STRIKES, WAGES, AND "PASSING-IT-ON"

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3171, 23 August 1917, Page 8

STRIKES, WAGES, AND "PASSING-IT-ON"

[ A PROBLEM REVIEWED CALL FOR FAIR DEALING Hr. H. M. Murphy, New South Wales Secretary fur Labour, recently gavo the fourth of a series of lectures on tho subject of "National lifiiqieucy," and reviewed tho strike problem. Mr. Murphy ■said that the total number of wageearners iu Australia, 'according: to Mr. Knibbs, was 1,190,990. Of these, 509.000 were protected by awards and determinations and 621,900 were not. It appeared that the. workers were losing ground, and the lecturer quoted Mr. Ivnibbs's figures comparing 1901-16 as applied to. the whole body of workers. It was shown that, taking the whole of Australia, the rise in tho cost of living during that period was 50.7 per cent.,-, while the rise iu wages for the same period was 39.G per cent., indicating that tho worker had gone back 11.1 per cent. If certain sections or trades were picked out that had succeeded in getting some considerable increase in their wages it was obvious that they had outstripped the cost of living very largely, bmt it did not affect the position taken up in regard to all workers under and outside the protection of the law. Not enough difference was made in this country in favour of skilled workers to induce them to increase their skill and efficiency. In America, skilled men were paid nearly doable what the unskilled workers received, and the system made for greater efficiency. When tribunals were first set up for fixing wages it never occurred to the framers of the law that a way would be found whereby wages could be raised and somebody other than employers would pay them. Yet that had. happened! In the beginning employers bitterly opposed any rise in wages, but ultimately advanced the price of the article, and in that way passed the »:£tra cost on to the consuming public. The advance was to cover traders from loss, and it was a perfectly legitimate rule of trade, but the effect was very serious from the point of view of the general public. To illustrate his point, Mr. Murphy supposed that, as the result of a strike or the master bakers "passing it on," the price of bread was raised by a 'halfpenny for the lib. loaf. Every week in Victoria there were 1,440,250 41b. loaves consumed, enual to slightly less than lOoz. per head per day for every person over three years of age. The increase in price amounted to ,£156,027 Is. Sd. per annum. Working men w'ith their wives and families comprised over CO per cent, of the population of Victoria, and to them the rise in price represented .696,612 per annum. Taking the latest figuires available, Mr. Murphy staled that the increase in wages in the manufacturing trades in Australia during 1909-15 averaged £ii ss. for eveTy employee, and the increase in value por employee for the same period was .£129ss. It was clear, as a result of the "passing, it on" system, that tho public of Vic--n-ia ha'd a' vastly increased amount for the "oods it consumed, and the lecturer --<«. M it did noc largely explain the .W.Y rapid and high increase- in. the cost of living. ■ . There was a. .section of workers that indulged in what was called "slowing down." If the cost of living in Australia had risen, "slowing down" had.had its effect in helping to create the increase. It was impossible to >my to what extent, it had contributed, but tho worker had to blame himself to a. largo extent, for his own dishonest practice in not doing a fair day's work for a fair days pay. Expert opinion in tho Old World favoured all employers and employees joining unions. In Australia, they hud plenty of experience to show that unions had not kopfc down ptrikes. Iu New Zealand the lato Mr. Hicha.rd John Seddon brought in an Act to encourage tho.formation of industrial unions and associations. That country had been, described as a la.nd without strikes. Yet a. very great strike occurred there in 1913, find iho union, .as an anti-striking force, 'broke down. In Iflli Australia hod H.B strikes for c-verv 100,000 inhabitants. In Iho sauio year Canada had .54 strikes, for the same ratio of population; the United States, 1.1; 'franco. 1.7:' Germany. I.S: 'Ttaly. 2.1; United Kingdom and .Great Britain, 2.2. In 1915 strikes showed a large increase, and in 1916 Australia reached 10.3:. of strikes per 100,000 . inhabitants. Tho world had novel- soon such a record. Could it bo said that unions were successful as a strike pre. venter? tie thought not. There was a. distinct difference between unionism in Australia, and. what was favoured in Great Britain. Ho thought it would bo a good thing if employers as well as employees were forced to join a union. A. complete body of employers or employees would speak with a corporate voice. It would do away with preference to unionists, which had been tho cause of much bickering and ill-feeling. There had been no real cohesion amongst the employers, who were unable (o depend on o'no another. If tho employers established a fighting fund to tho extent, of JJlfor every .£IOO paid in wages it would amount in twelve months to .£1,300,000. If such. a. weapon wero forged by tho employers, would it be improperly used 'Would they make n corner that would be a danger to the community? Ho thought the employers could be trusted to act rightly; they couldbodepended upon just as Well as tho workers.