on the employer,
because while the boy can run away he cannotF
mo; l maintain that the thing is equalized by the
fact that the employer has and influence and can
always catch his apprentice when he chooses while his
money gives him an overpowering advantage
But is 1t bad that boys should be forced TO
take up for life the first occupation into which they
happen be thrusti Employers say that they find IT
best whether lads have an aptitude for the bust
ness before even employing them permanently
and choose Suppose boy begins, at the Of IL
tries trade year, then another year. ana so on
often dOne-wha Is the resutf You ma MN pres
emily in the keno saloons"
But employers say that they can test boys fitness
for the various branches of their trades III few weeks
The boy need not stay year for that purpose with one
There are many trades which the real test of abil
ity does not come until the boy has been at work
couple of years. For instance III carpeuterwOrk sshes
are not made except by the most expert hands Look
at trades bricklaying Boys are taken on during
the busy season and sdrif in Winter; thus the
Whole trade is denoralized Ii things in the old
steady style bosses would have TO Keep them all the
wear and the business would settle down out Of It's pres
ent wild condition ,-
What do you think" asked about girls as appren'
ticesi The employer last quoted called my attention
10 the fact that girls entirely ignored III TINS law ana
II they II would be quite nappncaDe 10 then'
"a. many their tTades-suCh as bOOk-IOldlng- ne
learned in a month well as in five years Inc answer
IN This was There has been apprentice law fOr girls
and there was no need OF one" But reference 10 the
old laws given herewith shows that our informant was
moi CORE in this statement, as the New YORK stau
laws speak very particularly OF females under 10
Further conversations only served clearly to indl-
cate the wide difference Of opinion between the proec
tors of Tins and the employers whom equally con
Germs Nothing but its practical operation can demon
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