WAGE RATES

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 39, 15 February 1930, Page 10

WAGE RATES

ARBITRATION AWARDS

INTENDED AS MINIMUMS

(By Telegraph.) (Special to "The Evenins Post")

AUCKLAND, This Day.

"The Arbitration Court is regairded as the keeper of New Zealand's national 'conscience of industrial aonditions and rates of pay for the Dominion," said Mr. Justice Frazer* yesterday in an interesting outline! of the principles on which the Court operated. The homily was prompted by some doubt in the minds of tho parties to an application for an i a.ward for wholesale ironmongery and hardware assistants by the Auckland Storemen's and Packers' Union concerning the basis on which the Court fixed • wages and conditions of work in various .trades and industries coming under its jurisdiction. His Honour pointed out that the Court was empowered to fix minimum rates of wages which should a,pply to workers who were just effieiemt, just competent, and no more. It Iras left to the employer, as he though t fit, to adjust the standard of pay for employees whose ability and qualifications were higher. AUSTRALIAN TENDENCY In Australia, for instance, said his. Honour, there was a tendency to fix wages on a minimum basis irrespective of. merits of individual wor.'kers, and some years ago New Zealand unions held the opinion that because some employees* were paid on a higher scale than others, that standard should be generally accepted as a minimum rate of wages throughout the particular industry. That attitude, hoirever, had been gradually disappearing: in the Dominion. It was recognised that there was a tendency to bring rj.tes of pay down to the minimum, and. the Court adjusted wages on this ba.sis, having regard to the cost of living ruling at that particular time, the eoonomic conditions of the country, and the position of the industry in which the award was sought.

"It is recognised at prenent that all trades and industries are experiencing slack and lean times," !his Honour said. "This situation occurred previously, and we got out oi' it. It will happen again, and we will I overcome it again.

"One of the underlying principles of the Court's operations is to fix a standard of wages, takj ng into consideration the" condition of the industry during times of depression, so that wages will not baar heavily on the average employer ajid yet permit him to pay more to men /exceeding average ability." :