Throughout. Australia during last year, there were 156,017 workpeople who secured a wage increase aggregating £32,412 a week; and 472,099 workers who sustained a, decrease of £92,974 a week. The decrease in wages of 2/3 a week, amounting £70,562, affected 628,118 persons, and was spread over 972 changes in wages rates. It is not without interest to mote that the biggest weekly reduction was in Queensland, where there is a Labour Government in power, and the lowest in South Australia and Victoria, where the Governments are what may be called Liberal. It should be remembered that these reductions have for the most par: been brought about without strikes or lockouts, but thanks to the machinery in force for regulating the basic wage according to the cost of living. Quite lately the big iron and steel manufacturers have agreed with their men for reduced wages, ard now practically the only workers who are still being paid the high rates of the war period are the coal-miners of New South Wales. They continue to refuse to consider a reduction, and through their officials threaten that if the coal tribunal attempts to lower wages the men will refuse to work. However, experience has recently shown that the officials cannot always accurately forecast the views of the men. The executive of the Australian Workers' Union has just admitted that the loss of the shearers' strike was due to the fact that the men would go to work, instead of Btaying away as advised by their officials.. The fact that the said officials were fined for promoting a strike is a curious commentary upon this subsequent official complaint.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.