WAIATA.

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6947, 28 June 1929, Page 3

WAIATA.

DEBATE ON EQUALITY OP THE > SEXES. From Our Own Correspondent. The monthly meeting of the WaiataAratika Literary and Debating Society was held at Waiata on Monday evening, Mr Snell presiding. The subject was: ‘'Should women receive equal wages with men when doing the same class of work?” Miss li. Billett, supported by Messrs Bain, J. Walker, D. Jensen and H. Jensen presented the case for the affirmative, while Mr E. Billett, seconded by Messrs N. Walker and A. Billett, appeared for the negative.

Miss Billett said that the present .inequalities in wages were to a great extent responsible for unemployment. To-day, owing to women workers being obtainable at lower wages than men, they were given preference in such classes of work for which they were equally suitable, with the Tcsult that men were thrown out of employment. Equal wages would give preference to men, diminishing the numbers of unemployed, while women would revert to their natural employment in the home. Tho present system of employing women in preference to men was false economy, because the men thrown out of work had to be supported by nonproductive relief, which was a drain, on the country's resources. In receiving lower wages than men. women in business were prevented from giving their best by making them feel that their position was merely temporary. Mr E. Billett, for the negative, said that giving women high wages was giving the to Jin extra attraction to for* sake their natural calling, i.c., home life, for a business life. If a woman received the same wage as a man, she would have to make a great sacrifice when she married and had to carry on a home on the same amount of money as she had formerly spent -on herself! The raising of women’s wages would lie a temptation to women to attempt classes of work for which they were not phvsically fitted A woman m business did not require as high a wage as a man, because, she only had herself to support and did not need to make provision for the future.. Mr Bain, the second affirmative speaker, said that women had come into business and industrial .We d«r ing the. war. At this period, * of the industries in England would not have been able to carry on without them. In these industries, it had been found that the women workcr " ’ r9 no way inferior to men and they were paid tho same wages. T " * ,vL Women’s Corps, the and th "Wrens,” the units received tho same pay as did men in other regiment; , proving that the commercial and mill tary authorities considered them, equa to men. Speaking of women s physi cal stamina, the speaker referred to tho fact that 75 per cent of the successful Channel swimmers were wo ™ c “- . Mr N. Walker,, tho second negative speaker, said that in most cases the male worker was either providing a wife and family, or making provision for doing so in the future. An attempt to raise the wages of women to. tho level of those of men was offering a further attraction to young women, usually without dependents, to competo with men and take away the livelihood of the married men and their dependents. Returned soldiers who wcrQ suffering from war injuries and men physically affected would suffer most from women’s competition. Mr D. Jensen,-the third affirmative speaker, claimed that employers were the only people who received any benefit from the system of paying lower wages to women.' The commodity produced realised the same price. Mr A. Billett, for tho negative, said that man was intended to be the breadwinner, and woman’s place was the home. ' If further attractions in the form of higher wages were offered to induce women to leave home l'fc for business.it would lower the high standard of home life and . the rising feneration would be the chief sufferers. He would not attempt to decide whether women should enter business and industrial life, or not, said Mr 1 H. Jensen, in reply, but if they did decide to do so .they were entitled to receive the value of'their work. A pound s worth of work was entitled to a pound in pay. . _ , . For many vears in many industries, particularly the dairy industry Paid Mr J Walker, women had, worked as hard as men and had received lower wages, simply because it was the custom to pay lower wages to women, irrespective of the work done. This, in the speaker's opinion, was wrong. It was suggested that women only worked until they were ready to marry and settle down, but the surplus women position made it necessary for a grea. number of women to work most or their lives ami also to make provision for when tlicv were unable to work. In e.verv busienss and industry, women had proved themselves, equal to men. On the question being put to the vote, the, affirmative was declared the winning side, by a substantial majoiity. The meeting elosed with supper, provided by the ladies. The subject for the next debate, whi-'h will be held at Aratika. will be "Will New Zealand ever become a manufacturing country; and would it lie to her advantage to do so?”