PRICES AND WAGES

Taranaki Daily News, 9 July 1930, Page 16

PRICES AND WAGES

CONSTRUCTIVE ECONOMY. CONSULTATION URGED. (By N.Z. Welfare League.) The Dominion has had a good time. High prices and high wages and general high living was the order of the day. Now the time has come to “pay up and' the trouble is on us. Whether we like it or not, the call is on the country to settle down and economise. It may well be asked, however, whether we clearly understand what economy means? There can be a cutting, down of costs which will leave us no better oil' because the services are cut out with the reduction made in costs. . To starve productive enterprise is neither constructive policy nor real economy. The requirement of to-day is for well-thought-out plans of readjustment. Labourites say, “Lower prices, but leave wages alone”; employers say, “Wages must come down, but the price of our products should be maintained. If we could secure simultaneous change toward the lowering of wages and the price of the articles which labour requires there should be no ground for complaint. The owners of la,bour power and the owners of commodities for sale are both faced with the economical guillotine offering to cut off their necessities, while their mutual politeness,, of “you go first” is really embarrassing. In tho efforts of the Government (com--1 mendable in themselves) and the multi'pie industrial and commercial activities directed towards readjusting values, both the material and human services, the danger is that individuals may suffer severely by forced solutions lacking breadth of thought, duo consideration of principle or allowance for proper consultation. If our memory serves us right, some time ago it was suggested ’by the Hon. T. S. Weston that a conference should

be called for the purpose of considering whether simultaneous reduction of prices au dwages might not be effected. The plan, we think, is worth attempting. If representatives of labour, employers, producers, financial interests and the Government were brought together for candid consultation on these important questions the information that would be presented at such a conference would we believe, have good effect both on those participating in the conference and the general public. A most important National Industrial Conference was called by the Canadian Commonwealth Government in 1921. This conference was fully representative of the employers, wage-earners, agricultural, public services, banking, the Government, and the general public. The report of the proceedings shows that it dealt with the vital issues in economics, trade and industry affecting the life of that Dominion. With the serious financial and industrial problems that our Dominion has now to meet, our opinion is that a policy of tho frankest consultation, and full disclosure of the real facts, of our situation is the wisest course that can be adopted. Labour, the public servants, an# the public in general will face losses, and work on with far greater confidence if apprised of the full facts, and made cognisant of the justice of the demands made upon them. Wo invite the Employers’ Federation and labour unions to join us in urging this fuller consultation, as wo are confident that all would learn by it, and I the general welfare of our country be thereby advanced.