Page:EB1922 - Volume 30.djvu/873

Rh

might otherwise draw State assistance and exploit the labour of the apprentices by keeping them on " repetition ' work. A small staff of specially qualified officers was accordingly appointed to visit the firms having apprentices under the scheme, and satisfy themselves that the training given was satisfactory.

The training given to these apprentices was modelled on the training given to boys. Where such was the case it was not possible to take exception to what was in fact the methods customary to industry. But in investigating the training of the ex-service men, the officers were, in effect, making a survey of the methods of train- ing customary in the skilled trades in the case of boy apprentices. No such survey had ever been attempted before.

As stated earlier, each scheme for an industry was prepared by some organization representative of employers and operatives in that industry. Much thought was given by the industry to the preparation of these schemes, and the methods and facilities for training, whether in the workshop or technical institute, were fully discussed. A scheme when finally adopted represented, therefore, a considered agreement within the industry. In connexion with the administration of the various schemes, many difficult questions of interpretation arose. The Ministry of Labour made no attempt to give an interpretation, but referred the question to the trade organ- ization who had prepared the scheme, and accepted their interpreta- tion; acting on the assumption that the only body fitted to give a decision was the organization responsible for the scheme. Where disputes arose between an individual employer and apprentice, it was provided in the agreement between the two that such dispute should be referred to the Trade Panel of the Local Employment Committee and that the decision of the panel should be final.

It will be seen, therefore, that the policy underlying the scheme was one of administration under the advice and direction of the various industries. This policy was adopted after careful considera- tion. It was felt that, in view of the widespread dislike of Govern- ment interference, any attempt to impose a scheme on industry was bound to fail, and that success could be looked for only if the coopera- tion of industry was sought and secured. This policy has been justified by its results. The Ministry of Labour, throughout, was able to count on receiving the fullest assistance, both from em- ployers' associations and trade unions.

Women's Training. The first women's training course was opened at the end of May 1919. This was a course of training for domestic service, and 16 young women passed through the 13 weeks' course and obtained good situations at its close. Altogether 84 centres for training in domestic service were established, and just over 2,000 women trained. The experiment proved successful and encouraging. The courses were held in widely differing conditions and localities, but under the excellent teachers the interest of the women was aroused and the majority went straight into service from the schools. These classes were held in various parts of London and the suburbs and in 42 towns throughout Great Britain.

Apart from domestic service, some 7,000 women were trained for industry. The department's training was from the first restricted by the terms of the Treasury grant " to normal women's industries which were women's trades or processes before the war," and to these, notwithstanding much pressure from women's organizations, the women's training branch rigorously confined its activities. Three other conditions limited the sphere of its industrial training, viz. a reasonable prospect of absorption in the industry after training, good working conditions, coupled with fair wages, in the trade, and the consent of the trade unions and the employers concerned to training being given. Exhaustive enquiry and constant watchfulness were necessary in these connexions.

The greatest demand tor training, combined with the best prospect of absorption and most favourable conditions, was found in the two chief women's trades dressmaking and tailoring; and 77 courses were provided, affording accommodation for 3,362 women.

The majority of these training courses came to an end on June 30 1920, though a limited number were continued for varying periods in order that the standard course might in each case be completed, viz. six months for an industrial and three months for a domestic course. From July onwards but few new schemes (and those solely of a domestic type) were started, but by this time the trade slump had begun, and it was useless to train women for industries in which the chance of employment was of the slenderest.

The training referred to above is that of women who were thrown out of employment by the termination of the war. The Women's Training Branch, however, was entrusted with the training of two other classes of women directly affected by the war, viz. soldiers' widows and disabled nurses. The powers of the State to give such training to these women as would enable them to supplement their pensions by employment were first vested in the Ministry of Pensions by Royal Warrant, but were transferred to the Ministry of Labour by Order in Council in the autumn of 1919.

Over 4,000 applications from widows were dealt with, and training found for over 1,200 of those who applied. During the training, which was in all cases free, an allowance was made to the widow in addition to her pension to enable her to meet any extra expense to which she might be put. A large number of widows were trained as practising midwives. Having a home and a pension they were able, as few women were, to accept the precarious livelihood which

this calling offers in a rural district. As all had to pass the examina- tion of the Central Midwives' Board, women of good general educa- tion only were selected for this particular branch. Another large group of the widows in training were those learning tailoring and dressmaking, home dressmaking being especially popular, possibly because the department was empowered to make a grant of a sewing machine on the completion of the course and also because the work could be carried out without interference with normal domestic ties and duties. Training in cookery, ladies' hair-dressing, confectionery, photographic studio work, and secretarial work was also given.

