§ Major Beamishasked the Minister of Labour if he will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT a table showing the average weekly earnings of adult male workers in 158W manufacturing industries in October, 1945, and in October of each subsequent year, beside columns showing the rise in weekly earnings based on 100 in October, 1945, and similar figures for productivity.
§ Mr. Iain Macleod:The following table gives the figures in respect of average weekly earnings.
Date Average weekly earnings of adult male workers in manufacturing industries s. d. Index July, 1945* … 126 7 100 October, 1946 … 126 7 100 October, 1947 … 134 5 106 October, 1948 … 143 4 113 October, 1949 … 148 1 117 October, 1950 … 156 8 124 October, 1951 … 172 1 136 October, 1952 … 184 9 146 October, 1953 … 196 7 155 October, 1954 … 212 3 168 October, 1955 … 231 1 183 October, 1956 … 245 7 194 * Figures of average weekly earnings in October, 1945, are not available. As regards the last part of the Question, the term productivity has different meanings and its precise measurement is difficult but I understand from the Board of Trade that indices of output per man-year obtained by dividing indices of manufacturing production by the average number of male and female workers employed in manufacture are available for the years 1946 to 1956, but not for 1945. These are:
1948 = 100 1946 … 95 1952 … 109 1947 … 94 1953 … 115 1949 … 105 1954 … 121 1950 … 111 1955 … 125 1951 … 113 1956 … 123