Productivity

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30389, 13 March 1964, Page 3

Productivity

Sir, —The comments on the low production of industry in Canterbury by the president of the Manufacturers’ Association require comment. We are rapidly becoming a society of non-producers. For every man producing we have two non-workers—-administrators, salesmen, office staff, civil servants, and commentators. The nicely dressed young man is much more respected and better paid than the man with his coat off working. The Dutch immigrants who were brought out to show us how to produce and work soon woke up to this and joined the office staff and sales crews. A civil servant just retiring will get at least £5OO or £BOO as a bonus or six months’ full pay. What do we give our production staff? The average take-home pay in Christchurch is £l2 to £l3 a week. This is totally inadequate. We as a society think it just lovely to see hire-purchase firms with 15 per cent interest and most lending non-producing com-

panies receiving 6 to 8 per cent. The Greek society collapsed because of the same thing. The worker was not rewarded in any way, either by praise, respect, or living wages-—Yours, etc., . AN EMPLOYER. March 12, 1964.