ELECTION PLANK

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 138, 8 December 1945, Page 9

ELECTION PLANK

MINIMUM WAGE RATE

DANGERS ANTICIPATED

The possibility of the minimum wage rate becoming a question at every election campaign as a result of its being decided by Parliament instead of by an outside tribunal was raised by the lion, T. O. Bishop (Wellington) in the Legislative Council yesterday during discussion on the Minimum Wage Bill. It seemed to him, he said, that if the minimum wage rates were to be settled by Parliament from time to time every candidate at every election would be asked whether he were in favour of increasing the basic wage.

An illustration had been given yesterday, during discussion on the Statutes Amendment Bill of a reduction in the status of the. Arbitration Court by providing that it was to make recommendations concerning agricultural workers to the .-Minister of Labour for his decision, said Mr. Bishop. Now another matter was to be taken away from the Court and made a political matter. It was a very grave mistake, and it would have been very much better to have made such alteration as was considered .necessary in the minimum wage by means of the existing provisions of the Court of Arbitration. ECONOMIC PRINCIPLES. "Wage fixation is bound to become an urgent political question at every election, and it should not be dealt with in this way," said Mr. Bishop. "It should be dealt with on economic principles by a body qualified to decide what the minimum wage can be, having regard to the development of New Zealand industry and after full and proper consideration of all the economic facts." The Hon. W. J. Rogers (Wanganui) said that the Bill was greatly needed for the protection of small groups of workers and individual workers. Such people had not the group strength possessed by other workers. It was true that the Court of Arbitration from time to time fixed standard' rates of wages on representations from either employers or employees, but the Court's standard rates of wages coukl not take the place of a minimum wage as provided by legislation, said the Leader of the Council (Mr. McLagan), replying to the points raised. The Court had no jurisdiction over the very large body of workers outside its procedure. Its decisions could not apply to the workers who needed it most —those who had no economic strength. SIMPLE AND DIRECT. It must be realised, too, that there were a great number of workers who did not care to have their wages fixed by the Court of Arbitration. If. the Court were given power to do something in regard to those workers now outside its jurisdiction it might be found to go a long way further than intended, and there might be some undesirable repercussions. The present method was the simple and direct way of doing the job. '•The'measure has received general approval," said Mi*. McLagan, "and it need not become a party political question; This method of making the provision has everything in its favour, and nothing serious can be applied against it."