WAGES AND RENT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17179, 24 October 1923, Page 11

WAGES AND RENT.

COURT’S PRONOUNCEMENT CRITICISED. (Special to the “ Star.”) WELLINGTON. October 23. The pronouncement of the Arbitration Court upon the effect on wages of the movement of the cost of living during the past six months was briefly criticised by Mr J- Read, president of the Wellington Trades and Labour Council, which recently made representations to the Court upon the question of rentals. Alluding to a remark made by the Court respecting owner-occupier. Mr Read said the council fully approved the principle of working people becoming owners of their own dwellings, but he pointed out that usually it took the average working man a very long time to pay off his commitments in making such a purchase. “ In most oases,” he said, “he simply takes the landlord off his. back to put the mortgage on. Even in the best of circumstances the average worker is going to be from twenty to thirty years paying off the cost of the property he had undertaken to buy. From information that has come before the Wellington Trades and Labour Council, also from advertisements that appear in the daily press day by day, it is quit© apparent that rent is changing. From £2 to £3 per week is being asked for moderate-sized houses. We have no definite information to show that the Court’s contentions regarding the general aspect of rents are not correct. The Court’s explanation, however, does not ease the situation for people who are called j upon to pay heavy rentals, even under the most favourable conditions. W e still contend that the weekly wage for unskilled workers laid down by the Court, amounting to a sum of £3 16s Id, is certainly not sufficient for a married man, even with no family, who , has to meet the cost of living at the present time.” I Proceeding, Mr Read quoted a por- , tion of the Court’s pronouncement which gave 20.31 per cent as the weight to be allocated to rent in the compilation of cost of living index numbers. “ That would indicate,” he stated. “ that the Court allows rough Ivon e-fifth of the total weekly wage for rent. The old idea used to I>© that never in any circumstances should rent exceed one day's wages per week. Four pounds a week is. in the opinion of the council, the absolute rock-bottom rate that oucht to be granted as a living wage for a married man by anv tribunal that has a proper sense o f proportion and of the requirements of modern civilised life.”