CASE FOR WEEKLY WAGE

Chronicle (Levin), 10 July 1947, Page 5

CASE FOR WEEKLY WAGE

-Press Assoctaiion

Workers' Viewpoint Given To Court

By Telegraph •

WELLINGTON, July 10. The hearing of elaims for a standard pronouncement raistng wages by 6d a'A hour," converted to a weekly wage, was continued in che Arbitration Court this morning, when Mr. K. McL. Baxter, on behalf of the Federation of Labour and New Zealand Federat3d Furnnure . and related trades' Association, continued the presenfcation of his case. Mr. Baxter said: "Our argument has established beyond reasonable doubt that company profits, far from being stabilised, have increased and are increasing at a significant rate. Between 1945 and 1946, while nett profits rose 33.4 pev cent. and dividends rose 15 per cent., the average award wage rate for adult male workers rose 1.2 per cent., providing ample justification for Increasing the present standard rates.

"It has long been the policy of workers'; organisations to urge the extension of the bepefits of a weekly wage to all workers,'- continued Mr. Baxter. "The court has recentl-y heard detailed arguments concerning .the practibility of the application of a weekly wage to a trade which involves, in the main, outside work, namely, the painti'ng trade. It is not possible here to enter into a detailed analysis of the difficulties peculiar to individual trades and occupationsr "it is our intention to state concisely our reasons for contending, firstly, why the principle of a weekly wage should have universal application and, secondly, that the present is a propftious time for such an extension to be made. "A sense of seeurity is basic tothe general health and welfare of all persons," said Mr. Baxter. "An important contributing factor to this is seeurity on the job and some guarantee that eaTnings will not, over a reasonable period, fali below a known minimum. We believe that a week's seeurity in the tenure of a job and a known income is a modest request."