1. In Section I. of Circular 520, dated the 20th August, 1924, Local Authorities were informed that it was contemplated that an organisation, representative of the different sections of the building. industry, should be set up to assist the Government in the carrying out of the scheme of the Housing (Financial Provisions) Act, 1924, and a further communication was promised on this subject, and in regard to the details of the proposal by the industry for the augmenta tion of the skilled crafts by means of the revision of the apprenticeship system in the building trades. In October last the Minister of Health set up a Committee known as "The Building Industry Committee " to advise and assist him in carrying out the scheme embodied in the Act, particularly as regards the development and co-ordination of the supply of labour for house building. A similar Committee to aid the Minister as regards the development and co-ordination of the supply of materials for house building has been recently appointed. Announcements as to the appointments of these Committees have been made in the public press. Co-ordination in the work of these two Committees will be secured by means of a Joint Committee. 2. In paragraph 9 of Circular 520 it was stated that the Minister would be prepared to give provisional approval to cover proposals which Local Authorities estimated could be effectively carried out within a period of two years, and that he would be prepared to give further provisional approvals from time to time in the light of the progress made and the development of the resources of the building industry. Information as to the amount of house building which it is anticipated will be put in hand in the course of the next two years will be of great assistance to the Building Industry and Materials Supply Committees in their efforts to secure the necessary development of the supply of labour and materials in the districts where they will be required. It is accordingly requested that each Local Authority *B 2 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ORDERS, ETC. will give as close an estimate as is possible of the number of houses which will be put in hand during the period ending 1st October, 1926. The estimate should state the number of houses which it is anticipated will be erected (a) by the Local Authority, either by contract or direct labour, and (b) by private enterprise with the assistance of subsidies from the Local Authority. It is particularly requested that these programmes should be forwarded to the Department not later than the 1st March next. 3. As regards the augmentation of labour supply the principal recommendations contained in the Report of the National House Building Committee1 were as follows: (a) That the work of the National Joint Apprenticeship Committee should be expedited and that provision should be made not only to secure the engagement of apprentices up to the limit provided by existing working rule agreements, but that restrictions in such agreements as to the number of apprentices which any one employer may have should be removed for the time at least, so long as the total number of apprentices in any given district, when compared with the total number of craftsmen of any trade concerned who are employed in the district, does not exceed the ratio prescribed by the existing rules. (b) That contracts for the erection of houses for Local Authorities under the Housing Acts should contain provisions for the employment by the contractor, under an approved form of indenture, of apprentices up to the ratio of one apprentice to three craftsmen, special powers being given to the employer in the choice of apprentices, so as to enable the present want of balance between trades to be rectified. That such apprentices should be accepted up to 20 years of age, the period of indenture being in the ordinary way four years, the apprentice having the right to claim a reduction to three years upon passing a qualifying test. (c) That special consideration should be given to applicants who have had previous experience of the trade (e.g. building trade labourers) with a view to relaxation of the foregoing conditions as to age of acceptance and period of apprenticeship. (d) That every apprentice should be registered. 4. The Building Industry Committee are of opinion that augmentation on the lines suggested above can best be secured by local effort, and accordingly, on the 3rd November, 1924, they issued a circular to local organisations of employers and operatives throughout Great Britain asking that in each area a Committee should be appointed, to be known as The Local Building Industry Committee," composed of representatives of the building employers and building operatives in the area. In some cases a desire has been 1 Cd. 2104. 66 Published 10th April, 1924. MINISTRY OF HEALTH CIRCULAR. 3 expressed that in addition to representatives of employers and operatives the Local Building Industry Committee should contain representatives appointed by the local education authority. The Building Industry Committee have notified local organisations that they are prepared to leave this to be decided in the localities. 5. As regards the proposals referred to in paragraph 3 above, the following arrangements have been made: (a) The Building Industry Committee are informed that relaxation as to the ratio of the number of apprentices and the abolition of a limit as applied to an individual employer have already taken place in some cases, and the Committee hope that as a result of the activities of the Joint Committees of the Regional Employtrs' and Operatives' Federations normal apprenticeship will receive immediate and continuous attention, so that in the future ordinary apprenticeship will be the method whereby adequate recruiting can be secured and the required balance between the numbers of the skilled men of various crafts can be maintained. (b) The Minister considers it essential that all possible steps should be taken to increase the number of skilled craftsmen in the industry, and with this object in view he proposes to make it a condition of approval of housing schemes of Local Authorities in localities where Local Building Industry Committees are in existence that all future contracts for the erection of houses shall contain provisions for the employment by the contractor of apprentices in the ratio of not less than one apprentice for every three building trade craftsmen employed by him on or in connection with the housing contract, subject to an over-riding maximum for the area of the Local Building Industry