HOLIDAYS ON PAY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 26, 30 July 1937, Page 17

HOLIDAYS ON PAY

BRITISH INVESTIGATION

A scheme by which he claimed that unemployment could be abolished and every worker, enjoy five weeks' holiday with pay and without loss to inI dustry, was explained by Baron de Veitschberger to the Holidays with Pay Committee at the Ministry oC Labour recently, says the "Daily Telegraph." The baron, a retired Austrian industrialist, said that the scheme was under consideration by the Austrian Government. "The amount of work done would be the same," he said. "Wages paid would be the same, and the holidays would b? paid at the full rate of wages. Workers and work available would be brought into a logical relation, and unemployment abolished for ever." Points in his' scheme, which he explained would be kept on an economic basis by means of the unemployment fund, were: — Extent of holiday to be related to volume of unemployment. Workers- v to be prohibited from taking up any paid employment during holidays. No change in the total of wages paid, working conditions, social insurance contributions, or collective agreements. Baron de Veitschberger claimed that there would be no increase in general production costs and no reduction in wages, such as the' 40-hour week would entail. Savings in unemployment relief expenditure would make possible an extension of old-age pensions. Mr. G. H. Elvin and Mr. Lovat CaveChirm gave evidence on behalf of the Association of Cine-Technicians. Mr. Elvin, secretary of the association, said that some workers received as little as £2 or 30s a week, while some free-lance "news-cameramen" made £60 a week. A few earned as much as £ 100, Lord Amulree (chairman of the Committee): It seems a very high rate of remuneration in comparison with other-workers we have been considering. I am not sure that legislation should be concerned with highly-paid workers. Mr. Cave-Chirm: If the light cameraman is British he is lucky to get £20 a week. If he is of any other nationality he will have no difficulty in getting £200. The association's memorandum urged a two weeks' annual holiday, but emphasised the "irregular production and financial instability of production companies" in England. "The vast majority would be out of j production or even in liquidation long I before the advent of the holiday season," it was slated. "During Die past twelve years 640 production companies have been registered. Fewer than 3 per cent, are in production at the present time, and probably at least 85 per cent, will never make another film." _^