Captain BENNasked the Minister of Labour what regulations as to apprenticeship exist in the following trades: carpenters, bricklayers, masons, slaters, plasterers, painters and plumbers?
§ Mr. BETTERTONCertain rules in regard to apprenticeships in these trades are ordinarily contained in the working rules agreement operative in a particular district, but usually confine themselves to dealing with the ratio of apprentices to journeymen which, as a rule, is one to four. In the case of master painters and master plumbers, comprehensive schemes of national application have been put into operation by agreement between employers and employed. As regards the building trade generally, a national scheme was adopted by the Industrial Council in 1920, but is in operation only to a very limited extent.