Committee. It will therefore be necessary for Local Authorities, in localities where Local Building Industry Committees are in existence, when advertising for tenders to include a condition to the above effect among the conditions upon which the tenders are to be based. Similar arrangements as regards apprentices would be necessary in the case of houses erected by a Local Authority by direct labour. In order to carry out this arrangement the Building Industry Committee have drawn up for the consideration of the parties concerned the draft recitals and conditions contained in Appendix I., and these clauses, or clauses to the like effect, should be included in all contracts placed by local authorities for the erection of houses. It will be observed that the contractor is required to employ, under indentures of apprenticeship, or other written agreements in a form approved by the Local Committee, a number of apprentices not less than one-third of the building trade crafts 4 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ORDERS, ETC. men employed by him on or in connection with his contract for houses, provided that he shall not be required to employ such a number of apprentices as would make the total number of apprentices employed for the time being in the area of the Local Building Industry Committee exceed one-third of the building trade craftsmen in that area. The Local Building Industry Committee will have to certify to the architect acting for the Local Authority the number of apprentices which the contractor is required to employ and the number actually employed by him. When the number actually employed is certified to be less than the number which the contractor is required to employ, the Committee will have to state whether or not suitable apprentices to a number sufficient to make up the difference are obtainable, and to furnish to the contractor lists giving the names and addresses of such suitable apprentices. In order that Local Building Industry Committees may carry out these, duties it will be necessary for them forthwith to notify their establishments to the Local Authority or Local Authorities within whose limits the area of each Local Building Industry Committee falls, and afterwards to keep in close touch with each Authority, so that, whenever a contract for houses has been placed, the Local Authority may give the Committee the information necessary to enable it to arrive at a decision as to the apprentices required. In the event of an Authority who propose to ask for tenders for houses not having been notified of the establishment of a Local Building Industry Committee for their area, they should apply to the Secretary of the Building Industry Committee, Ministry of Health, Whitehall, S.W.1, and information as to this will be supplied. The Building Industry Committee have also drawn up a form of indenture which they recommend should be used in the case of augmented apprentices (i.e., youths entering the industry after the normal age of entry and up to 20 years of age). This is contained in Appendix II. A period of four years' apprenticeship is contemplated, which may be reduced to three years if the candidate is, after the expiration of that period, 21 years of age and shows that he is proficient. (c) As regards persons who have had previous experience of the trade (e.g., building trade labourers) the Committee consider their admission to the skilled ranks of the industry should also be through apprenticeship and that the period of indenture should be three years. In these cases also a form of indenture has been suggested. (Appendix III.) (d) The Building Industry Committee consider it essential that a register of apprentices should be obtained and kept up to date by each Local Building Industry Committee, and they are arranging for quarterly returns to be sent to them showing the number of apprentices admitted to each craft of the building industry. 6. The Building Industry Committee have notified their Local Committees that it will not be possible, except by agreement, to secure that apprentices in the ratio of one to every three craftsmen employed on house building contracts for Local Authorities are taken on where these contracts have already been let, but they consider that, in view of the necessity for augmentation, there should be little difficulty in securing this by agreement with the contractor. They have therefore invited the Local Committee to get into touch with all contractors holding contracts for the erection of houses for Local Authorities to secure the object in view, and have intimated that a convenient way of doing this would be through the Local Authority or Local Authorities concerned. The Local Committees have also been invited to get into touch with builders not at present holding housing contracts with a view to securing their co-operation in the same way. 7. In some cases Local Committees may not have at their disposal suitable accommodation for meetings and sufficient clerical assistance. The Building Industry Committee have suggested that in such cases enquiry might be made of the Local Authorities as to whether they would be prepared to provide accommodation, and possibly also clerical assistance, so that the work might be carried on with the utmost economy. 8. So far as apprentices of normal age at date of entry are concerned, there are in many areas arrangements already in force whereby craft training is supplemented by training in technical classes either in the day time (by means of classes held on one or more half days in the week) or in the evening. Local Building Industry Committees have been asked to consider in conjunction with Local Authorities and employers whether, in places where day-time training is not at present given, steps can be taken to provide it. Similar arrangements probably cannot be made for giving day-time instruction to persons who do not become apprentices until after the normal age of entry, but the Building Industry Committee consider that every inducement should be given them to supplement their training by attendance at suitable evening classes where such are available, and Local Building Industry Committees have accordingly been asked to give their attention to this matter and to consult Local Authorities and employers with a view to devising schemes which would be suitable for the localities concerned and to induce the apprentices to make use of the opportunities afforded thereby. APPENDIX I. WHEREAS the employers being a Local Authority under the Housing Acts, 1890 to 1924, have the duty of providing houses for |