Captain BENNasked the Minister of Labour what at the present time is the percentage increase in wages above the wages of 1913 in each of the building trades, including labourers?
§ Sir M. BARLOW:The amounts of increase in the rates of wages of building trade operatives have varied in different localities. The following table shows the percentage increases, between the end of 1913 and the present date, in the recognised rates of wages in 10 towns of varying importance in different parts of the country.
As the weekly working hours have been reduced since 1913, the percentage increases in weekly rates of wages are less than those in hourly rates. Accordingly, both the hourly and the weekly percentages are shown in the table: