THE ARMY PAYBOOK.

Star (Christchurch), Volume XLIV, Issue 302, 21 December 1931, Page 7

THE ARMY PAYBOOK.

Scheme Suggested for all Workers in N.Z. COMMITTEE APPROVES. A suggestion that every worker in New Zealand drawing wages or salary should be compelled to keep a wages book, on the lines of the Army paybooks, the amount to be initialled by the employer when payments were made, was put forward by Mr G. Maginness at this morning's meeting of the Christchurch Citizens’ Unemployment Committee.

Mr Maginness said that there had been a lot of discussion in the past concerning the wages paid to seasonal workers and whether they were eligible for relief. Every soldier during the war had been forced to keep a pay-book stating the amount of money he had received. If workers kept a similar book there would be no discussion if seasonal workers or others applied for relief. All that the Labour Department would have to do would be to ask for the men’s pay-books with the evidence of their earnings. The speaker said that he thought some such scheme should be approved by the committee and recommended to the Unemployment Board or the Government for consideration. It was decided that the committee should approve of the suggestion, and that the matter should be recommended to the Unemployment Board for its consideration.

Mr Maginness also suggested that the 3d in the £ wages tax acted as a deterrent to many people who would otherwise employ men for odd days. He said that they would not employ men if they had to make a special trip to the Post Office for the wages stamp to put on the man’s receipt. Members agreed with Mr Maginness’s statement, but failed to see how the matter could be remedied.