NEW LABOUR DEMAND.

Rangitikei Advocate and Manawatu Argus, Volume XLV, Issue 11989, 28 January 1920, Page 5

NEW LABOUR DEMAND.

‘ ‘STANDARD OF LIVING. ’ 5 The Christchurch Plumbers and Gasfitters’ Union is asking the Conciliation Council for a new scale of wages, based on 2s 6d per hour. The Union’s representative said it did not consider the demand extravagant, as a Magistrate recently stated that the purchasing power of the sovereign is now only about 10s. An employers’ representative said that according to the Government: 'Statistician it is 18s 4d.

In reply to the employers’ agent the witness said the Union now asked that wages should he based on an entirely new scale, apart alto gether from the “cost of living,” and the provisions of the war regulations, They should be based on the standard of living, which had gone back and a worker could not afford the tilings that he could a few years ago. The proposed wage would not entirely compensate for the decline* in the “standard of living.” In his own case he had„to go without many things he previously could afford. It was intended to ask the court to make some attempt to catch up with the leeway in the “standard of living.” An employers’ representative said the Post Office Savings Bank returns showed that thousands of new accounts had been opened in recent years and that there had been a large increase in the amount of deposits. It appeared that the working man could put something “under the clock 1 ’ on the present scale of wages. It was subsequently suggested that, as the wage desired by the Union was based on a “standard of living” the Arbitration Court should be asked to decide the question.