WORK ON THE HUTT ROAD

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 22, 26 January 1924, Page 7

WORK ON THE HUTT ROAD

HIGHER WAGES AND GREATER

PRODUCTION.

The effect of high wages on production was a matter discussed at last'evening's meeting of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council, and the president, Mr. J. Bead, was authorised to make a statement on the subject. "Some time ago," said Mr. Read to a "Post" reporter this morning, "the Hon. C. A. Jil'Curdy, ex-Cabinet Minister in Bri/ tain, expressed the view that it was advisable for employers to pay higher wages, as it would beneficially affect the economic position-by' improving the market for goods and inducing the workers to produce more than they would-for ft mere existence wage. The Welfare League and other similar organisations were, some time ago, continually dinning into the ears of the workers that they must produce more, and then, likely enough, if their employers approved, they might get more jn the way of wages, which frequently proved a ' chimera vrhen tried out.' That there is a good deal m the suggestion of the Hon. Mr. M'Curdy has been amply' demonstrated by Mr. Henry Ford, who has invariably paid higher wages in 'the'districts where he was operating than his neighbours, bub who has also received bigger returns than any of them. No doubt influenced by such ideas as expounded above the Wellington City Council, when, undertaking the work oil the Hutt road of laying the bitumenisad surface, decided to pay something over the award rates in wages, and intimated to the men engaged on that work that they would receive something over )and above ,the rates the council had been paying for similar work hitherto That this had it s effect is proved by tha fact that the gang has put up a recordapparently for the wpi-ld, in thq amount i l°fu>u Cc l a' d -" One day" Jt wa a Stated by the American foreman, Mr. Patterson, that they had beaten the American record by some 200 yards per day. -There is a lesson to be learned from this fact, and that is that men will work much more willingly if they are of opinion they are gettingV good deal.'lt 13 to be hoped the Arbitration Court, and also that employers generally will take to heart this lesson. J n con y u . sion, we would commend the Wellington City Council and its officers who have had the foresight and courage to put into operation a scheme which has proved to be a good one in the "public interest. We ako congratu ate €h e men working on the job, who Hvill readily agree that they are ]ust average New Zealanders, and vflio have thus demonstrated that the New Zealand worker is the equal of any worker in the world."