Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1928 EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3841, 6 September 1928, Page 2

Manawatu Herald THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1928 EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL WORK.

THE leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Holland), in speaking on the subject of the recent flaxmilling hold-up in the House on Tuesday night is reported to have said “that an industry that would not pay a .living wage was not worth supporting.” We should say that any person who carried on such an industry was an, imbecile. But the trouble is that many industries are handicapped in the matter of production or output because a percentage of the workers engaged are either physically inchpable or fftr some other reason do not earn the so-called living wage. They, however, are the most clamant and prominent in creating unrest. Their tongues wag out of all proportion to the production of their hands. Tf, therefore, the industry which cannot pay a living wage is not worth supporting, neither is the incompetent union worker worthy of consideration for it is he who drags down any industry. If each worker was paid according to his ability to earn, secondary industries would be more flourishing than they are to-day. There is not much inducement for capable men to give of their best under the wage fixation basis. Despite the foolish talk of labour extremists we have yet to find an employer in any industry who is not prepared to share with his employee a fair proportion of what he earns if given a free hand,