LOSS OF WAGES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 219, 13 September 1923, Page 9

LOSS OF WAGES.

Uf THE BOOT INDUSTRY. THE WORKERS' VIEWPOINT. Mention was made by Mr. C. A. Watt. of Auckland, in the Arbitration Court, at Wellington, on behalf of the workers applying for a Dominion award in con-nee-ion with the boot industry, that Professor Condliffe. in the "EconomicJournal." of December. 1921. stated: '"That the Arbitration Court ha? not raised real wases. It ha? for many years done little more than register conservative estimates of the increase in money wages necessary to keep pace with the rising level of price*. In the nature of the case, moreover, the wages are fixed for a term, some awards running as long as three years, so thai. with a constantly rising level of prices, labour is always at a disadvantage."" This was particularly noticeable, he contended, in the boot industry. Reference made to a graph figure lying between two graphs, representing money wages and the c-ost of living respectively, led to the conclusion that the loss of money wages during the period 1012----192."!, due to the excess of the rise in the cost o: living over the rise :n money wages for males was about lao per cent, of tile annual wane in 11)12. "This means that the loss amounts to no less than £"2.52 10/. As most of thi~ deficiency occurred during a period when the purchasing power of money substantially greatfr than at t!>e present time, it would appear that, without exaggeration, there has been a loss to the male worker of an amount in purchasing powt-r equal tv rhat oi ='!3i? £300 at the present time." added Mr. Watt.