WAGE INCREASES

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 75, 25 September 1918, Page 8

WAGE INCREASES

FROM 1914 TO 1918

SOME OFFICIAL FIGUBES.

An interesting statement has been prepared by Mr. Malcolm Fraser, Government Statistician, setting out increases in wages and wage rates in a number of occupations since the beginning of the war. Mr. Fraser sayE that an inspection of Arbitration Court awards and registered industrial agreements shows the following percentage increases of wages in a number of trades and industrial occupations from July, 1914, to July, 1918 :—

In each case the increases paid as war bonus have been included. The greater increases have been granted in the essential. industries rather than in .trades detrimentally affected by the war. Occupations which were previously low-paid have also shown a greater increase than those which, beforelthe war, were paid reasonably high rates'. The increase in the award rates, however, does not adequately represent the increase in the rates actually paid, Mr. Fraser continues. From enquiries recently made, there appears to be little doubt that the scarcity of demand for labour (and particularly for skilled^ labour) has tended to bring the wages payments above the minimum laid down by awards. In other words, the award rates have generally tended to become, under war conditions, true minimum rates rather than standard . rates, as they were in previous years. Further than this, there is evidence that actual earnings have increased in greater proportion than have the rates themselves. This is no doubt brought about by more constant employment, increase of overtime, I increase of overtime rates, and concessions granted in regard to general working conditions. There has also been, apparently, a certain absorption by skilled trades of workers previously in unskilled occupations^

As an example of the increase of earnings beyond the- increase in wages rates Mr. Fraser quotes figures relating to the State coal mines. The rates have been increased by 1 a bonus of 17^ per cent, to contract workers and'2o per cent, to wages men* The war increase to 31st March, 1918, as shown by the figures of the Mines Department, have been 37.19 per cent, in the Point Elizabeth Mine and 30.76 per cent, in the Liverpool Mine. An important indication of the extent to which earnings have been increased during the war is given by the official figures supplied to_ the Statistician's office by local governing bodies. A table shows that the average annual earnings of unskilled labour, from 1914 to 1918. have increased from £150 10s to £173 10s for permanent men and from £129 10s to £170 for casual hands (an increase of 31.3 per cent.)

Wages Percentage Occupations of increase Aerated water workers 4.3 Bakers 26.2 Bootmakers, female 14.5 Bootmakers, male t 12.5 Brewery employees * 16.7 Bricklayers . 19.4 Butchers, general hands 17.5 Butchers, shopmen 7.7 Carpenters „ 11.0 Coaehtmilders 11.6 Coal-miners 18.0 Drivers 20.0 Electrical workers 21.2 Engineers 21.0 FelLnpngers 2i.0 Flourmill workers ■.. 14.8 Freezing workers 10.3 Furniture makers 20.0 Grocers' assistants 35.4 General labourers 13.2 Painters 9.0 Plasterers 18.1 Plumbers „ 11.1 Printing machinists 7.7 Seamen 27.4 Shearers 37.5Slaughtormen 9,0 Storemen 23.7 Tailoresses ? 10.0 Timber workers 20.0 Waterside workers '25.0 Woollen workers, male 24.4 Woollen workers, female 28.0