Captain BROWNasked the President of the Board of Trade if he is aware that in the counties of Northumberland and Durham the salaries of many grades of colliery officials have been under £5 a week, and in many cases less than the wages of those under their charge, and if he will draw the local controller's attention to their position with a view to securing for them a generous settlement of their wage anomalies?
§ Mr. BRIDGEMANI understand that the question of wages of colliery officials, in Northumberland and Durham is the subject of negotiations which are still proceeding between the owners' association and the officials' association. My information as to the present position is that all underground officials in both counties receive more than £5 a week, and that the only grades whose salaries are generally of less amount are those of certain surface officials. In Northumberland the present remuneration of underground officials, including war advances, ranges 1719W from about 108s. a week to about 122s. a week. In Durham the coalowners' association have agreed to recommend to their members that ho underground official should have a weekly wage of less than 10 per cent. in excess of that of the deputies, calculated at six days per week (£4 18s. 6d.). This applies to the lowest paid underground official; the higher classes are paid proportionately higher rates It must also be borne in mind that married officials receive free housing accommodation and coal and, in many cases, lighting. It may occasionally happen that an individual piece-worker, owing to specially favourable circumstances, earns more in wages than an official under whom he works, but otherwise my information does not bear out the hon. and gallant Member's suggestion that the remuneration of officials is in many cases less than that of the men under their charge.