§ 4 and 5. Sir ARTHUR MICHAEL SAMUELasked the Minister of Labour (1) if he will give the percentage increase in the average rate of wages of labourers in the non-trading services of the local authorities in the large towns in England and Wales as at May, 1932, as compared with a similar approximate date in 1914, or if the figures are not available in 1915; and the percentage increase in the cost of living at the nearest comparable dates;
(2) the percentage increase in the average rate of wages of labourers in the electricity supply industry in May, 1932, as compared with 1914, or 1915 if the figures are not available for 1914; and the percentage increase in the cost of living at the nearest comparable dates?
§ 14. Mr. LAWSONasked the Minister of Labour the divisions in which the increase of unemployment has occurred during last month and the increased numbers for these divisions?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONAs the reply includes a number of figures I will, if I may, circulate a statement in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the statement:
6 and 7. Mr. ANNESLEY SOMER-VILLEasked the Minister of Labour (1) the percentage increase in the average rate of wages of labourers in the building industry in May, 1932, as compared with 1914, or 1915 if the figures are not available for 1914; and the percentage increase in the cost of living at the nearest comparable dates;
(2) the percentage increase in the average rate of wages of labourers on the railways in May, 1932, as compared with 1914, or 1915 if the figures for 1914 are not available; and the percentage increase in the cost of living at the nearest comparable dates?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONAs the reply includes a statistical table, I will circulate it, with the permission of my hon. Friends, in the OFFICIAL REPORT.
§ Following is the reply:
§ The information in my possession as to the wages actually paid in 1914 and in May, 1932, is not sufficient to provide a basis for exact calculations of the average percentage increases in the rates of wages of all the labourers employed in these industries and services. Some comparisons of rates of wages at August, 1914, and 31st December, 1931, in these 2085 and other industries, based on such information as is available, were published, with the necessary explanations and qualifications, in an article on pages 44 to 46 of the February issue of the "Ministry of Labour Gazette," and in the following table the figures given in that
| Industry. | Rates of wages. | Normal weekly hours of labour. | Percentage increase in | |||||
| July, 1914. | May, 1932. | July, 1914. | May, 1932. | Weekly rates of wages. | Hourly rates of wages. | |||
| Building. | Per hour. | Per hour. | ||||||
| (Unweighted average of recognised district rates of wages and normal hours of labourers in 39 large towns). | 6.6d. | 13.5d. | 49.2(a) | 44.6(a) | 86 | 105 | ||
| Local Authority: (non-trading) Services. | Per week. | Per week. | ||||||
| s. | d. | s. | d. | |||||
| (Unweighted average of the recognised rates of wages and normal hours of labourers in 28 large towns). | 26 | 9 | 51 | 4 | 51.8 | 46.7 | 92 | 113 |
| Electricity Supply Industry. | ||||||||
| (Unweighted average of the recognised rates of wages and normal hours of labourers in 51 large towns). | 26 | 7 | 53 | 0 | 53.8 | 47.0 | 99 | 128 |
| Railway Services. | ||||||||
| (Rates of wages in Industrial Areas, other than London) (b): | ||||||||
| Porters (Grade 2) | 19 | 2 | 40 | 0 | Not available | 48 | 109 | (d) |
| Goods Porters | 22 | 0 | 44 | 0(c) | 95 | |||
| Permanent-way Under-men. | 22 | 0 | 44 | 0(c) | 95 | |||
| (a) Average of summer and winter hours. | ||||||||
| (b) Information is not available as to the pre-war rates of wages of labourers in railway workshops or of the comparatively few men who are graded as "labourers" in the traffic grades. Particulars are given, therefore, in respect of typical lower-paid grades of worker. The rates quoted for July, 1914, are average rates, whilst those for May, 1932, are the agreed standard rates. Corresponding averages for 1914 are not available for London or for Rural Areas The rates quoted are exclusive of additional payments made in respect of overtime, Sunday duty, etc. | ||||||||
| (c) Rates of wages in excess of 40s. a week are subject to a deduction of 2½ per cent. with an additional reduction of 2.½ per cent. on the amount in excess of 40s. The rates quoted are subject to these deductions, which have been taken into account in the calculation of the percentage increases shown in weekly rates of wages. | ||||||||
| (d) The information which would be necessary to enable this percentage to be computed is not available; but the hours of labour were appreciably lower in May, 1932, than in 1914, and consequently the percentage increase in hourly rates of wages is considerably higher than that in weekly rates. | ||||||||
| At 30th April, 1932, the average increase in the cost of maintaining unchanged the pre-war standard of living of working-class families, as shown by the statistics compiled by the Ministry of Labour, was approximately 43 per cent, over the level of July, 1914. This is the latest figure at present available. |
§ article as regards the classes of workpeople in respect of whom particulars are desired are brought up to 31st May, 1932. In view of the limitations of the available data, the figures should be regarded only as approximate indications of the relative position at the two dates.
2087§ 9. The following question appeared upon the Order Paper in the name of Mr. THORNE: TO ask the Minister of Labour if he will have inquiries made into the hours, wages, and working conditions generally of employés engaged in London and the provinces?
§ Mr. THORNEBefore this question is answered, Mr. Speaker, I want to point out that it has been altered. It included the word "cinema" originally. The ex-Member for Pontefract in April of last year put down a similar question and the word "cinema" was then taken out.
§ Sir H. BETTERTONParticulars are regularly collected as to rates of wages, hours of labour, and working conditions in the principal industries, both in London and in the provinces, so far as determined by collective agreements, and a considerable amount of information on these subjects, derived from these agreements and from other sources, is published in the monthly issues of the "Ministry of Labour Gazette" and in other publications issued from time to time by the Ministry of Labour. In addition, special inquiries were made in 1924 and 1928 into the average earnings of workpeople in most of the principal industries, the results of which were published in the "Ministry of Labour Gazette" and a similar inquiry, relating to 1931, is at present in progress.
§ Mr. THORNEThat is quite true, but what I wanted was particulars of the hours and conditions of employés working in cinemas, having regard to the Bill that is now under consideration?
§ Sir H. BETTERTONI am very sorry, but I am not responsible.
§ Mr. MACQUISTENWith the word "cinema" taken out, the question has no sense. Information was wanted as to a particular matter.
§ Mr. LAWSONIs there any possible explanation why the word "cinema" was struck out? We have had a general answer and not a reply to a particular question. On previous occasions, I have put similar questions, and they have been passed.
§ Mr. SPEAKERI have sent for the original manuscript of this question to see whether the word "cinema" was in it or not.
§ Later—
§ Mr. SPEAKEREarlier in the afternoon, the hon. Member for the Plaistow Division of West Ham (Mr. Thorne) made a complaint that the word "cinema" had been cut out of his Question, No. 9. I have sent for the manuscript of his question, and I find that the word "cinema" did not occur in that manuscript.
§ Mr. THORNEIf that is so, I can only apologise.