Evening star., 1925-01-22
APPRENTICE PLAN
BEING ABANDONED.
Building Trades S0rVey
Shows No Efforts Made
to Maintain System.

The apprenticeship system of de-
veloping young men in the building
trades is falling into disuse in Wash
ington. according to a recent survey
by Mary Conyngtbn of the Bureau of
Labor Statistics made public today.
Neither employees nor unions are max
ing any organized efforts to secure
apprentices, aGccording to the findings.
although in the past several attempts
have been made to establish an -effec-
tive system of apprenticeship, with
we'll worked out plans OF training,
which Would make ii worth a boys
while TO come into the trades.
For one reason or another, Miss
ConYnEton found these all fell
through. and at present matters are
drifting. TT is generally admitted"
her report declares, that in many of
the trades Washington is not train
ing its own workers, But both sides
seem content TO let the future take
care of itself, and to trust to attract
Ing from the surrounding country as
many craftsmen as may be needed to
make up any local shortage
The report goes in detail into the
apprenticeship system in Washington,
from both the workers and the en-
ployers' side, declaring that there are
two types Of builders in Washington.
There is a certain number of large
operators who manage a building
scheme from beginning to end-buy
the land, put up apartment houses or
rows of dwellings or business build
ings. and sell the finished product.
They usually have their own workers.
they operate on non-union basis and
are entirely Independent of union re-
Strictions
Unions Are Strong.
"A larger group is made up of
builders who, instead of building on
their own responsibility, take con-
tracts to execute for others. Often
they specialize along one line, taking
contracts for complete building, but
subletting all but the particular kind
of work they do themselves These
men quite generally operate on a
union basis, and it is among them, If
anywhere, that trade union restric-
tions would be felt. The two groups
are not sharply separated, and there
may be overlapping in regard to any
particular feature, but, roughly, it
may be said that in Washington large
operators work on a non-union and
the average contractor on a union
basis. What proportion Of the build
ing trades workers in Washington
belong to unions is not known, but
the general belief is that il is large,
so much SO that the city is not infre-
quently spoken Of as a closed shop
place"
In some trades, the report says, the
nature of the work makes the question
of apprenticeship of little Importance.
In some, the work is TOO heavy for a
youth, and not too complex for the
adults who enter the trades to learn
by doing. In others. the worker needs
an individual helper, and the latter if
he has any knack for the work at ALL
picks it up in the course of his duties
In some of these trades the unions
impose conditions as to the length of
time man must serve before he can
be admitted as a craftsman in full
standing, and sometimes requirements
as to race or citizenship or other
qualifications may bs made, but there
is nothing which car be considered as
an apprenticeship system. The ma
tority Of the trades. however, main
tain such a system, at least in name
with different minimum and maximum
age entrance limits, while some have
no restrictions of any kind.
Have Few Apprentices.
In no single trade in which 1t was
possible TO calculate the number OF
apprentices allowed by union rules
was this number found to have been
reached, figures showing that only
about 30 per cent OF the admissible
number of apprentices were found in
the painters union. The electrical
employees had Go per cent of the quota
allowed them, and the number of ap-
prentices in the lathers trade was
only half of what the union restric-
tions permitted.
Miss Conyngton found considerable
diversity of opinion among employers
in the building industry as to why
the custom of apprenticeship has
fallen into disuse, but in the main
she learned that they may be grouped
under three general heads: The CON
tract system of building is not adapt
ed to the old-time apprentice sys-
tenn; the fact that an employer has
no effective way of controlling a boy
or even of holding him to his bargain
discourages the practice of taking
apprentices and modern developments
within the building industry have
made ii difficult and expensive for
the average contractor to train ap-
prentices.