H.—44a

66

each year to all employees at each of seven large mines in the north, west, and south are divided by the total number of employees it is found that the wages per head, or ratio of wages to workers, increased from 1913 to 1918 by 34, 36, 37, 50, 51, and 55 per cent. The value of these two latter comparisons as to output and wages is discounted, however, by the unsatisfactory nature of the method of recording the total number of employees. The result has probably been influenced in the direction of overestimating the increase by the fact that mine labour was much less migratory in 1918 than it was in 1913. TaBIjE 81.—AVERAGE DAILY ErANINGS PER MINER AT MIKHS X AND V PRIOR AND STJBSEQTTENT TO JNPUSTRTAI, Agreements ot March, 1916, and .Itjne, 1917. s. d. Increase. Average earnings for six months before March, 1916. . 18 9 Average earnings for six months after March, 1916 .. 22 0 per cent. Average; earnings for six months before June, 1917 . . 18 3 Average earnings for six months after June, 1917 25 0 37 per cent. The comparatively low average for the six months before June, 1917, is due mainly to the " go-slow " policy in vogue for a considerable part of that period. It will be seen that the 10-per-cent. increase in rates in 1916 was followed by a 17-J-per-oent. rise in the actual earnings per day. But for the " go-slow " policy and kindred factors the average of 225. would probably have been maintained in the early part of 1917, so that the increased rates of June, 1917, would have been followed by a rise of over 13 per cent, or nearly double the increase of 7i per cent, in the rates of pay. The average actual earnings for the six months following the second agreement were 33J per cent, higher than the corresponding earnings for the six months immediately preceding the first agreement, although the two agreements together provided only for a rise of 17| per cent, in the rates. 4. EXAMPLES OF ACTUAL EARNINGS AN]) OF INCREASES IN ACTUAL EARNINGS. (a.) The actual earnings per man per shift at Mine X* from April to June, 1918, five periods, of the ten highest workers averaged 225. Bd., the highest being 395. 4d. and the lowest 19s. 4d. Average .Daily Actual . ~, . . Earnings. Average Weekl - V ' (b.) Mine A:— s. d. £ s. d. L 913-14 .. .. .. .. .. .. 14 3t 3 7 7} 1917-18 .. - .. .. .. .. .. 17 4Jf 3 18 3$ First three months, 1918 .. .. .. .. 18 7 314 3-| April-August, 1918 (five months) .. .. .. 19 2§ 4 6 3|| (c.) General net averages at Mine Al for fortnight ending 21st June, 1918, 20s. sd. ; at Mine A 2, 17s. 1 Id. for hand and 235. Bd. for machines. The daily wages increased at a much higher rate than the weekly wages. (d.) Mine B, year ending 26th April, 1918 :— Daily. Weekly. s. d. £ s. d. Miners earned .. 18 4-1 3 17 8 (Could have earned £4 12s. sd. by working full mine time.) Truckers earned 18 3-8 411 8 (Could have earned £4 12s. 3d. by working full mine time.) Truckers earned per shift for the four periods preceding our visit an average of 225. OJd. ; 21s. 9'd. ; 21s. sd. ; and 21s. 4£d. ; (highest individual, 275. ; lowest, 14s. 10d.). The miners' general average for the year 1916 was 16s. 10|d. ; for 1917, 16s. 3-3 d. ("go-slow " three months) ; and for 1918 to August, 19s. o.|d.—an increase of 12-f per cent, in three years. ~ ■ Miners. Truckers. (c.) Mine V (average weekly earnings): £ s. d. £ s. d. Year to 31st August, 1914 .. .. .. ..3 7 11 3 9 9 1918 .. .. .. .. 4 17 9 4 4 0 Increase per cent. .. .. .. .. .. 30 \ 17 (/.) Mines Dl and D 2 :- - Miners :—

Year ending Mine Dl. Mine D2. Daily. Weekly. Possible. Daily. Weekly. Possible. 10th April, 1914 .. 1918 .. s. d. 16 54 21 If s. d. 71 1| 96 11 s. d. 81 1 108 8 I s. d. 14 10 20 1 354 s. d. 65 10 89 3 37 s. d. 79 2 108 1 Increase per cent.. . 284 364 * See note on p. 2. f Nearly 22 per e< | 284 l"' r cent, increase. mt. increase. i 16 icr cent, increase. § 34 per cent, increase.