THE WAGES QUESTION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 183, 29 April 1919, Page 6

THE WAGES QUESTION

MATTER BECOMING SERIOUS

GREATER PRODUCTION NECESSARY

The. announcement by tho Arbitration Court of its intention to fix a basic wage <vas referred to at last night's meeting of tho Wellington Industrial Association. Mr. H. F. Allen, the secretary, stated that the Court's decision in regard to overtiiuo had caused consternation to tho engineering trado in view of the fact that in shipping work it was necessary to have overtime As tho engineers put it, "Up went the cost of living again." There was no doubt. that artisans in tho trado wcro out after the overtime. Mr. H. Mainland, president of the association, said that the policy of employers had been to pay the better class of employees a, higher wage. Tho matter was becoming serious bo far as factory work was concerned. Mr. E. Bull: The more they (the Court) increase the wages, the greater the cost of living. Mr. G. Slade: And they are decreasing tho hours, too. Mr. Allen said that the engineers had bad a conference with their employers, and had accepted an increase of lid. per hour. The moulders asked for an increase, and were offered ljd. They decided to refer the matter to the consideration of the Court, which awarded Ucm 2la. The cngmeors were dissatisfied, and wanted the whole mutter reopened. They were the most skilled workers, and as they were receiving less than the moulders they wero not working with the same spirit as they would otherwise do. As remarked by the President of the Arbitration Court, it seemed to the master engineers that tho thing would go on until "something breaks." Mr, Mainland said that they did not wish to see wages come down. Greater production was necessary. Mr. Evans remarked that .that aim could only be achieved by influencing the will of tho worker. Possibly the Workers' Educational Association could do some good in that direction by stressing the importance of greater production. Mr. Mainland: If tho workers wero prepared to accept more machinory to ease their work it would no doubt give us greater production and then their wages would go up again. The Americans have proved that. Mr. Slado said that much of the present industrial trouble was due to the demand for labour being greater than tho supply. Mr. Mainland said that it would take 12 to 18 months before conditions couiiJ become settled. When the soldiers returned he thought that better conditions could be looked for.