WAGES CUT REFUSED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21221, 29 June 1932, Page 10

WAGES CUT REFUSED

CLOSE VOTING ON MOTION

CHRISTCHURCH CITY COUNCIL

[BY TELEGR ATI!. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] i CHEISTCETJTtCH, Tuesday.

A motion to impose a 10 per cent, reduction in the wages of municipal employees and to abolish the present subsidy of 2s a day on relief workers' wages was defeated by nine votes to eight at a meeting of the Christchurch City Council last evening. The Mayor, Mr. D. G. Sullivan, M.P., said if the motion succeeded it would bo an intimation that the Christchurch City Council had abandoned the principle of high wages. It would bo a blow at the ,interests of all the working men and women in Ibe Dominion.

What good bad wage reductions done in the Dominion ? he asked. The Prime Minister had said that wage cuts would overcome the financial position, but the situation had grown worse after the wage reductions, until now Mr. Coates had announced that there were 70,000 unemployed. Wage cuts wore aimed at benefiting the farmers, but the farmers themselves eaid that the wage reductions had not done them any good. Why should the council subscribe to the exploded theory that wage reductions would benefit the country ? Mr. A. E. Armstrong voicd with the official Labour members, giviflg them the majority on the division.