The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1888-03-29
THE ArPkENIICE SYsAEM

II
The National Association of Builders
held a convention in Cincinnati last
month. when it took a decided ad-
yanced position as to apprentices.
Labor as citations as rule have never
taken kindly to apprentices; on tue
contrary. they have been disposed to
discourage the learning OF trades by
youths and have,imposeu restrictions IN
their sccietIes which tend to deter young
men. The numb permitted IN any oil
the trades is limited, and the term OF
service is made as long as possible. The
Builders Association recommended
that q system be adopted which would
materially shorten the time spent IL
learning the trade, and permit compe-
tent Young men to become mechanics
and eniov the fruits of their labor. The
theory has been that the app rentlce-
ship should begin in time to let the
apprentice become a mechanic or
iourneyman when he shall attain his
majority. Ire result is that good
many boys are deprived of the privilege
oflearning trades. Poverty of themselves
or parents compels them 10 earn none!
when they are young; any OF US know
bows from IA to IS years of age who are
working for living, not from choice,
but from necessity. They cannot wait
until they have grown to manhood be-
fore setting out to learn trade, nor
can they give up long years OF their
life to a uon-prOitable apprentice
ship. They must worX for bread, and
being unable to enter the trades, they
go throush life as day laborers. earn
ing small wages, and as dependent
creatures. The Builders recommend
the establishment of trade schools or
instruCting young men how to work;
after course in the school, the student
to be examined by board OF master
mechanics, and if he shall show theo-
retical knowledge of the trade, he is to
be put al work for time 10 acquire
practical kuowIt dye; when he can per-
form days WORK, and is able to ass
a seccnd examination, he is to be re-
coguized as j1urneymaD, Without re-
gard to the time he has be n II a.
Thus, q bright, quick boy, with smbi- |
ton, would hot ave to waste years OF
his life running errands, and working |
for the benefit of his employer, before
he could get mans pay for the man
worA which be performs. He would be
mechanical fact as soon as he learned
the trade, and would receive mechan-
les wages to which he would be en-
titled.
There is another thing to be consid
cred in this connection, and that is he
fact that American boys are not lie m
ing trades. We'believe that in Utah to-
day fully one-half the mechanics are
foreign born. This is due largely to the
discoursgementw with which native-born
boys are met. They are told that if
they will work four years for barely
enough to clothe them they will be &C.
counted iourneymen, when they know
that in year Or eighteen months they
will have acquired a practical knowl-
edge of the trade and be able TO perform
& mans work. They do not see the
justice Of working two or three ears
for nothing for themselves, giving The
fruits of their labor to their en-
pioyers If they were encouraged to
learn trades more OF hem wUHld be
come mechanics. They would also carry
their American interests, ideas and
force into the trades union, and exercise
a wholesome influence On these associa
ti1ns. If the American element pre-
dominated and controlled a labor
it would require more
than a petty grievance to induce q
strike that would injure the strikers
more than it possibly could the en-
ployer. Anything which will encourag'
American boys to learn trades will b.
TO the individual and 10
the country, and a better apprentice
system than can be found in any part
of the United States will offer the en-
cou-agement. The scheme proposed by
the National Association Of Builders is
in the right direction.