HUTT COUNTY WAGES

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 138, 13 June 1931, Page 14

HUTT COUNTY WAGES

A REDUC riON PROPOSAL DETERRED A contention that it was unfair to reduce the wages of the people in the lowest social so ale while tho cost of living remained high' was made by Councillor J. Purchase at the monthlymeeting of the Utakara County Council yesterday when a proposal to reduce wages in conformity with the order of the Arbitration* Court was under consideration. Ho .said it had to be remembered that tho wage of 14s per day which the councils employees received was until recently tho amount paid on relief works. TTie chairman, Mr. E. Windley, consideral that a reduction of Ig per day in the' roadmen's wages would afford the ratepayers .little relief, and the council tleeided to hold the matter over till tie next meeting in order to ascertain what award rate had been fixed.

Councillor B. W., 13'othamlcy brought the question before tl ye meeting, saying •that he considered ifi* was the council 'a duty to reduce the roiadmen's wages by 10 per cent, in conn equence of the Arbitration Court's a<ecision.

After giving figures "in regard to his farm, which, he said, this year would not pay 5 per ei3nt. on the unimproved value, Councillor L. C. Bryant said he.did not thin^Atho roadmen's wages should bo> reduced by 10 per cent, and he moved tlhaf they should be reduced by Is per .day. This motion was1 seexmded by Councillor Bothamley, who said that the ratepayers were up agah ist it, and the council would have to do something more to relieve unemployment. The relief wages were 12s per day when conditions were better thj i.ji at present. In reply to^Councillor Pnrchase, who said that 14s per day was not sufficient to enable men to keep their homes going, ho asked what was'to bo done about the men out of worki Attributing the whole trouble to public extravagance, KJouna Ulor Purchase said that had a rednr/tion been' made in the interest rate, tlicrc would havo been no necessity "I o reduce wages. -. ' 'NO ALTERNATIVE. ■ Councillor E. 6. Mexted Haid that during the past few years evei yone had been content to take the line of least resistance. While the Government, the Arbitration Court, local botlies, and business people were doing til eir best to meet the position, it was the duty of the council to do its part. That the council had no optiol i but to fall into line was the opinion os E Councillor A. J. Giddings. The i?ariners were getting a bare existent c, and while there were thousands of ]Lien out of work throughout the Dominion, tho council's employees were fort nnato. Councillor D. Prosser also considered that the council had no alternate 'o but to reduce wages. '•"■■ Referring to his statement at t'a c annual meeting of the council that a reduction of 10 per cent in wages tvould

not bo of much assistance to tho ratepayers, tho chairman said that farmers and business men could not agree as to the efficacy of wage reduction in helping to solve tho economic position.- County councils had wisely been exempted from the Arbitration Court awards. The workers might yet find themselves in a worse position than they were at present. After further discussion, Councillor Bryant withdrew his motion,and it was decided to hold the question over till the next meeting, the clerk being instructed to find out in tho meantime what the award rates were.