§ 14. Mr. HURDasked the President of the Board of Trade whether, by agreement between employers and employed, the Tobacco Trade Board has arrived at a new scale of wages; how this compares with the existing and pre-War scales; and whether this new scale is, in addition to the voluntary bonus, equal to two months' wages per annum which has been paid for some years by two of the large tobacco companies?
§ Mr. PARKER (Lord of the Treasury)I have ascertained that the Tobacco Trade Board (Great Britain), at a meeting on the 18th March, agreed upon the publication of a proposal to increase the minimum rates of wages for men of 21 years and over, from 55s. to 61s. 6d. per week, and for women of 18 years and over, from 35s. to 38s. 6d. per week. Under the Trade Boards Acts a period of two months is allowed, during which objections to the proposals may be lodged with the Trade Board.
With regard to the second part of the question, I understand that several large tobacco companies have agreements with their workers for the payment of scales of wages over and above any minimum rates fixed by the Trade Board, and that in addition, certain of these companies have in the past granted to their workers a bonus on wages.
No generally observed rates of wages statutory or other, prevailed in the tobacco trade before the War. Information about earnings of various classes of workers in the trade in different districts in 1906 is contained in Vol. VIII. of the Report of the Earnings and Hours Inquiry, an extract from which I shall be pleased to forward to the hon. Member.