TRADE BOARDS.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 564, 20 July 1909, Page 5

TRADE BOARDS.

MINIMUM WAGE IN CERTAIN TRADES. • (By ■ TeleEraph.-Prras Aeeoblation'.-Oopyrleht.l .y. _ v :. London; July 18.;Some: Unionist;'amendments' 'to the Trade Bill were negatived on the >' ground of their introducing the'fiscal questions > ;'/ ; ; THE FISpAL ELEMENT. 'I ■: ' ;'. PROVISIONS OE TEEMEASUEE.. , / ■ The central principle of the Bill ia the establishment of trade boards in certain , trades where the.evil known as "sweating" preyoils; the fixing by these trade boards-of a minimum- standard of wages, and the enforcement' Of that:niiiiimum wage.' The trado boards, besides exeroising their statutory functions, will bo centres of information'aud organisation. ■. '•■■■ ■■■■■..'■ .■ .-..-.: ;' ■.•■■..■ ■■■ ■The boards: will be oharged with the administration of portions of Hie Truck Act, with the'training of workers, and the collection of information on the .subject of. unemployment, in© .trades scheduled under the Bill will be the tailoring (which will. inolude ready-made, wholesale, and -bespoke, tailoring), cardboard box making, laod mating by machinery, net finishing, and blooso making. Tho Bill, may bo oxtonded to other trades by an order. .There will be three expert paid official members, aadinh all trades .where' women are largely employed at least one ofithose members will always be a woman.- The official members of tho Central Trade Board-will also be members of. all.district trade committics, and will occupy the chair whonever they are present. When the Bill; was before the House of Commons, last April, the. fiscal issue ; was bronght up on the Unionist side, Ifr. H; H. Marks lnonng. an amndment to tho effect thnt no legislation conld'be effective that did not prevent foreigmrs working at low wages sending thoir products here. :,. .. .- Mr. Balfour; in a!speech.sympathetic to the objects of the measure, agreed with the statement that the raising of wages did not always increase tho cost of goods. It was, howevorj impossible to refuse to tako into account the competition of certain trado abroad. Nevertheless he advised Mr. H. ,H. Mar>s to -withdraw his amendment. It ought to be possible at some later stage of the Bill to move a resolution' dealing with this; particular difficnH.y. . . .-.;-..■ .Unionist leaders w6rc generally favourable to the Bill. ■Mγ. Lytteltpn supported it, but doubted the wisdom of giving so much power to tho Board of Trade. . . ':'■