Applications received from disabled nurses were relatively few in number, as was to be expected, because those only were eligible who were in receipt of a disability pension under the Royal Warrant, and were not entirely disabled but physically unfit to practise as nurses. After the powers of the Ministry of Pensions were trans- ferred to the Ministry of Labour in the autumn ot 1919, 140 disabled nurses had by March 1921 been placed in training, out of 394 applicants. Some very sad cases were brought to light, many of the women proving physically unfit for the training desired, and for such application for assistance was made to the " Officers' Friend." Those remaining under training in March 1921 represented a great variety of occupations, including dispensing, massage and electrical treatment, public health appointments, secretaries and chauffeuses to doctors, poultry farming, etc.

Training and Placing of_ Ex-Officers. The Appointments Depart- ment came into being during the war. Upon the Armistice its work developed very considerably both as regards training and placing in employment. In the first place, so far as training was concerned, under the decision of the War Cabinet given in Dec. 1918, funds were made available for higher educational training in universities, technical colleges, agricultural colleges, farms, professional firms, business houses, etc. The Board of Education, the Board of Agricul- ture and the Ministry of Pensions with the Ministry of Labour were made responsible for the administration of the scheme. The Appoint- ments Department, by reason of its experience and provincial organization, operated as the machinery by which all the depart- ments obtained information as to applicants, while the training for agriculture and higher educational training remained respectively with the Ministry of Agriculture and the Board of Education. The professional business and workshop training was transferred from the Ministry of Pensions to the Appointments Department. Under this scheme 17,311 ex-officers and men of similar educational qualifi- cations had been placed by the Appointments Department in train- ing at the end of Jan. 1921, while there were 1,864 waiting.

In connexion with the scheme selection committees were set up throughout the country, composed of prominent professional and business men in each district. The functions of these committees were to interview candidates who applied for grants, and to malcei recommendations to a body known as the Grants Committee at headquarters. The final decision in such recommendations rested with the London Grants Committee.

These committees worked in turn in conjunction with what were known as Interviewing Boards, whose functions were (a) to decide what applicants properly came within the purview of the Appoint-, ments Department ; (b) to advise applicants as to their prospects of obtaining employment, and (c) to select applicants as candidates for the vacancies on the books.

So far as placing was concerned, upon demobilization the depart- ment undertook the work of acting as official agent between em- ployers and their former employees, who were either officers or men of other ranks of similar educational qualifications. In this capacity the department facilitated the return to their pre-war employment of 169,321 men up to March 26 1919. In addition to this the depart- ment undertook special activities with a view to finding new appoint- ments for ex-officers, and up to the end of Jan. 1921 it found employ- ment for 48,860 men, with 10,720 men remaining unemployed.

Resettlement of One-Man Businesses. In May 1916 the Military Service (Civil Liabilities) Department came into being to help the wives of serving soldiers where military service imposed serious hardship. The scheme was limited to men who had joined the forces since Aug. 4 1914. The general items in respect of which assistance was granted included rent, mortgage interest, payment in instalments of contracts such as the purchase of premises, business or furniture, rates and taxes, insurance premiums and school fees. The maximum amount granted was not to exceed 104 per annum. Up to the conclusion of this scheme on July 31 1920, 475,271 applications had been received and 312,810 grants had been made to a total value of 6,239,670. In Feb. 1919 the Government decided to extend the principle of this scheme with a view to resettling men in their previ- ous businesses when they were, as a result of military service, suffer- ing serious financial hardship. The scheme as amended took two forms: current assistance could still be given in respect of liabilities such as those mentioned above, or alternatively, a lump sum grant towards the restarting of a business might be given.

So far as the second class of case was concerned, the Civil Liabili- ties Department was not empowered to pay resettlement grants for new businesses except in the case of disabled men. In that case alone the disability was in itself treated as serious financial hardship, and powers were given to make grants for those men in respect of new businesses. Under this scheme up to the end of Jan. 1921, 251,259