WAGES LEVEL.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20360, 18 July 1934, Page 7

WAGES LEVEL.

Labour Deputation Makes Request for Rise. CONFERENCE SUGGESTED. (‘‘Star ” Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, July 18. Requesting that the Government should take steps to convene a conference of employers and employees to discuss ways and means of restoring the wages of workers, a deputation representative of the whole of the Labour movement in New Zealand waited on the Prime Minister (the Rt Hon G. W. Forbes), the Minister of Finance (the Rt Hon J. G. Coates) and the Minister of Employment (the Hon A. Hamilton) to-day. As an alternative to the calling of a conference the deputation asked that the Government should pass legislation which would have the effect of restoring all wages to the 1929-30 level. In reply, the Prime Minister said that he would discuss with his colleagues the question of calling a conference. The main requests of the deputation, as stated by Mr J. Roberts, secretary of the Alliance of Labour, were: (1) To pass legislation which would have the effect of restoring all wages to the 1929-30 level. This would be a statesmanlike, act, but probably the Government would not agree to that course because it would amount to admission on their part that they made an economic blunder when wages were cut in 1931.

(2) On the other hand, if the Government would immediately convene a conference representative cf employers of labour throughout the Dominion, which would include farmers and manufacturers, retailers and distributors of goods and representatives of the workers engaged in those industries, the whole question of price levels, purchasing power, wages, hours of employment and the distribution of goods could be considered, and he had no doubt they would arrive at conclusions which would go a long way to overcome those economic problems which confronted the people of New Zealand to-day.

After complimenting the deputation on the manner in which it had presented its case, Mr Forbes said that he could not agree with all that had been said. So far as the conference was conferned, that would have to be considered by members of Cabinet. One thing that would be necessary would be the co-operation of the employers. It would not be possible to call such a conference as had been suggested unless the employers were willing to come into it. Cost of laving. Figures which he had received from the Government Statistician’s office showed that all cost of living groups had fallen by 19.6 per cent since 1929 and wages had fallen by 18.2 per cent! Mr YV. Nash, M.P.: It isn’t the rate of wages that the men get. Mr Forbes: I think the request is that the rate of wages should be raised. A voice: The trouble is that you have nobody working full time. Mr Forbes said that figures showed that rent had fallen by 25 per cent. Mr Roberts: Those figures are not right, so far as rent is concerned. The only reason for the fall in rent is that there are three or four families living in one house.

Mr Forbes said that at deputation after deputation Mr Roberts had quoted figures and had placed a different meaning on them than the meaning the Government placed on them. If employers came along thev would probably submit a different set of figures altogether. It had been made very apparent in New Zealand the falling off in the income of the farmers affected the income of eyeri- other section of the, community. To this way of thinking there could be no connection between reduction in overhead costs and the increase in unemployment. He could not see that if a man reduced overhead costs he would have to dismiss men. Surely it was the other wav round. Mr Roberts: You say that if the income of the farmer drops it affects the standard of living of everybody in New Zealand. From the point ot view of purchasing power I agree with vou, but if the income of the carpenter drops it affects the standard of living of everybody in New Zealand in the same way, or is a carpenter a different joker to a farmer? Power Given to Court.

Mr Forbes said that the Government had not reduced wages, but had given the Arbitration Court power to review the situation.

Mr Roberts: Can you sav that without bursting out laughing? Mr P. Fraser. M.P.: What about the public servants?

Mr Forbes: Yes, that was done directly by Parliament, but it was a question of reducing wages by 10 per cent or reducing staffs by 10 per cent. A voice: You did both. Mr Forbes said that what had been done had been done because the business of the Government fell off. Mr Nash: The business of the Government certainly fell off. Mr Butler: You increased the wages of some civil servants. Mr Forbes: There were the usual annual increments. Mr Butler: What about the police force? Mr Coates: Don’t you like the police force, Mr Butler? Mr Butler: They don’t like me. Mr Coates: Oh, they are not a bad lot of chaps. Mr Forbes said that he had no feeling of bias about the prgposed conference.