Dear Sir

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 37, 8 April 1942, Page 4

Dear Sir

j Letters to the Editor must be; clearly written on one side of j the paper only and where a nom- ;, de-plume is used the name of the writer must be included for j 't reference purposes. The Editor reserves the ughi to abridge* amend or withhold any letter or letters. CARPENTER'S WAGES Sir, —In a leading article last Fri j day headed "We Liked It" you refer to a scheme advocated by the Pukekohe.Borough Council and you refer to the scheme as to eliminating carpenters getting £3 per day whilst working alongside soldiers getting 7s per day. Now, Sir, I desire to prove to you, that your statement is so much bunk. As a builder and also a member of the carpenters union, at present working on military jobs, I can inform that pay on all these jobs until last urday was 3s per hour up to 40 hours and a Id per hour extra after 40 hours had been worked. Total hours ranged from 57 hours on some jobs to a total of 70 hciurs. Assum- " ing. the sun was always shining and it never rained, the carpenters you mention would earn £3 per day working a full 24 hours per day after deducting the wage tax etc., provided they did not bother about a spell for meals or required any sleep. However, from my experience oif jobs, the hours worked are 57 to 70 hours per week. The pay. has been increased to 3s 3d flat rate, and - with the increase carpenters would require to work 21 hours out of 24 hours, leaving 3 hours for sleep and meals to get the pay you mention, clear of tax. A few cither items worth mentioning are ,it sometimes rains and carpenters have not web feet and the big rings and combines are not good samaritans, so the pay stops, but the cost of living still goes on and still rises like a morning sun. The carpenters tools need replacing, and they have trebled, soi it is not all gold that glitters. Now, Sir, having slipped badly on the chippys, will you be kind enough to tell us liow mush some of the "fish heads'" are making per hour or per day in war profits, after paying to the workers these alleged high wages, without having to work in the mooinlight or lose wet time. Tell us what the brewers are making, rag and clathing merchants and thousands of those supplying goods for defence purposes, while the soldier is compelled to accept his 7s per day. Start at the top, and give us a list of the fat salaries and profits of the monopolies of New r Zealand. What is Nash, Fraser, Semple plucking out of this business, while telling others to pull their weight to win the war. Suggest putting them on 7s per day and cut out fairy tales about these carpenters getting £3 per day. Give us a few facts.

Yours etc., N STAN EVANS. Builder, Whakatane. (We regret the fact that our correspondent prefers to miss the whole spirit of the Leader mentioned in. order to quibble over a point of outi raged conscience. The facts as printed by us were supplied by a. person of repute who recently entered camp and was forced to work alongside a carpenter who on Friday produced a cheque for £20 and some shillings which he assured our informant were the result of a week's work. We do not know whether our correspondent is qualified to draw the same but can assure him that if the scheme as set out by us and furthermore—championed by us —were introduced, his combines and monopolies would "be brought to a basis more to his liking. Perhaps he would then have to study his own position a little closely than at present. We thank him for his elucidation on carpenters pay but cannot see that he has given an3 r thing constructive to overcome the present lamentable state of affairs which permits the men in the fighting forces, drawing less* than any known union rate, while others line their pocketsEd.) to FARMS FOR SOLDIERS Sir, —Now that the Bay of Plenty . has an energetic member in Parliament, would it not be a good! time to set about getting reasonably good* land put aside for our returned andK returning men, in the same way that Southern districts are doing? (Continued in previous column)