Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-26
AUSTRALIAN WAGES
!. HIT BY DEPRESSION
Many Workers Agree to Cuts
in Salaries After Court
Order.

Special Dispatch to The star.
MELBOURNE, Australia (N.ANA.) -
During the last II months the indusT
trial position in Australia. due to vari-
rious causes, has created much anxiety.
One of the developments was slide IN
wages. which during the long period OF
prosperity were forced to artincial
heights.
Periodically the basic wage, estab-
lished by Justice Higgins in the Har-
vester Judgment in the Federal Arbt-
tration Court in 1906, has been IN
creased to meet the rising cost Of ltv-
ing. embracing food. groceries and the
rent of an average family Later 8
shillings a week was added to the wage
by Justice Powers to compensate for
the lag between wages and rising costs.
Because OF the slackness of industry
generally, the lack Of employment ana
the falling cost of living application
was made recently to the fun court OF
the Arbitration Court by the railway
commissioners of several states, sup
ported by q number OF employers or
| CARNATIONS, for reduction in the basic
wage and for the abolition of the Powers
| shillings a week. The hearing OF this
| case occupied several months, the APP
plication being strenuously opposed by
the trade unions.
Reduction Ordered.
| The court gave its reserved decision
recently. It ordered that reduction OF
| 10 per cent take place in the wages OF
all employees covered by the awards the
| court was asked to vary. The decision
affects wages Of railway employees OF
! Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania,
| of clothing trade employees. motor body
! builders, timber workers, water-side
workers. ships officers, metal trade en-
| ployes and other groups. The wages
/ rot Af Q11naFnFo
cooks, which were reduced by the court
| last year, were exempted from the Or
| der. The court did not alter the Powers
| 3-ahilling arrangement.
| In Victoria, the activities Of the
wages boards have also been governed
largely by the alterations in the cost
/ Of living, so that the rates In wages
determinations have again been reduced.
Although trade unionistS have dis
| played bitter hostility to any decreases
| in wages, the increased unemployment
has proved that high rates cannot be
maintained. II wages were reduced to
level more in conformity with the
value Of production work could be found
| for large numbers OF additional men,
but at present many employers are un-
| able to pay the rates demanded, and
| they have, therefore, been forced to limit
their activities to essential operations.
Many Agree to Cuts.
Rather. than lose entirely their means
of livelihood, many employees of large
| establishments, whose wages or salaries
examinations or arbitration court
! awards, have, by voluntary action,
| agreed to reductions.
Far-reaching alterations In arbitra-
ton machinery have been provided for
in legislation passed at the instance of
| the Federal Labor party by Federal
! Parliament, but, owing to appeals to
the high court, fun effect has not yet
been given to the new laws.
The amending Cancellation and arbi-
tration act provides for the appointment
/ of Cancellation commissioners and for
/ the establishment of Cancellation COM
mittees in each industry IN which there
| is a dispute pending. Only one con-
Citation commissioner has so far been
appointed by the ministry, although
numerous committees have been estab-
lished in different industries. An APP
peal to the high court resulted in
majority of the justices holding that
section. 80 Of the act relating to the
appointment and jurisdiction of con-
Citation committees was invalid.
Railways Upheld.
| Owing to the financial position of the
railways systems in Victoria, New South
Wales, South Australia and Tasmania,
the Arbitration Court set aside the
awards of the various railways unions,
which decision was upheld on an APP
peal to the high court. This action Gre
| ated much alarm among the unions in
volved, as it was feared that it would
be followed by similar steps affecting
other awards.
To meet the large deficits In all gov
eminent sources of revenue the Vic
torian ministry introduced a plan Of
salary reduction for the public service,
wlich has been accepted by the organ
izations concerned. A similar proposal
was made by the federal ministry, but,
| owing to the opposition of unions spe-
cial taxation was limited to public serv-
ants earning more than $3.50 q year.
The depression In all industries has
| produced a record number of unem-
| ployed and legislation has had to be in
troduced by the state Parliaments to
raise funds for providing for the un-
employed and their families.
There was an absence during the last
year of any new industrial dispute of
serious proportions, largely owing to the
paucity of employment.
| (Copyright, 1891. by North American News
| paper Alliance.)