The labor journal. [volume] (Everett, Wash.) 1909-1976, 1914-01-23
Apprenticeship and Minimum Wage Law


apprenticeship must be uniform so as
not to give the employer of small So
cial instincts a leverage over his more
public spirited competitor.
The state of Wisconsin is meeting
this problem of apprenticeship by spe-
cial legislation similar to the German
law Apprenticeship is acknowledged
only in trade industries, and a trade
industry is defined as trade or an
industry involving physical labor and
characterized by mechanical skill and
training such as render period of in
struction reasonably necessary" The
industrial commission shall investi-
gate, determine and declare what oc-
equations and industries are included
within the phrase a trade or a trade
industry" The law further states.
Every contract or agreement entered
into between a minor and an employ
er, by which the minor is to learn a
trade, shall be known as an linden
ture" Such contract must
be in writing.
An agreement that the whole trade,
as carried on by the employer, shall
be taught, and an agreement as to the
time to be spent at each process or
machine.
An agreement between the employ
er and the apprentice that not less
than five hours per week of the afore-
mentioned fifty-five hours per week
shall be devoted to instruction. Said
instruction shall include two hours a
week instruction in English, in citizen
ship, business practice, physiology,
/ hygiene and the uses Of safety devices
The employer shall give a bonus of
not less than fifty dollars to the ap-
prentice, on the expiration of the term
of the indenture, and also a certificate
stating the term of the indenture.
"A certified copy of every linden
ture by which any minor may be ap-
prenticed shall be filed by the employ
er with the state commissioner of
labor"
The early industrial history of this
country is essentially the same as the
early industrial history of the large
nations of Europe with the exception
that We passed through the various
industrial stages with greater rapidity.
When machinery was introduced into
industry in this country women went
to the factories, while the men sought
work in their respective trades. But
in many instances their hand work
could no longer compete with machine
work. and new occupations had to be
sought while the women folk remained
at the machines. Soon children were
competing with the women, and be-
cause of their cheaper labor were
given the preference by employers
wherever child labor could be substi-
tuted for woman's labor.
The expansion of human wants
brought into existence new industries
which have provided new avenues of
employment for men where their skill
or strength was still needed To the
women and the children have fallen
all those occupations which require
no skill other than a natural skill
which is a gift of nature.
by a minute division of labor and
nearly automatic machinery unknown
in any other country, the skilled
trades have been split into simple op-
erations and places created for the un-
skilled workers" This process con-
tinues from month to month-increas-
ing the demand for unskilled labor
and decreasing the demand for train
ing in the trades.
The man who can run his plant with
few high priced workers, and a large
number of workers hired at low
wage because of the unskilled work
they perform, is the man who wins
out in the competitive field and can
Iundersell his rival who still employs
, skilled workmen as he did in former
( years.
l Thus We see the apprenticeship sys-
tenn in industry disappearing, and with
its disappearance energies a mass of
r underpaid, and underfed humanity
} which threatens the welfare of the
! future race. The industrial welfare
commission law of this state was pass
ed to provide these women with liv-
ing wage. And yet the employers who
have killed apprenticeship by taking
away the skilled mans job, and divid-
ed it infinitely so as to be able to as
sign his work to cheap, inexperienced