§ 17 and 18. Mr. ARTHUR MICHAEL SAMUELasked the Minister of Labour (1) whether she will make an approximate estimate of the rates of wages in all industries where data are available on the basis of a normal working week, adjust them to the cost of living, and then state the value of real wages at March, 1931, as compared with July, 1914, equals 100, allowing for a cut-through average rate to cover hourly as well as weekly wages;
(2) if she will state the over-all average value of real wages covering the 10 years period February, 1921, to February, 1931, inclusive, as compared 568 with the similar value equals 100 at July, 1914, after combining rates of wages for a normal working week and cost-of-living index?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI propose, with the hon. Member's permission, as the reply is necessarily long, to circulate it in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Mr. SAMUELWill the right hon. Lady allow the reply, with an explanatory paragraph, to appear in the "Labour Gazette"?
§ Miss BONDFIELDI think there is no reason why it should not.
§ Following is the reply:
§ The information in my possession is insufficient to provide a basis for a precise calculation of the average increase in rates of wages since July, 1914, but it is estimated, from such particulars as are available, that at 1st February, 1931, the latest date for which figures can at present be given, the average level of weekly full-time rates of wages was between 70 and 74 per cent. above the level of July, 1914, for workpeople of corresponding grades at the two dates. The increase in hourly rates of wages is estimated to have been between 90 and 100 per cent. The average level of working-class cost of living at the same date, as indicated by the statistics compiled by the Ministry of Labour, was approximately 52 per cent. above that of July, 1914. On this basis, the average increase in "real" rates of wages would appear to have been about 13 per cent. in the case of weekly full-time rates of wages and between 25 and 30 per cent. in the case of hourly rates of wages. Over the whole period from 1st February, 1921, to 1st February, 1931, the level of real rates of wages for a full normal week is estimated to have averaged about 3 per cent. above the level of July, 1914. These figures take no account of changes in average earnings resulting from increased unemployment and short-time working, from changes in the proportions of workers paid at time and piece rates of wages, or from changes in the proportions of workers in different industries and occupations, as to which statistics are not available.