The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-11-04

certainly not surpassed by any people in
this country.
TRADES. UNIONS AND APPRENTICESHIP
1t is a common complaint against trades
unions that they have caused deterioration
in the character and skill of wOrkmen by
limiting the number of apprentices and
passing rules restricting their time of SER
vice. The manifest slovenliness and un-
skillfulness of British artizans and the con-
| sequent decay of British manufactures have
| commonly been set down to the bigOtry
and folly of the workmen; but George
Howell, in the last number of the Contem.
porary RerieS, makes an elaborate investi
CATION of the trades union regulations now
in operation in England touching appren
ticeshp, and deduces the conclusions that
the rules adopted by such associations do
not materially affect the free admission of
apprentices in the several trades of the
country that the dearth of good workmen
is inot caused by the restrictive action of
trades unions, and that apprenticeship is
the only guarantee for good and efficient
workmanship. So far is he from acknowl-
edging the general prevalence of formal
tyranny in regard to the qualification Of
workmen, that he ASSERTS that not ten per
cent. of the members of English trades
unions ever served q regular apprenticeship.
The old trades customs of the Middle Ages
were codified in the time of Elizabeth, and
the law demanded q seven years. appren-
ticeshp. In that age employers were
themselves mechanics, received fee for
| instructing apprentices and were restricted
by circumstances from taking an undue
| number of learners to indoctriuate into the
| whole art and mystery of their handicraft.
| In our day employers are not workmen
themselves, but capitalists who do not take
apprentices to teach, but sinsply employ
boys at low wages that they may knock
round among jonrpeymen and pick mp
enough of skill TO compete with mechanics
in certain kinds OF work. Thus the task
of instruction is thrown on the tradesmen
themselves, who get no pay for playing the
part of masters. The old legislation regu
!atiug apprentices has been repealed, and
the only prohibitory regulations remaining
, are those adopted by the trades uuiont
+ with the notion, as 10 claimed for them, O
excluding the competition of half educated
} labor and maintaining high standard o
t skill. The policy ia bigoted and narrow
but this writer is inclined to think that il
0 30 far as it has been effective at all it ha
: done something to counteract the influence
Q of the vast increase in manufacture and tn
= multiplication of handicraEts by the appli
cation of steam to labor which have tempt
70 ed multitades of half taught workmen int
ID the practice of trades. The rules of th
Q, different trades unions cannot be given 6
g. any length to illustrate their attitude. Th
main points in the practice of a few leadin
W The engineers and steam engine maker
to are practically without restriction in regsr
o. to apprentices or apprenticeship, the cut
tom being that any man who asks admissiC
il. to a union shall have worked five years
80 the trade aud shall be vouched for by tn
l6 full members as able to cara his living ar
W command current rates of wages. The ire
as moulders limit the number of boys to
lS employed in shops, but the work is 80 hal
that there is little profit in the employmel
nd of boys, and so the limit is rarely reache
nd The boiler makers and iron ship builde
We restrict the number of apprentices to OIL
nd for every five journeymen, but the law
er said to be dead letter. The iron-worke
all and steel melters shave no restrictions
in limitations affecting boy labor. The ston
in masons as q body neither limit the numb
ut of apprentices nor the time of apprentic
oh ship, and anybody who can earn cure
At wages at the trade, no matter how he learnt
,er it, is considered journeyman. The san
ns thing may be said of the brickIayers, exec
in the Northern and Midland countie
%. where the restrictive rules of the laws
les the Manchester order are sometimes mai
he tanned by strikes. The carpenters a,
in joiners, represented by three great societi,
ill have no restrictions OF limitations in rega
sh to apprenticeship, and any lad who C
q pick up the trade and earn a mans wsC
a can force his way into the ranks of {
Ter regular mechanics. The same is true
k the plasterers, painters, decorators' q
oW glaciers societies. Indeed it may be ss
" Of all building trades that they are chart
of terized by perfect freedomy and that wh'
for restrictions exist they are merely matt
of local custom. The plumbers only hs
las succeeded in establishing certain sort
las exclusiveness. The London printers
sh mand a eeven years apprenticeship and c
of apprentice to three jOurneymen, but prt
nd tically a service of five years gains adm
sion to the union. In the provinces sey
,er years of apprenticeship is also required, a
m one apprentice is allowed to every of