WAGES INCREASES

Levin Daily Chronicle, 3 October 1918, Page 4

WAGES INCREASES

FROMI9I4 TO 1918. BOMB OPFIOIAI. FIOUBBB. An interesting statement has been prepared by Mr Malcolm Fraser, Government Statistician, setting out _ increases in ■wages and wage rates in a number of occupations since the beginning of the war. Mr Fraser says that an inspection of Arbitration Court awards and registered industrial agreements shows the following percentage increases of Avagcs in a— number of trades and industrial occupations from July, 1914, to July, 1918:— Occupations Wages ' Percentage of increase Aerated water workers 4.3 Bakers 26.2 ' Bootmakers, female 14.5 Bootmakers, male • 12.5 Brewery employees I®-' Bricklayers I®-* i Butchers, general hands » % Butchers, shopmen ',J„ Carpenters .....' 11-JJ I Coabhbuilders •... • • 11*® . Coal-miners 1.. • I°-" ! Drivers 20.0 I Electrical workers • • 21. £ i Engineers 21.0 | Felmongers FloTimill worker# • [Freezing workers 10.3 Furniture makers 20.0 1 Grocers assistants ........ °&.4 ! General labourers 13-2 | Painters • • • Plasterers Jo. J. ' Plumbers 11™ I Printing machinists 7.7 'Seamen ol't ■ j Shearers 3 £*Jj Slaughtermen ».o Storemen j**' Tailoresses I®~ Timber workers =0.0 Waterside workers 25.0 Woollen workers, male i t Woolen -workers,, female _ 28.0 In each case the increases paid as . war bonus have been included. The ' greater increases have been granted in 1 the essential industries rather than in trades detrimentally affected by the war. . , I Occupations which were previously low-paid have also shown a greater increase than those whi?h, before the war ' were paid reasonably high rates. I The increase in the award rates, however, does not adequately represent the increase in-the rates actually paid, Mr Fraser continues. From enquiries recently made, there appears to be little doubt that tl;e scarcity of demand for labour (and particularly'for skilled labour) has tended to bring the wages payments above the minimum laid down I by awards.