Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28th., 1931. WORK AND WAGES.

Greymouth Evening Star, 28 February 1931, Page 6

Greymouth Evening Star. AND BRUNNERTON ADVOCATE. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28th., 1931. WORK AND WAGES.

“jCORTUNATE is he that hath, in these clays, regular employment,” is a writing that might well be placed on walls facing gatherings of public servants and other employees, discussing the wage-cut proposal. Nothing is easier than to make indignant speeches against wage-reduction, but this eloquence should be tempered with a realisation of the present conditions. Some union leaders, —and, also, Labour Members of Parliament who should know better, —are urging the workers not to be “docile.” The .best reply to that is to recall what happened to the unionists in Australia, and especially in N.S. Wales, who yelled for aggression and defiance when wage-cut proposals became imperative. Many have since had to submit to far worse conditions and hardships than were originally necessary, and vain regrets are now felt that the thistle was not grasped at the outset, and mutual co-operation developed between employer and employed. In itself, without any regard for economic conditions, few would defend the lowering of wages, but facts must be faced. If a cut in

wages widens the avenue of employment and gives greater stability to present positions, it would be folly to reject it. Any industries or professions that are doing fairly well, should not hasten to adopt a wagecut, just because less fortunate concerns, or State’ departments, find it necessary to diminish the payscales. The individual circumstances should be the sole factor governing individual decisions. The

Auckland drapers, for instance, have not found it essential to follow their Christchurch colleagues’ example in reducing wages, and similar reluctance, wherever it is practicable, would be to the benefit of the country as a. whole. Now is the time for clear thinking on the whole subject, passion and shortsightedness being avoided by the employees, and cupidity by the employers. There is no need for the outlook to be made worse by creating undesirable and ruinous dissension between capital and labour, and no encouragement should be given to those trying to extract political or other capital from the national difficulty. Public servants should, in particular, avoid being made dupes of agitators, especially those in their own ranks. Mr.* Forbes has promised them as fair a deal as possible, but to balance his budget, he must diminish expenditure on State Departments. A lower wage is preferable to unemployment, and the efforts of public servants and all workers should be to bring down the cost of living, rather than to browbeat employers, State or private. Some of the resolutions passed this week, for instance, by a [“mass” meeting of Timaru public servants were ridiculous, notably the one urging the “refraining from making any purchases in those parts of the city area where the ground rents are excessive.” Such boycotts are impracticable, and, if possible, would injure the workers employed in such establishments, more than 1 anybody else. Public servants get many concessions from trading establishments, many retailers complaining of the co-operative buying by State employees. Public servants should be thankful for the advantages they obtain, and not tell the world, so often of their alleged handicaps. Many outside the service wish they had “half the complaint” for which State employees seek sym : pathy.