INCREASES IN WAGES

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 191, 9 May 1940, Page 5

INCREASES IN WAGES

Effect Of Cost Of Living

ATTITUDE OF EMPLOYERS Neither the Employers’ Federation nor the Manufacturers’ Federation had agreed to any increase in wages to cover cost of living increases, said the secretary of the New Zealand Employers’ Federation, Jlr. W. E. Anderson, yesterday. He said bis attention had been directed to remarks reported to have been made by Mr. James Begg at a meeting of the Otago Provincial Council of the Fanners’ Union about tlie relation between wages and the cost of living.- Mr. Begg’s statement was incorrect.

“All that has been agreed to is that tlie Court of Arbitration be given the power to deal with applications for such increases,” he said. "At the hearing of any such application it. is open to the employers, if they so desire, to oppose any increase whatever being made.

“The true position is that at a conference between representatives of the Federation of Labour and representatives of the Employers’ Federation, at which representatives of tlie Manufacturers’ Federation were present to watch tlie interests of their members, it, was unanimously agreed to ask the Government to introduce legislation empowering the Court of Arbitration to amend the wages provision of awards and industrial agreements at intervals of not less than six months, the Court, in making such orders, to have regard to the general economic conditions affecting trade and industry in New Zealand, the cost of 'iving, and any fluctuation in the cost of living since the last ..order, if any, was made. The legislation is to be a temporary measure for tlie duration of the war and six months thereafter.”

CHRISTCHURCH REPLY

Manufacturers’ Position CHRISTCHURCH, May 8. The statement, by Mr. James Begg, Dunedin, that the Manufacturers’ Association had agreed to a general increase in wages in New Zealand was described as “absolutely incorrect,” by the chairman of the council of the Canterbury Manufacturers’ Association, Mr. S.'l. Wright, at a meeting tonight. Mr. Wright said that manufacturers’ representatives at the recent conference bad merely recommended that the Court of Arbitration be given the necessary authority to deal with applications for an increase to compensate for increases in the cost of living.

' Mr. Wright read a statement by Mr. Begg which said, inter alia: “The Manufacturers’ Association has agreed to it, though the Employers’ Association has not.” Mr. Wright, said Mr. Begg had not made it clear to which association he referred —the Dunedin, Canterbury, Wellington, or Auckland association's, or the New Zealand association—but. he had alleged that an association had joined with the Federation of Labour in asking for an order from the Court of Arbitration for a general increase in all wages covered by awards of the Court. “This statement is being answered by the president of the Otago Manufacturers 1 Association, as the statement was made in Dunedin,” Mr. Wright said, “but I do feel that some members in Canterbury might consider that we have been involved in such a request. 1 want to give that an emphatic denial. The facts are that, we, as a federation of manufacturers’ associations, were asked to join the Employers’ Federation and the Federation of Labour at a conference to discuss what could be done about the position. The conference came to the unanimous decision which you have all read.”

Mr. Wright then read the recommendation of the conference, already published, to the effect that the Court of Arbitration should be given power to make an order covering any application for increased wages received during the currency of existing awards. That meant, he said, that any application would have to be argued before the Cburt. DUNEDIN STATEMENT DUNEDIN, May 8. Mr. Begg’s comments were also contradicted by the president and secretary of the Dunedin Manufacturers’ Association in a statement issued today. The statement, which is on the same ’lines as that made to the New Zealand Employers’ Federation, Wellington, alleged that Mr. Begg’s comments were a serious distortion of actual facts.