§ Major GLYNasked the Minister of Labour if she can give comparable figures showing the rates of wages, expressed in sterling on the basis of present rates of exchange, of bricklayers and masons, carpenters and joiners, builders' labourers, fitters and turners, engineers' labourers, cabinet makers, printers, bakers, tramcar and omnibus drivers, motor van and lorry drivers, railway goods porters, and labourers employed by local authorities in two or three of the principal towns in Great Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Czechoslovakia, the United States of America, and Australia?
§ Miss BONDFIELDThe following table, compiled from information collected by the International Labour Office, and published in the issue of the "International Labour Review" for April, 1930, gives the latest information in my possession. The wage rates shown, which are quoted in the "International Labour Review" in the currencies of the countries concerned, have been converted into sterling, for the purpose of this table, at the rates of Exchange current on the dates to which the figures relate.
2217W
2218W
Standard Hourly Time Rates (a) of Wages of Adult Male Workers in January 1930 (b). Town. Building. Engineering. Cabinet-makers. Printing Hand Compositors (Book and Job). Bakers. Transport. Local Authorities' Unskilled Labourers. Bricklayers and Masons. Carpenters and Joiners. Labourers. Fitters and Turners. Labourers Tram and Bus Drivers. Motor Van and Lorry Drivers. Railway Goods Porters. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. s. d. Great Britain(c)— London … … 1 9 1 9 1 4 1 4 0 11½ 1 9 1 10¼ 1 3½(g) 1 7¼ 1 6 1 0 1 4¼ Birmingham … … 1 7½ 1 7½ 1 2¾ 1 2¾ 0 10¾ 1 6 1 6¾ 1 2¾(g) 1 3¾ 1 4¼ 0 11½ 1 1¼ Newcastle-on-Tyne … … 1 7½ 1 ½ 1 2¾ 1 2¾ 0 11 1 7 l 6¾ 1 4 (g) 1 3 1 2¾ 0 11½ 1 2¾ France— Paris … … 0 11½ 0 11½ 0 8 1 0 0 8 1 1 1 0 — — — — — Bordeaux … … 0 8¼ 0 8¼ 0 6½ 0 7½ 0 5 0 9 0 10¼ 0 9 — 0 8½ — 0 6¼ Lyons … … 1 0 1 0¼ 0 10¼ 0 10¼ 0 6¾ 0 11½ 0 11¾ — 0 7¾ — — — Germany (d)— Berlin … … 1 6 1 6¼ 1 3 1 3¼ 0 9¾ 1 3¼ 1 2¼ 1 2¾ 1 4½ 1 4½ 0 11½ 1 0½ Hamburg … … 1 6¼ 1 6½ 1 3¼ 1 1 0 9½ 1 3¼ 1 2¼ 1 2¾ 1 3¾ 1 2½ 1 0 1 1 Cologne … … 1 3¾ 1 4¼ 1 1¼ 1 4¼ 0 9¾ 1 3¼ 1 2¼ 1 2¾ 1 1¾ 1 0½ 0 9¾ 1 0¼ Italy— Rome … … 0 8¾ 0 9 0 6¾ 0 9 0 5½ 0 9¾ 0 10 — 0 10½ — — 0 7 Turin … … 0 9¾ 0 10½ 0 7¼ 0 8 0 5¾ 0 9¾ 0 10½ 0 10 0 8¼ 0 7¾ 0 7½ 0 5¼ Genoa … … 0 8¼ 0 9 0 6½ 0 7 0 5½ 0 9 0 10¾ — 0 7 0 5¾ 0 8 — Czechoslovakia (e)— Prague … … 1 2 0 11½ 0 10¼ 1 1¼ 0 6½ 1 1 0 11½ 0 10½ 1 1½ 0 10¼ — 0 6 Bratislava … … 1 2¾ 1 0¼ 0 10¼ 0 11¼ 0 6¼ 0 9¾ 1 0½ 0 9¾ 0 10¾ 0 10¼ — 0 5½ Brno … … 1 1¼ 1 0 0 10¼ 1 0¼ 0 6¼ 0 10¼ 0 11¾ 0 10 0 10¼ 0 9½ — 0 7 United States (f)— New York … … 7 2½ 6 2¼ 4 11¼ — — — 5 2¾ 3 8½ 3 3½ 3 4½ — 2 10 Chicago … … 6 8½ 6 2¼ 3 8½ — — — 5 0¾ 3 4½ 2 11 2 5¼ — 2 10 New Orleans … … 6 2¼ 3 8½ — — — — 3 2½ 2 5¾ 2 2¾ — — 1 6¾ Australia— Melbourne … … 2 10½ 2 8¾ 2 3¼ 2 6¾ 1 11¾ 2 3¾ 2 7 3 0 2 0¼ 2 1 1 11½ 1 8¾ Sydney … … 2 11 2 10¾ 2 4¾ 2 7½ 2 2¼ 2 6¼ 2 7 3 0 2 3½ 2 5 2 1½ 2 3¼ (a) Except for Czechoslovakia, as to which see note (e). (b) Except for Australia (June, 1928), the United States (May, 1929), Paris (October, 1929) and Lyons (February, 1930). (c) Standard rates, fixed by agreements, or recognised by employers' and workers' organisations. In some cases the hourly rates given in the Table are calculated to the nearest farthing from the recognised weekly rates. In certain cases in which varying rates are recognised, the rates quoted represent the mean of these rates. The rates quoted for railway goods porters were subject, at 1st January, to a temporary reduction of 2½ per cent., restored as from 13th May. (d) Rates fixed by collective agreement for the highest age class. (e) Actual earnings, based on both time work and piece work, of workers 25 to 40 years of age, including value of payments in kind, various money allowances payments for holidays, and the workers' social insurance contributions. (f) In general, trade union scales. (g) Table hands.