POSITIONS IN OFFICES .

Southland Times, Issue 23183, 26 April 1937, Page 12

POSITIONS IN OFFICES .

Business Man Sees Poor Outlook BASIC WAGE AND AWARD (Special To The Times) WELLINGTON, April 24. “I do not know of any period when the outlook for youths leaving school and inexperienced young men seeking positions in business offices was worse than it is today because of the requirements of the industrial legislation,” said Mr J. T. Martin, a director of Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd., and vice-president of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, commenting on the basic wage as it affected young men applying for positions. He also referred to the clerks award as operating against the chances of inexperienced applicants from IS years upward in finding employment. Mr Martin said that businc > men in general desired to engage well-edu-cated boys of about 17 years who had attained matriculation standard or its equivalent. In the past they had secured this type of boy, starting him as an office junior. They had, however taken juniors on between the ages of 16 and 19. Although they were considered rather older than was desired, many youths of 19 had been given employment in 1935 as the result of an appeal to employers by the late Government, which desired that something be done for lads who had not been able to find positions because of the depression. The legislation enacted last year and the clerical workers’ award had made it impossible for most concerns to continue taking on youths of 19. Mr Martin contended that the clerical workers’ award, which prescribed salary rates according to age and not length of experience, was based on a wrong foundation. Experience should determine salary. For a boy starting at 16 the rate was £39 a year for the first six months and £52 a year for the second six months, rising by increments each six months to the basic wage of £197 12/- a year at the end of five years’ experience, when he would be 21. Employers found no fault with the case of this boy. Neither could great exception be taken to the rates set out for a youth starting at 17. But when a junior starting at 18 with no experience had to be paid £B4 10/- at the outset, or £lO4 at 19, or £143 at 20, or £197 12/- (the basic wage) at 21, business houses were being asked to pay rates which could in no sense be called reasonable. Inequitable Position Illustrating the inequity of determining salary by age, Mr Martin said Wright, Stephenson and Co., Ltd., had engaged three office juniors some little time ago. When the award was made it was discovered that the eldest of the three, who joined the firm latest, would receive a salary larger than those of the boys who had entered the office before him and who had enjoyed longer experience. Such a state of affairs naturally caused discontent among the staff. Mr Martin expressed the view that the basic wage was intended to safeguard the man with a wife and three children, or the single worker who had matured in his job at 21 and ordinarily would not be expected to earn any more. There was a vast difference between the two classes of employees, the office worker having the opportunity to earn in due course, a great deal more than the labourer.

Referring in general terms to the Government’s industrial legislation, Mr Martin said its effect was to increase the costs of running an ordinary business. This applied not only

to the clerical side of a company but those concerns that employed skilled labour, whether apprentices or journeymen. In times of prosperity such as business was now experiencing it was very probable that all well-founded concerns would be able to carry the heavy load. But with the cycle of change that came with the passing years a drop in the price of commodities would doubtless follow. The load of costs would then be too heavy and business concerns would be forced to cut out departments that became unprofitable and dispense with the resultant surplus staff.