1926-05-08 — Page 5

Jbe MAGNSTR

"Three Cuyles"

Cigarettes

WDCHOWHIS

Bristol Landon

Unequalled for-

1

THE HONGKONG TELEGRAPH,

JAVA

THE WONDERLAND

Java, the "Pearl of the East

is a singularly attractive

spot for the ideal holiday, There is something for every taste-and a splendid climate

Up-to-day Hotels Lexurious Railways Beautiful Scenery Sport of all Kinds

WHY NOT SPEND YOUR HOLIDAY IN JAVA ?

The only direct and regular passon- ger service between Hongkong and Batavia maintained by the J. C. J. L. steamers Double and singla cabins with electric fane and running water. Accommoda- tion for Saloon Passengers. Doctor carried. All steamers fitted with wireless. For fares and full particulars about Java apply JAVA-CHINA-JAPAN LIJN

YORK BUILDINGS. Telephone Contral 1574.

GO TO JAVA

Next Sailings from Hongkong, Batavia.

S.S. "THLARANG" S.S. "TJISAROEA"

20th May 3rd. Juno

ALSO PACKED IN REGULAR SIZE 20 & 50

FRAGRANCE. { REPUTATION

&

QUALITY

"Three Castles

CIGARETTES

SATURDAY, MAY

SOCIAL WAGES.

"FAMILY ALLOWANCES

ON THE CONTINENT.

The suggestion of the Coal Commission that a minimum wago based in any way upoа af reasoned estimato of requirements for any given, standard of human comfort involves, and should be Decompanied by, a system of family allowances," is something. af a now departure so far as this country is concerned, all pre- vious discussions about & minimum wage having boen based on the assumption that oach wage had to maintain a hypothetical standard family of a married man with three de- pendent childron, On the Con- tinant, however, systems of "family allowanceRo social Wagos" ата

widely spread, especially in "the mining and metal industries.

BARSK

In France there are two and a half million industrial wage- earners included in the various schemes, comprising most of the mining and engineering workers, together with the textile workers of Normandy and of the Roubaix-|| Tourcoing area. The organisa- tion is by "caisses" podis. All] the employers in particular area engaged in the same industry subscribe to a pool in proportion to the number of their employees; the funds obtained in this way are distributed among the work people with dependent children in the form of an allowance of a snall sum every month for each) child. The scale of the allow- ances is usually very small, not more than 25 or 30 france a month a child, and the total thus| distributed is said to amount to only some 2 per cent. . on the wages bill. In Belgium and Ger- many the payment of "social wages" according to the size of the worker's family is found) throughout the mining industry as well as in most branches of the metal trades. The system is) nald to work well on the whole. though the allowances are not large.

The chief objection to family allowances is that they in troduce into the payment of wagos considerations other than the value of the work done, and this inevitably leads to dis content when a good workman finds himself working side by side with a bad workman and drawing less wages. The only way to overcome this difficulty would be to make the allowance in respect of children payable direct to the mother, and so divorce it absolutely from the fathor's wages. This could be undertaken by a national scheme, for the endowment of mother- hood; but is quite impossible if the organisation is by industries, on account of the friction which would arise from men not being allowed. to handle personally Imoney regarded by them as part

of their wages.

The mining industry certainly offers the most favourable field) for an experiment in the direc- tion of family allowances Miners' families are notoriously large, and there is therefore a Kreat Contrast between tho poverty of the man with a large' family of dependent children and the opulenco of his neighbour) whose children are working but arc. still at home. The excep tionally good organisation of both capital and labour in the mining industry would also smooth the way for the Introduc- tion of a schemo, if both were willing to support 4).

1926.

QVER 500 SKILLED ARTIZANS

ARE CONSTANTLY EMPLOYED BY

ARTS & CRAFTS

SHANGHAI

IN THE PRODUCTION OF

ARCHITECTURAL JOINERY

PARQUETRY FLOORS HIGH-GRADE FURNITURE

STAINED & LEADED GLASS

SCULPTURE WORK IN

MARBLE, CEMENT AND

ידי

METALS.

Banks, Shipping, Insurance and Mercantile Offiese

Furnished and Decorated.

A

ARTS & CRAFTS

(Opposite the Racecourse).

SHANGHAI.

Artistic Tiling

Suggestions and Designs submitted for every class of Floor and Wall Tiling.

Our workmanship is guaranteed, and all materials used are the best procurable.

Furthermore, every job is carried but under the supervision of an expert.

C. E. Warren & Co., Ltd.

CHINA BUILDING (Opposite Queen's Theatre) Telephone C.269.

From the practical point of view, however, there is a great) difficulty from the outset. All' systems in operation on the Con- tinant came into distence at a time of monetary inflation and were introduced in the form of advances granted to men with families only; single men were. not asked to submit to any reduc tion in the money value of their wages. In the British coal in- dustry at the present time ad-1 vances, given to men with families would have to boj counterbalanced by roductions in the wages of single, men, who; would join the opposition at once. The claim of thie. Commis- sion that tho offect of such re- ductions would in.reality be a high rate of absontocism; in- negligible, as there is a good deal deed, the foot rather points in the capital is invested in Chilo, and Such British money is invested in

· Over £100,000,000 of the British short of £15,000,000 is British; of voluntary absenteeism among reverse direction. If the mining the younger men which would be industry is to introduce a system until lately it was mainly om-annual output of the value of the leather industries, with an diminished by a reduction in of family allowances,, if, must ployed in the nitrate and general $6,000,000 and the textile and wages, does not settle the dif- wait for a time either when a mining industries, as well as clothing trades, the output of ficulty, since the steadier type of period of inflation reduces the railways, tramways, and similar which is worth about $4,500,000 a man who now works a full wook, real value of wages while leaving undertakings. But recently manu-year. The manufacture of cotton and whose support is needed, their money value the same or facturing has been greatly in goode, which made considerable would be hardest hit. The when greater prosperity makes creased in this country, and there progress last year, is mainly con assumption that a reduction in advances possible; in ofther set are now dearly 6,500 manufactur trolled by Englishmen. wages would also reduce absen- of circumstances adyances, could ing establishments, the total recognised that in manuf teeism is itself open to doubt, as be granted to married men while amount of capital Invested in Chile is the most prom no evidence is brought of a cor leaving the money value of the these concerns being £80,000,000, in Latin America for relation between high wages and wages of single men the same, of which, it is estimated not far ment

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