A MAXIMUM WAGE?

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 270, 3 August 1918, Page 10

A MAXIMUM WAGE?

1 FARMERS ON THE IDEA. Jlr. il. D. Vavasour (Marlborough) moved at the Dominion Conference of the. Farmers' Union yesterday: "That the Conciliation and Arbitration Act 6hould be amended to the effect that in all awards the maximum should be stated instead of tlie minimum/' Mr. Vavasour said that' ho thought they would all agree that the present arbitration system was a farce. One- day they got an award, and perhaps within three months the employees struck for higher wages. Employers should be" loyal fo one another, but what did they do? If they wanted sheep shorn early, probably they offered extra money for the work. Awards should be equally binding on employees and employers. Peoplo thought he had an antipathy to the working man, but he had not. For many years he had worked alongside the workingman for wages. Ho was bringing the question forward to try to effect a better feeling between employees and employers, lie had worked with and respected the employees or the old days, but the men of to-day wei'e put in a state of unrest by agitators from Australia. It was unjust to some workers that there should be a. minimum wage fixed, because it might debar some of then) from getting employment. This applied particularly to men who might return injured from tlm war, and who might be prevented from earning a, little money to supplement their pensions. Jlr. John Christie (Otago) seconded the motion pro forma, and expressed a hope that it would be thrown out. For a great many things tlio farmer got whatever he could, and whv should not a man be allowed to get what he could tor his labour? Mr. A. ,T. ]\ T ichol (Maitlaml) asked if the idea was to contract at any rate no matter how low, and to prevent wages from rising above a fixed maximum. The president: Jlr. Vavasour would be wise to withdraw this till after the war. I think the feeling of the conference is against him. Jlr. G. Sheat (Dunsandel): The Government could not coneider it during the win , because it is contentious. Mr. P. Kcegan (Tancatua): It is absolutely wrong in principle. We are seeking to get the best we con for our produce, and what is the workingman's produce? Delegates: His labour! Mr. Kcegan: Tee, simply his labour. Mr. Vavasour withdrew his motion.