§ Mr. SWANasked the President of the Board of Trade if he can state approximately the wage reductions of the workers for 1921; and what are the weekly falls since January this year?
§ Dr. MACNAMARAI have been asked to reply. The changes in rates of wages reported to have taken effect in 1921, in the industries and services covered by the figures prepared by the Ministry of Labour, resulted in an aggregate net decrease of about £6,000,000 in the weekly full-time rates of wages of over 7,000,000 workpeople. An analysis of these figures, with details of the reductions in the principal industries, was given on pages 4 to 6 of the "Labour Gazette" for January, a copy of which I am forwarding to my hon. Friend. The changes reported as taking effect in January this year affected approximately 4,060,000 workpeople, of whom 3,680,000 sustained decreases amounting to £575,000 for a full week and 380,000 received increases amounting to £6,000 per week. These figures are exclusive of changes in the wages of agricultural labourers, police, Government employés, domestic servants, shop assistants and clerks, and take no account of reductions in actual earnings due to unemployment and short time.