BUILDERS’ LABOURERS

Hokitika Guardian, 26 September 1930, Page 8

BUILDERS’ LABOURERS

DISPUTE BEFORE COURT

DUNEDIN, September, 22,

“No doubt the depression will have some good results in the shape of better methods and a reduction in prices,” said Mr Justice Frazer, in the Arbitration Court, during the hearing of the Builders’ and Contractors’ Labourers’ dispute, in which a representative of the workers claimed that wages were 'a- small factor in the cost of production. His Honour replied that if the Hiilding of a house were taken as an example, wages might amonut to 4U per cent, of the cost, but a large proportion of the remaining 60 per cent, of the cost was also accounted, for belabour. For instance, there were the cutting and transport of the timber which was used. He was quite sure that if it were possible every member of the Court would do his best to ibtain higher . wages and a higher standard of living for all trades, but these economic •' questions were not always easy to understand or to, exiress. A few years ago there .might have been fifty builders in Dunedin employing 5000 men, and doing £5,)(H,OOO worth of work in a year, but ■n a slump period, such as the present the amouiit might be reduced to £1,000,000, With builders cutting prices down to a bare level to obtain .vork, how 'could the Court produce an jqual amount of work or an equal or greater amount of wages? This would give an idea of the difficult questions which the Court was asked to solve. He frankly afjmitted that he could not and a solution.