The Hawaiian gazette., 1872-01-31

We copy the following common sense
view Of 4 very important question from
the Mechanics -idrooate, an excellent
paper, edited and published by bona-fde
mechanics, and not, as Is 50 often the case
with workingmen's journals, by noisy
demagogues who never did days honest
work Of any kind:
The Chicago TiaJlsae has an energetic
article on the subject Of the stringent
rules in regard to apprentices adopted by
the irades-unions. Il speaks OF the diff
Guilty encountered by the bows Of Chicago
in getting employment. 1t saws there
are hundreds Of boys in tina, city. from
fifteen TO eighteen wears OF age. who
daily go from store to store. and Office to
Office, anyiously aud often piteously seek
inc employment. Assuming that there
are five thousand boys IN that city, OF a
proper age 10 learn mechanical trade,
the Tribune says if they were all pre-
scented to employers 1t is not likely that
more than one in \ thousand. or FIVE out
Of the five Thousand. could find an en-
ployer who would dare give him place.
aud why The Tribune thus answers:
The right 10 apprentice ones self and TO
learn trade Is no longer recognized in
the United States BOYS may present
themselves by legions, employers can not
take them except At the risk Of closing
their shops and having no other wornen.
The Tribune adds:
The trades-unions Of the country have
enacted laws which exclude all except a
limited number of boys from the mechsn-
ical trades. Each trade has a prescribed
number Of apprentices who shall be per
United to work Thus, in one trade. the
allowance viii be one apprentice TO five
journeymen; IN others, one apprentice TO
ten journeymen; and this hmitatation is
not regulated by the aggregate number Of
jouneymen. but to the number employed
in any one shop, or by any one master.
Thus, where the regulation Is that one
apprentice shall be allowed 10 every five
journeymen, if there be sly, seven. eight
or nine journeymen in that shop. only one
apprentice can be employed Il the en-
ployer have ten journeymen. and thus be
entitled to take two apprentices. and. for
want Of work, or other reason. should
discharge one journeyman, he must also
discharge one apprentice. Ordinarily.
nnder that limitation, where there are
two hundred workmen Of particular
trade engaged IN a city. there ought to .
he forty boys learning the business but,
in fact. these workmeu being distributed
in irregular number IN thirty or forty
shops, Il may happen. and as = rule Is the
case, that the number Of apprentices does
not exceed twenty. In sll shops employ
ing les than the regular number Of jour
neymen, no apprentice Is allowed; and
that in ten shops employing four journey
men e-ch. not an apprentice esn be found,
nor would one be tolerated
We often hear exhortatiouS from the
press and other sources 10 the youth Of
the country. e Learn useful trade" It
Is good advice, for every community
abounis with idle boys, and those who .
are not idle but can not find appropriate
employment Thus it Is not 50 easy TO
learn s trade IS j supposed The trades
unions obstruct the way of the youth Of
Tie country 20 useful avocations. In the
professions and other pursuits, the bars
sre down. and anyone who viii may
enter It Is true. the consequence i thai
tbey are oyerstocked, but no one suffers
thereby except the incompetent and the
unworthy. The tradeS-unions. however.
amba--aSS and restrict the industrial en-
ergies Of the community, aud multiply
the number Of idlers and drones, and
nuldtudeS Of robust youths are growing
up with nothing TO do, exposed 10 the 4
incident to idleness. and des-
tined, perhaps, 10 prey upon the CON
nunity IN some way, even If II he by
ending their DAYS in the peuitentiary.
There Is no more uniustifable and demon
llizing monopoly than that Of the right
10 follow s trade.