The Grey River Argus THURSDAY. June 30th, 1932. LOW WAGE POLICY.

Grey River Argus, 30 June 1932, Page 4

The Grey River Argus THURSDAY. June 30th, 1932. LOW WAGE POLICY.

There is : growing class of people in the Dominion who are ready, and ever anxious to crystalise the starvation status of manual workers. At first it was only ib.e big manufacturers and land monopolists who inspired the low wage policy. The wool kings and sundry other rural capitalists alone came originally into the open with the demand for a coolie standard for the toilers. The Government took the opportunity which the depression offer'd of making a start in the process, and decreed the abandonment of the legal mini, mum for many classes of works of a public nature. More particularly did this apply, of course, to the whole scheme of relief work. The excuse has been the difficulty of raising money to pay a living wage, but that argument of the Government was by itself torpedoed as soon as it limited the fund for the unemployed solely to the

wages tax. At Ibe sajne time, however, the behest of 111' employers was obeyed to the/extent of bumping out the arbitration. system and paving the./way for the destruction of awautls. This procedure we now befiold in active operation upon ttfe workers in various industries The position is that there is virtually no wages standard whatever left in New Zealand. Ever/- existing rate stands menaced/ by this prospect of early abolition so soon as the employers unite in each instance to render the concilaition proceedings a farce. But the very limitation as to skilled operatives must in at least some industries arrest the decline of their standard remuneration. It is quite otherwise, however, where the available labour supply is unlimited. The spectacle of idle or almost workless men in great num hers is not for the class above alluded to a reason for commiseration or sympathy. It is rather a temptation only' for the exploitation of labour. The old habit of treating labour as a mere commodity, rather than as a human 1 entity, is fast regaining its hold i upon our so-called practical men. The wool kings laud the Ministry because they have “reformed” the industrial situation by pauperising the working class. Poverty is for another class of people the condition precedent to progress! Thus we have the repre sentatives of about half a dozen Poverty Bay County- Councils urging as a convincing reason for renewed railway' construction the fact that it can be carried out in the form of relief jobs. They go back on previous arguments that the East Coast line would have been quite a payable proposition at the former minimum wage, but make out it has become such a proposition because it can now be continued with underpaid labour. The argument seems, moreover, to be quite a feasible one from the standpoint of those people whose properties ami trade will be rendered much more valuable by the desired railway connection. For instance, they plead that the scope for relief work is being rapidly exhausted within the limits to which such work has hitherto been confined. They point out that such a job as that on their railway' would afford a large er weekly wage to men, even though the daily' rate were lower than has been paid for such work in New Zealand during the past two generations. But they do not care a brass farthing for the effect of such a departure upon the status of all manual workers. If one line is undertaken, others are sure to be under the low relief rate of pay. For all one could say to the contrary, the Poverty Bay- philanthropists, when they presently wait on the Government, may, in order to conciliate the Railway' Board, ask that the Unemployment Board find the whole of the money to complete their railway. Judging by the RailwayBoard’s policy, it certainly is not averse to accepting aid from the Unemployment Board. The not distant future may bring a very remarkable disclosure. The Unemployment Board was set up as a very, temporary expedient to meet what was described as merely an emergency, but we may shortly see deputations, local bodies, log-rollers. concessionhunters, and the whole tribe of

labour exploiters going past Cabinet Ministers, and waiting cap-in. hand at the door of the Unemployment Board for the sanctioning of a perfect medley of works in which the great desideratum shall be the cheapest labour obtainable in the country. The Board might even be asked to consider the possibility of setting itself up as a glorified contractor. It could recruit a staff of officials to act as pannikin bosses, and shoulder the 'Public Works Department out of existence. Such a thing is doubtless by’ no means according to plan, but taking a line from the new departure regarding the building industry, it is quite conceivable that all sorts of employers may' soon be looking to the Board to supply labour at bedrock prices. Perhaps the Poverty Bay- philanthiopists will become the pioneers in blazing the trail.