UNEARNED INCOME

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24337, 29 June 1940, Page 13

UNEARNED INCOME

TO THE EDITOR

Sir,—l would like to thank Mr C. M Moss for his courteous explanation in his letter in Wednesday's Times, although he was a little unjust with two of his barbed shafts. The last sentence, I think, was unworthy of your correspondent, if he happened to live in a country township, and among the clients of his employer were the father brothers, sisters, cousins and aunts of the " healthy young woman who draws a pension and won't work." perhaps he. too, would be chary of signing his name, for it would probably—nay, most certainly—mean a baycott of his emoloyer's business. In a small community it is next door to impossible for a correspondent to sign his name, unless, of course, he is absolutely independent. Evidently Mr Moss is in that happy position. I am not so situated. I am still unconvinced why the interest or return (call it what you will) from the proceeds of a life insurance policy, on which for 30 years I have stinted myself to pay the premiums, should be labelled "unearned." It is unearned, of course, from the aspect that I didn't swing an axe or break the handle of "the old banjo" by leaning on it (when the boss wasn t looking) If the annual return from the proceeds of such a life insurance policy is "unearned," what would Mr Moss say about the following:—l refer now to the wages "earned" by the men working on the Kingston-Queens-town road. During part of the job the men worked in gangs on contract at so much per yard. The yardage for one section, where a stone wall was built, was at the rate of 6s '(it

may have been even 6s 6d), and the group, or gang, on that job made £2 per day uer man. One man who worked on the road himself said to me: " Look " —calling me by name —" it isn't in it; some of the gang couldn't earn £1 4 day." He added: "I know; I've worked with them (naming some of the men); it's a physical impossibility, even if they were willing to try." I won't go into details of dodging the boss, wrestling, skylarking, whilst one chap shovelled at a corner, with his eye skinned for the boss. On the Frankton-Queenstown section, where the men are now working, I don't know the price per yard of the contract groups, but two men on the job told me it worked out at 4s lOd per hour. Evidently that was recognised as a " bit too hot," so it was reduced later on and worked out at 3s 3d per hour, and I understand that the price per yard was reduced again and that it now works out at 2s 3d per hour. If Monday is too wet to work, and all the other days, including Friday, too wet also, but Saturday morning is fine, then the men who work the four hours on the Saturday morning get raid for the whole week. I'm not objecting to that, for men must eat, but I do object to men getting from 32s 6d to £2 per day when they earn hardly £1 a day. Genuine doers who got paid for a wet week would buck in the following week and made up a bit for the boss the following "week (the boss in this case being all the people of this Dominion), but on the Queenstown-Kingston road it isn't done.

Now, I would like to ask Mr Moss if the difference between what these men received and what they earned is not unearned income just as much as the interest I " hope " to get from my life insurance policy. For what is the meaning of the word " earned "? Webster says the word mean " To reap the fruits of one's labour" (mark the words) and "to merit or deserve by labour). Well, Sir, if the groups (or rather some of them, because they are really some honest-to-goodness workers on these jobs) " merited " or " deserved" frcm 32s 6d to £2 per day per man—then I'm a Dutchman. This is the last letter I intend writing on this question.—l am. etc., June 27. Irishmoss.