BRICKLAYERS' WAGES.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume I, Issue 110, 15 June 1914, Page 10

BRICKLAYERS' WAGES.

AND THE COST OF LIVING. j ECONOMIC THE OKIES. The hearing of an industrial dispute between the Canterbury Union of the .New Zealand Federated Bricklayers' Industrial Association of Workers and the Canterbury Builders' and Contractors' Association and others was commenced by the Council of Conciliation this mortiing. The Conciliation Commissioner, Mr J. R. Triggs, presided. The assessors were: —i'or the workers, • Messrs H. Ifanton (secretary to the Bricklayers' Federation), A. M'Mahon, and W. .10. Gibson; for the employers, Messrs R. L Scott, P. Graham, H. Pearce. Mr J. E. Jones, secretary of the Canterbury Union, appeared for that bbdy, and Mr J. H. Mayjiard for the Builders' and Contractors' Association. Both sides had agreed on the question bf hours of work. The week's work was fixed at 44 hours, viz.., five days ofeight hours each, and from 8 a.m. to 12 lioon on Saturday. One hour shall be allowed for dinner from 12 noon to 1 p.m. from August 1 to April ISO, and half an hour during the rest, of the year. Exemption was granted to the North Canterbury Education Board. The dispute hinged chiefly on the question of wages. The union demanded I*, minimum wage of. 1/9 per hour for , all journeymen bricklayers. Against this the employers offered, 1/7 per hour, the rate fixed in the Wellington award. Mr Maynard explained that the 1/7 ■was offered on the understanding that v it became a Dominion award. If it were merely a local award the employers considered 1/6 an hour sufficient. He considered 1/6 an hour in Canterbury was quite equal to 1/7 in Wellington. WAGES AND PRICES. * '

■> In the course of a reply to the opinion that 1/6 in Canterbury equals 1/7 in. Wellington, Mr flu/iion , stated that increased wages do not, of themselves, always increase prices. There was a murmur of incredulous dissent, and Mr Hanton repeated his assertion. Where, he said, high wages are paid there the best, conditions are, and the increased efficiency in production decreased the cost of the article. This was not a time for academic discussion, but he made the bold statement that there was no standard authority that an increase in wages in it-

golf increased the coat of the article. %' ,Mr Gibson said that the-workers yet to get another increase of 15 per Cent, on their wages to catch up with , the increase in the cost of living. Illi.s-

'■y tiatinghow the employers bumped up < the cost of things when wages were raised, but did not maintain the proporhe said that in Auckland, when * the wages of-timber workers were iucrcased ly au amount equivalent to a penny halfpenny per 100 ft of timber, 1 , the price of timber was raised by as "inyeh as ]/-. per hundred. Similarly with the brick trade in Auckland, when wages were raised by an amount equal . to. five, shillings per JS,OOO bricks, the price of bricks was increased by 2/6 per ~if)00 bricks. The bricklayers were worse off-to-day i han they were years ago. Then a full week's work was 30/6, as "47 hours were paid for. Now, with-a hours' week, the full week's wage was £3 6/-. They were the only tradesmen who had not had a rise, and thie time had come when they should get it. ■ Mr Hanton remarked that the averJug's employer made the minimum wage the . maximum. v The Commissioner: You're wrong there} my friend." Statistics compiled

The Council agreed tiiat wages at Lit

rate of time and a-quarter should be paid to all bricklayers engaged in all hot and dirty work, on chimney stacks over 50ft in height, towers, and steeples, repairs to bakers' ovens, old work and work on retorts and furnaces shall be paid at double rates. Exemption from these clauses under certain conditions was granted to the Christchurch Gas Company. (Proceeding.)