CONSCRIPTION
The Secretary of State for War, Mr Ramsden, gave a most vague "“assuran «" on conscription in the House of Comnons on January 15th. After he had told his questioner, Frank Allaun, that the government had no intention of reintroducing conscription, Mr Allaun asked whether the same would apply after a general election. "The government will do their duty in any circumstances without regard to the date of a general election, but the present circumstances do not warrant a reintroduction of conscription" was the reply. No mention was made of future circum stances — particularly in the likely event, under present policies, of further incroassed overseas commitments.
On January 23rd Frank Allaun opposed Tory liP, Julian Critchley, who put forward the motion "this house belioves selective conscription now to be justified", in a debate at the Oxford Union. Critchloy said that he was certain that overseas commitments would increase in the future, and that selective conscription of about 30,000 youths a yoar would be needed.
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mes Bill Vester (Loughborough)
Although the numbers of school leavers apprenticod rose between 1950 and 1962, the proportion hardly changed, according to background notes on unemployment issued by the Labour Party in connection with the YS lobby of Parliament. The total who ontered apprenticeships rose from 113,500 to 142,800, tut oxpressnd-as a porconta.jo tho riso is: morely from 21.5 to 21.73. Tho netos rofor to thse fact that it is choapor to poach trained workors than to initiato training schomes, so far as tho omployors aro concorned. Governmont training sChemes cover 500 school leavers on one-yoar pro-appronticeship courses, in 19 contros. In France 200,000 young people attend 800 training centres. Of these one third are girls, compared with 7% in tho UK..
But the notes infer a too willing acceptance of the approntice— ship system. More people want approntice training than get it, because it is one of the fow ways of avoiding dead-end jobs. However, most apprentices would recoive the news that they are the members of a privileged minority with some surprise. The figures quoted by the Labour Party are usoful, as an indimtor of how many young people aro receiving training, but Labour's plans for youth mst include steps which would change the apprenticeship system out of all rocognition.